Aircraft Pictorial #5: P-40 Warhawk

It is a truism that one goes to war with what one has and the United States Army Air Corps was fortunate to have a plane that while not quite a world beater, was able to produce results and not be totally outclassed. This aircraft was the P-40 and it would be well over a year before anything else was available to replace it.

The aircraft had several strengths in that it was fast in a dive, was fairly well armed, was well built and in the hands of a well trained pilot, could hold its own in a fight. What it did not have was any sort of decent altitude performance, being pretty well limited to well below 20,000 feet. However, since most combat was below that altitude, it was not that much of an issue.

This book by author Dana Bell concentrates on the Allison powered versions. This is the second early P-40 book I have read that calls them 'long nose' P-40s, ostensibly due to the long propeller reduction gearing that was installed in these aircraft. Most of us will simply call them 'Tomahawks' and while perhaps not accurate for US Allison P-40s, most will know what you mean.

The book follows a now-familiar format. We get to look at the history of the aircraft in its development along with the modifications made to it throughout its  production run and wartime career. All of the interior and exterior aspects of the aircraft, including changes made during production and those linked to different variants are covered with photos and a description of the area in question. In this area, we learn of the hybrid 'P-40G', an aircraft of which there was not all that much known. There is a section on the various camouflage schemes that modelers will find quite interesting. But the real meat of the book are the large photographs. Thankfully, Curtiss and others took high quality images of these planes and in this book you will see more period color photos of the early P-40 than I have seen in one place before. This alone makes the price of the book most worthwhile.

 This is one that is a must have for the serious modeler and for the enthusiast alike. A book I can highly recommend to you without reservation.

July 2013

Review copy courtesy of Classic Warships Publishing. They have a full selection of Nautical titles you will like. When you shop there, say Modeling Madness sent you.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.