Curtiss P-40E Warhawk “Flying Tigers”, 1:72 Scale Model

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. It was the third most-produced American fighter of World War II, after the P-51 and P-47; by November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been built, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation's main production facilities at Buffalo, New York.

P-40 Warhawk was the name the United States Army Air Corps and after June 1941, USAAF-adopted name for all models, making it the official name in the U.S. for all P-40s. The British Commonwealth and Soviet air forces used the name Tomahawk for models equivalent to the P-40B and P-40C, and the name Kittyhawk for models equivalent to the P-40D and all later variants.

The Flying Tigers, known officially as the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG), were a unit of the Chinese Air Force, recruited from U.S. aviators. The Flying Tigers were divided into three pursuit squadrons, the Adam and Eve; Panda Bears; and Hells Angels.

Compared to opposing Japanese fighters, the P-40B's strengths were that it was sturdy, well armed, faster in a dive and possessed an excellent rate of roll. While the P-40s could not match the maneuverability of the Japanese Army air arm's Nakajima Ki-27s and Ki-43s, nor the much more famous Zero naval fighter in slow, turning dogfights, at higher speeds the P-40s were more than a match. AVG leader Claire Chennault trained his pilots to use the P-40's particular performance advantages. The P-40 had a higher dive speed than any Japanese fighter aircraft of the early war years, for example, and could exploit so-called "boom-and-zoom" tactics. The AVG was highly successful, and its feats were widely publicized by an active cadre of international journalists to boost sagging public morale at home. According to its official records, in just 6 1/2 months, the Flying Tigers destroyed 297 enemy aircraft for the loss of just four of its own in air-to-air combat.

In the spring of 1942, the AVG received a small number of Model E's, each equipped with a radio, six .50-caliber machine guns, and auxiliary bomb racks that could hold 35-lb fragmentation bombs. Chennault's armorer fitted the new planes with additional bomb racks that held the 570-lb Russian bombs, which the Chinese had in abundance. These planes were used in the battle of the Salween River Gorge in late May 1942, which kept the Japanese from entering China from Burma and threatening Kunming.

The Oxford Diecast model is a replica of the Curtiss P-40E Warhawk flow by Robert Neale 1^st Squadron Commander “Adam and Eve” AVG.  He took over 1st Squadron after its previous commander was killed. He was awarded the British DSC for his exploits in the defense of Burma. This model celebrates his command in which he helped keep the Japanese from entering China from Burma and threatening Kunming. He amassed 13 victories during his time with the “Flying Tigers” making him it’s top scoring ace.

The model is painted in the US wartime dark green and brown camouflage colour scheme with a pale grey under body. The plane sports the US Star insignia on the wings.  The fine historical detail also includes the iconic shark teeth along with the Flying Tiger’s graphic and the 1^st Squadron “Adam and Eve” emblem along the fuselage.

This P-40 Warhawk is an excellent addition to your historical model aircraft collection.