Card Model Kit Fighter Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
Card Model Kit Fighter Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
Type: Fighter, World War II
Country: USA, 1940
Scale 1:33
Quantity of sheets: 74 (8,3x11,7)
Even if you are the beginner in modeling, dont be afraid to start with this model kit.
Detailed illustrations, high quality printing and excellent coloring, perfectly selected details scale will make the process of building pleasant and amazing; at the end you will have a wonderful stunning model made by your own hands.
This model kit is the American fighter P-40; it has English signs, in a blue-green camouflage with traditional "shark mouth".
Prototype Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 was an American single-engine, single-seat, low-wing, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. It was used in great numbers in World War II. The P-40 was a direct adaptation of the existing P-36 airframe to enable mass production of front line fighters without significant development time. When production ceased, in November 1944, 13,738 P-40s had been produced. P-40s were used by the air forces of 28 nations and remained operational throughout the war.
Warhawk was the name the United States Army Air Corps adopted for all models, making it the official name in the United States for all P-40s. British Commonwealth air forces gave the name Tomahawk to models equivalent to the P-40B and P-40C and the name Kittyhawk to models equivalent to the P-40D and all later variants.
The P-40's lack of a two-stage supercharger made it inferior to Luftwaffe fighters in high altitude combat and, as such, the P-40 was rarely used in operations in Northwest Europe. Between 1941 and 1944, however, the P-40 played a critical role with Allied air forces in five major theaters around the world: China, the Mediterranean Theater, the South East Asian Theater, the South West Pacific Area and in Eastern Europe.
P-40s first saw service with the British Commonwealth squadrons of the Desert Air Force in August 1941.
The P-40's poor performance at high altitudes was not as critical in North Africa and the Middle East where its bomb load, armour and good range were beneficial. The Royal Air Force's 112 Squadron was the first to fly Tomahawks in North Africa. The squadron copied the shark mouth nose markings used by Luftwaffe Me 110 Zerstörer units. The Flying Tigers in China later used the logo on P-40s.
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 31 ft 8 in (9.66 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)
Height: 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
Wing area: 235.94 ft² (21.92 m²)
Empty weight: 6,350 lb (2,880 kg)
Loaded weight: 8,280 lb (3,760 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 8,810 lb (4,000 kg)
Power plant: 1× Allison V-1710-39 liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,150 hp (860 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 360 mph (310 knots, 580 km/h)
Cruise speed: 270 mph (235 knots, 435 km/h)
Range: 650 mi (560 nm, 1,100 km)
Service ceiling: 29,000 ft (8,800 m)
Rate of climb: 2,100 ft/min (11 m/s)
Wing loading: 35.1 lb/ft² (171.5 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.14 hp/lb (230 W/kg)
Armament
Guns: 6× .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 281 rounds per gun
Bombs: 1,500 lb (680 kg) on three hardpoints
