Vintage Fighter Series AVG WW2 Flying Tigers Model Plane Kit 1/24 Kit RARE

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Vintage Fighter Series AVG WW2 Flying Tigers Model Plane Kit 1/24 Kit RARE:
$79.99

This listing is for a Super Rare American Fighter Series 1/24th Scale WW2 Curtis P-40B Flying Tiger Model Kit in New Condition from 2005!

-This kit was made back in 2005 and is inopen condition!

-This kit contains so much detail not found in model kits and one has not been on or fo sale in a very long time--do not miss this chance to own this awesome kit!

-Some of the parts are loose, a few small engine pieces were lightly painted on the parts tree and the canopy/clear parts are missing!--Everything else appears to be there.

-This model kit is super rare and contains tons of detail as listed below in this review of the model when it came out:

The P-40 was an evolutionary development from the Curtiss drawing boards which started with the Model 75. Curtiss\' Model 75 created the basic wing and fuselage that would distinguish this unique family, but equipped with a radial engine, this prototype would lead to the earlier P-36 Hawk. As engine technology continued, an Allison V1710 liquid-cooled engine was mounted on the firewall, and the resulting streamlined cowling led to the now-familiar P-40 silhouette.

The P-40B was armed with two 50 caliber machine guns in the nose and four 30 caliber machine guns in the wing (the previous P-40 versions were armed with two 50s and two 30s). The P-40B also featured improved radio equipment over its predecessors.

A number of P-40Bs were deployed around the world by the time the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the war. Two of these aircraft managed to get airborne in the midst of that attack and were credited with four kills. 110 P-40Bs were delivered to the RAF as Tomahawk IIAs. The major deficiency in this aircraft was the lack of self-sealing fuel tanks which would be corrected in the P-40C/Tomahawk IIB. It would be these later versions that would ultimately equip the American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers.

I remember seeing ads for a 1/24th scale P-40B coming from a new manufacturer, Vintage Fighter Series, and was a bit amazed at the magnitude of the project they were undertaking for a first release! This kit is quite large and comes in a 20\" x 14.5\" x 4\" box. On opening the box, the first thought is \"I\'m going to need a larger shelf!\"

The kit is molded in light grey styrene and is presented on 10 parts trees, plus a single tree of clear parts, a single fret of photo-etched parts, rubber tires, and an acetate piece that has the instrument panel faces printed on it.

The absolute gem of this kit is the detailed Allison V1710 engine. The exhaust stacks alone are 24 parts! Before you\'re finished assembling and painting this engine, you\'ll be trying to figure out how to display it separately and still get the rest of the kit together. The top of the cowling can be removed to reveal the engine and some of the details will be visible from the open belly cowl flaps.

Speaking of the removable top of the cowl, one will need to recognize that this kit is a compromise between an accurate scale model and a detailed display model. The distinction here is that some accuracy was exchanged to accommodate working features. On the real aircraft, the top of the cowl was removed in sections, not as one piece. No biggie. The fuselage sides have a track molded into the sides aft of the cockpit to allow the canopy to open and close. The flight controls and landing flaps are movable, and the main landing gear can be retracted and extended.

This is one of the first kits I\'ve seen that have got the open cowl flaps right!

The windscreen has provisions for a bullet-proof armored glass panel to be installed (included).

The details on the fabric-covered flight control surfaces look good. The panel lines are a bit deep.

Two seated pilots figures are included in the kit. One in AVG/early USAAC flight gear, the other in RAF flight kit.

Six machine guns are provided, two with barrel extensions for the top of the cowl installation, and four in the wings. The detail on these machine guns is not bad, but they won\'t be seen after installation.

A HUGE decal sheet is included with four AVG \'Flying Tiger\' options. Thanks to Tom Gaj for pointing out that the British roundels are for the tops of AVG Hawk #75 as these were pre-painted on the wings that were shipped with the crated aircraft.

-Please take a look at the pictures, what you see is what you get, nothing more, nothing less!

-Ask questions before you buy, I am happy to answer!