Special Hobby 1/72 RNZAF P-40K-15 Kittyhawk NZ3061

[ZacYates]

Hi all,
This kit was a birthday present to myself in August last year as I love P-40s, had liked the look of the Special Hobby kits, and am a sucker for RNZAF markings. The kit itself has lovely details and went together beautifully, the decals were well-behaved. The only issues I had were self-caused such as losing the correct canopy, and using a too-dark green for the top colour which somehow became even darker under Humbrol gloss. For various reasons I only added the finishing touches - painting the light lenses - today.

But I want more of these kits. It was a delight and, as long as I don't bring myself down by using the wrong colours, I expect the next (I want to get an E to honour local pilot Tom Marchant killed in a training accident) to be even better and more fun.

Photo of the real NZ3061 from "RNZAF The First Decade" by Charles Darby:
NZ3061 RNZAF The First Decade Charles Darby by Zac Yates, on Flickr

Special Hobby 1/72 P-40K-15 Kittyhawk NZ3061 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Special Hobby 1/72 P-40K-15 Kittyhawk NZ3061 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Special Hobby 1/72 P-40K-15 Kittyhawk NZ3061 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Special Hobby 1/72 P-40K-15 Kittyhawk NZ3061 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Special Hobby 1/72 P-40K-15 Kittyhawk NZ3061 by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[planecrazy]

Nice Zac the RNZAF P40s always look unique with their wing bands.

[harrysone]

Looks nice Zac. Haven't done the Special Hobby kit but have done the Sword P-40K (looks similar). Also seems Special Hobby have recently done RNZAF P-40M as "Fisken's Wildcat"

[ZacYates]

Thanks Harry. I'd like to do the SH Wildcat too, because why not, as well as an E replicating NZ3031. I am curious about whether there's any shared heritage between the Sword and SH kits, I'll have to hit up Scalemates for some sprue shots and compare them.

[markrogers]

Great model Zac. I would say that the dark top color probably looks about right, as in the black and white photo it looks very dark. The Special Hobby kitset looks pretty good too.

[Mustang51]

Love the Kiwi P-40 colours.........they look 'right'

[ZacYates]

Thanks gents, I feel a lot better about my colour choice now.

[davidd]

Please remember that it was the American theatre commanders (COMSOPAC, COMAIRSOLS, then COMAIRNORSOLS and the like, also later the SWPA theatre) that required the RNZAF to apply (firstly) the flying surface diagonal white bands as well as the vertical fuselage bands and the white spinners on our P-40s, then the various versions of the white tail surfaces. Thus these markings were NOT unique to the RNZAF; the RAAF's P-40 were also painted with very similar markings to the RNZAF (and USAAF) P-40s in the campaigns up through the Solomons as well as later campaigns in the Northern Solomons and then the Bismarks theatre, although there was certainly some variations in style of application. The later white tails were also applied to USAAF P-39s, P-47s, and RAAF Spitfires, Vengeances, Austers, and Wirraways/Boomerangs during same periods of time in same theatres. The disappearance of all Japanese fighters in these theatres from February 1944 onwards gradually led to the abandonment of the white markings on Allied aircraft, which is why RNZAF Corsairs never adopted them. However I believe the RAAF persevered with the white markings considerably longer than we did, possibly because a few enemy fighters managed to survive for longer in their adjacent areas. Very strangely, the RNZAF did not seem to mind that many of our obsolete P-40s which equipped the fighter OTUs in New Zealand to continue wearing the markings, markings that had absolutely no operational reason to exist in this environment - perhaps the powers that be just liked these crazy decorations! Oddly, the RAAF Boomerangs and Wirraways of 5 Squadron, RAAF, based at Piva North strip, Bougainville, in 1945 flew alongside our own Corsair squadrons, the Ozzie aircraft flying to end of the war with their white decorations more or less intact.

It is also worth pointing out that these theatre marking requirements, although enforced on Allied air forces operating in these same theatres by the Americans, never seemed to apply to United States Navy or USMC aircraft - ever! Just USAAF, RAAF, RNZAF. So rather a lot of oddities and anomalies regarding the application of these markings. The one cardinal rule seemed to be that whatever the nature of these white markings, they were only to be applied to single-engined aircraft.

[ZacYates]

Jan 20, 2022 19:14:50 GMT 12 davidd said:

Please remember that it was the American theatre commanders (COMSOPAC, COMAIRSOLS, then COMAIRNORSOLS and the like, also later the SWPA theatre) that required the RNZAF to apply (firstly) the flying surface diagonal white bands as well as the vertical fuselage bands and the white spinners on our P-40s, then the various versions of the white tail surfaces. Thus these markings were NOT unique to the RNZAF; the RAAF's P-40 were also painted with very similar markings to the RNZAF (and USAAF) P-40s in the campaigns up through the Solomons as well as later campaigns in the Northern Solomons and then the Bismarks theatre, although there was certainly some variations in style of application. The later white tails were also applied to USAAF P-39s, P-47s, and RAAF Spitfires, Vengeances, Austers, and Wirraways/Boomerangs during same periods of time in same theatres.

I remember being excited to see more Pacific RNZAF Kittyhawk photos when I was younger, recognising the stripes I'd seen on NZ3009, only to have my heart fall when I saw the stars!