1/48 Academy P-36A Hawk "Pajama Party"

Gallery Article by Vjekoslav Ranec on July 22 2014

 

This P-36 is the new Academy re-release of the relatively old Hobbycraft kit. This kit has pretty good moulding and recessed panel lines, but it is pretty rudimental in cockpit and engine/engine cowling area. The plastic is moulded in light grey with nice and clear transparent parts.

 

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The overall fit of the kit is good considering that this is a pretty old mould. Some filler is required here and there. I was very surprised with the good fit of wing/fuselage parts.
The worst part of the kit is engine/engine cowling/armament area. Details are very bad and some surgery is required to match the references I could find. The engine is easily available - just take a look at what Quickboost has to offer, but cowling and armament bulges have to be modified. I added some wires to the engine. Looks good enough for me.

I decided to cover most of the cockpit area with a pilot figure so I used an Eduard Zoom set, which is great because it contains some crucial exterior parts.

Clear parts are tricky to install. They have to be glued with “non fogging” glue. I had Eduard masks, but they are incorrect for these parts.

Markings are the main reason why I’ve decided to build this model. I was always fascinated with the story about Phil Rasmussen and the attack on Pearl Harbor. When I saw this boxart, I knew this would be my next build. Decals in this box are from Cartograf, and that means that they are great.  Paints used are ALCLAD II.

Figures are from the various Hasegawa sets - heavily modified. I tried to make a scene when Phil is entering this plane in his pajama, and ground crew is looking for cover after they prepared his plane for the flight.

Vjekoslav Ranec

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Photos and text © by Vjekoslav Ranec