Academy 12456 Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk 1/72 Scale Plastic Model Kit

The Academy Plastic Model Company has been producing kits since 1969. The company is famous for its endless research and development and the excellent model kits that result from the effort. Academy has been awarded Model of the Year at the Nuremberg International Toy Show nine times and the quality of their model kits meets or exceeds that of any other current manufacturer. When the requirements for the P-40 were formulated, no prospect of high-altitude enemy attack against the U. S. A was envisaged, so that coastal defence and ground attack were the main tasks indicated. Low-altitude flying qualities and rugged construction therefore received priority, and, in fact, the P-40 was subsequently to prove itself an excellent ground-attack weapon. But at the time of the Japanese attack on pearl Harbour this fighter was already approaching obsolescence, despite having been in production for less than two years. Nevertheless, between 1940 and 1944, when acceptances were terminated, a total of 13,738 P-40 fighters were delivered to the U. S. A. A. F., the peak number in service being 2,499 in April 1944. The P-40 was a relatively clean design, and was unusual for its time in having a fully retractable tail-wheel. One hundred and ninety-seven P-40s were built in 1939-40 for the U. S. A. A. F., and many more were sold abroad to Britain and France. In the R. A. F., which service purchased 140 outright, it was known as the Tomahawk MK. I, IA, and IB. Kit features: fully engraved panel lines & rivet detail; highly detailed cockpit interior & landing gear bay; and optional position canopy & landing gear door. This finely detailed plastic model kit requires assembly and painting.