Here is my entry in the build.



The Boeing P-12 was the most important pursuit ship in the USAAC in the Late 20s and the early 30s.



The variant I am modelling is the E model. First flight of the production P-12e was in 1931. My model will be one of the 29 pursuit squadron, 16th pursuit group , Albrook field, Panama Canal Zone 1934. Classic Airframes incorrectly labels this the 26th pursuit group. There was no such group.



The Classic airframes kit is 12 years old and as typical of CA in this time, the kit is accurate, but fit is poor. Resin cockpit is nice but brittle. This will NOT be OOB as I already started the kit and added a few items to the cockpit; 30 cal machine gun breaches, Blast tubes, PE throttle quadrant and trim wheel. Along with a PE seatbelt. The USAAC did not use harnesses yet!

I also replaced the prop with an 1/48 eduard I-16 type 10.


Hopefully, Ill be equal to the task!!!

ha, i'll be in good company at least - I'll most likely be doing the Classic Airframes P-6E - a very similar kit i suspect!

Awesome! Yes Vance, they are from the same "era" of Classic airframes.

http://www.internetmodeler.com/artman/publish/aviation/Classic_Airframes_1_48_Curtiss_P-6E.php

I definately want that kit. Can't wait to see your build.

Hi Mike: It looks like you are tackling this beast in good order. It sounds like you did go with the blast tubes as well. I always envisioned these kits as a step up from a vacu-form in that you don't have to cut things out, but as much sanding and filling. The P6 was the inline version of the Navy's Radial Engined Goshawk. They would make nice companion pieces. All the classic art deco lines of the era. Looking forward to this build as well. I have a couple of CA kits lying adrift in the stash somewhere.

Best
Mark

Hi Mark. Yes,I saw a photo with the blast tubes. Yes. I have a number of CA kits, I am a sucker for the unusual. You are right on the mark with your statement. Unfortunately, the mainstream manufacturers will never make the Curtiss hawks or Boeing biplane pursuits...

Heard that the CA Goshawk kit has many innacuracies in shape....

Post WW1 is really getting an airing this time. This is one I didn't know, but really looking forward to see the result.

Mike,
I'm following your thread with a great deal of interest; the showing of "Golden Age" subjects has re-kindled my enthusiasm for the era and I beleive it is a very good thing for our Forum. Altho I'm a confirmed WWI Nut the 20's and 30's offer some of the most beautiful airframes to be seen.
I rummaged around my bookshelves and located a Reference book I've had since 1975, "Aircraft in Profile Vol.1 No. 1". The P12E section is by Peter M. Bowers which lends it credibility for sure. I had quite a collection of them back then but they were lost (or more likely stolen) during one of my Military moves; this and one other is all I have left. They were a reputable product back then, published by Profile Publications in the U.K.
I recalled that I had the P12E section/booklet and your color scheme looked familiar.Sure enough there was a color 5 view. I thought you might be able to use it as it shows the Unit Crest positioned forward of the illustration in your Kit's Plans. If you're like me you'll no doubt have solved the contradiction however I thought I'd send it on anyway if only for interests sake. Here's 2 quick photos, hope they are of some help. The "7" on the vertical stab is actually black, no red as seen in the photo here.


The book also has six other color side profiles, let me know if they might be of interest to you or if you'd like more images.
Cheers,
Lance

Thanks Lance. Not up to the markings yet, trying to get the struts lined up properly. The kit's struts were made ~ 6mm too high...its a real pain to get them to fit correctly

Looks like from the drawing that there is some dihedral on the lower wing.....squadron book really does not show that..

I've found the Squadron books are prone to errors at times however they do have a lot of good photo coverage and the price is nothing to complain about. Looking at the photos in this book I'd say there is dihedral on the lower planes, but very little.
Good luck with the build, I'll be following your progress.

Cheers,
Lance

Hi MIke,

NIce choice of subject – not one I'm too familiar with – but those yellow wings are most attractive.

Looking forward to your build.

Mikael

Here is some progress on my CA 1/48 P-12e

one can tell the amount of filler needed for this project as the CA kits from this "generation" are generally poor fitting.

Next up: the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 17 radial engine...

Mike your sanding and beveling will pay off I think – it does look good! Was it hard to get the struts in the right position?

Regards

Mikael

Very difficult. I had to use a Classic Airframes 1/48 F4B kit I had in the stash because I botched the first set of interplane struts. The Cabane struts were a pain, but not as difficult as the Interplanes, which had to be cut about 4mm.

It's really coming along now Mike! Looks good

Doug

Mike,
She's shaping up real nice my friend.Looking forward to the next installment.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

^^^^^^^^what he said !



Terri

Here is some progress on the P-12e:

]

The Pratt & Whitney R1340 Wasp radial and the Townend ring cowling. The resin engine is nice with seperate crankcase and 9 cylinders which have to be glued individually. I had to add 18x small rods for the pushrod assembly and fine copper wire for ignition wires. Hard to tell from my lousy photos...



Another shot of the P-12e with the main landing gear legs attached. I plan on re-working the kit part so as to more approximate the movement of the spreader-bar type landing gear.

Photos aren't so bad that we can't tell you made a lovely little engine. Good job.

Here is some photos of my 1/48 P-12e:
just about ready for the paintshop....


please feel free to comment. I can use the help!

That engine's much nicer than the lump Hasegawa gives you in the 1/32 kit. What's the nose bowl like?

Hi Jesse. What is a "nose bowl"??

It's the bit that's painted red behind the propeller in this picture.

Its pretty good. Not as nice as the Academy/Hobbycraft P-26 Not painted though.



With the Wasp, I had to add ignition wires and sprue push rods, otherwise it is a gem.

Here is some update photos of my 1/48 P-12e:

and a shot of the painted Townend ring, main wheel/tires, R1340 Wasp engine, prop and the engine face plate.


Gloss coat and decals next....

After decaling:

still need a bit of weathering and a final finish. I plan to do a slighty weathered aircraft, not too much!