324th Fighter Group P-40L

[Mark Joyce]

Hi folks,

Just wrapped up my first build on 2010 . I took the unusual step (for me) of actually documenting this build as it progressed, so got a handle on how long it took me to finish it: five months. If I learned anything from it, it's that I build slowly. But I think I already knew this. Probably explains why I haven't posted much here...

Anyway, this is the Eduard kit (48th scale) and Aeromaster resin nose, with most of the resin and photoetch bells & whistles from the kit that I didn't manage to mangle or that didn't fly off into Never-Never Land. Eduard apparently felt that the resin and photoetch wasn't enough work for me, so conveniently neglected other items, such as canopy rails, or better yet got others wrong, such as the oleo scissors, causing me to fumble my way through scratch-building them. The only thing really missing is the reflector gun sight, simply because the kit one is the wrong type and I've been too lazy to look for an aftermarket one yet.

This is "Duchess of Durham" while assigned to then Captain Bruce Hunt of the 314th FS/324th FG in Italy '43. "Duchess" was originally flown by ace "Zack" Taylor of the 325th FG, the famed Checkertails, which dumped its P-40s on the 324th when it transitioned to the Jug. The 324th figured it would probably be a good idea to paint over the yellow and black checkertails so as to no longer be confused with the 325th, hence the OD on the tail section. Same logic for the OD covering the original numbers on the fuselage.

The main reason I decided on this specific airplane is because for the past year or so I've had the privilege of corresponding with Col. Hunt via email and snail mail, and he is one of the nicest, humblest, and most generous people out there. So, without further ado (and boring anyone further who's still reading this), my feeble attempt at honoring a true gentleman and hero:

Thanks for looking, and as always any comments and constructive criticism welcome!

Regards,

Mark

[airrex]

Very nice P-40L. I have an aeromaster nose that I will fit to the Mauve kit. Any pointers on cuttting and replacing the nose?

Thanks, Rex

[HOLMES]

Oohh THE DUCHESSS oozes SEXINESS :)

BRILLIANT colors and love the Nose art!!!

[Mark Joyce]

Very nice P-40L. I have an aeromaster nose that I will fit to the Mauve kit. Any pointers on cuttting and replacing the nose?

Thanks, Rex

The instructions say to use a razor saw to cut the front of the kit fuselage away. I figured this would be a sure-fire way to really mess things up. Instead, I used an Xacto knife with a new blade (#11, I believe) and ran it along the area to be cut, gradually making each pass deeper and deeper. This was slower than a razor saw but gave me a lot more control. Fortunately, unlike with the AMtech resin nose, the cuts fall along panel lines so you have a nice guide to go by. This worked well for me. Other than that, the installation is pretty straightforward. Good luck with yours!

Thanks everyone for the nice compliments; much appreciated!

Mark

[The Mikester]

Gorgeous build!

[GreyGhost]

Very nice !

I love the subtlety of the paint and weathering ...

Gregg

[John Krukowski]

Love the "patchwork" and the history behind it.

Interesting subject and very nicely done.

John

[Mark Joyce]

Thanks John, Gregg, and Mikester!

Regards,

Mark