[Elmer]

I arrived home from work this evening to find this awaiting me:

[Elmer]

Of course this is the new Carousel 1 Curtiss P-36A, representing Phillip Rasmussen's Pearl Harbor bird. I love cracking open the packaging of a new C1 mold/casting for the first time. Its a bit like Christmas for me. For those of you familiar with C1's packaging... this will be a familiar experience for you, same ole' packaging. However, no display base for this one. I took a few shots to show some of the crisp panel lines and rivet detail:

[Elmer]

If you have a C1 P-40, put them side by side, you will notice something strangely familiar: the wings, horizontal stabs, and other parts (tires, struts, cockpit parts) appear to be cast from the same mold:

[Elmer]

The model has all the hallmarks one comes to expect from C1: nice detail in the engine area, cockpit area, crisp panel lines, rivet detail, magnetic attachment of landing gear (very easy), nice finish, etc. The engine detail is very similar to the C1 Wildcat. The cockpit detail is very similar to the P-40 (well, many things are very similar to the P-40. Comparing this model with the P-40, one cannot help notice how similar these airframes are to each other (jim, you gotta get one!). The only rubber bit is the pitot tube (well, the tires are also rubber), and mine is straight as an arrow. The main gear tires rotate and the prop spins freely, much like the P-40 (at first the prop was stiff, but as I continued to play with it, it loosened up). I love the airframe, I think it very pretty:

[STARMAN 352ND]

That cowl line does look look too bad in your pictures Elmer...
Nice shots you took there.
JP

[Elmer]

The NMF finish: I'm not sure what to say about this; maybe it's best I not say anything. I'm not even a mediocre judge of nmf finishes on models (may have some gray hue in it). I will say that the finish is glossy and reflective, one can see reflective images on the finish. Notice the aircraft's fuselage number reflecting on the wings:

[Elmer]

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

That cowl line does look look too bad in your pictures Elmer...
Nice shots you took there.
JP

Nice segueway, JP! Speaking of that cowl join line, at about an 18" viewing distance, it looks like a panel line... it almost disappears as a join line. Up close, it is an obvious join line, and if I had to pick a wart on the model, this would be it. Although I don't think it nearly as bad as people feared. I pointed out in a previous post that C1 designed the join line to coincide with a panel line on the real mccoy. But, I would have preferred a one-piece cowling. I wonder if for some reason I can't see, C1 had to design it this way, basically locked into mold features of the P-40? Anyway, and just to prove there are no exposed screwheads :

[Elmer]

Overall, a solid effort from Carousel. From the first pre-pro pictures, to the pictures posted by the Mule and Bad Cats, I think you will not find an unpleasant surprise with this one. Conversely, you probably won't find unexpected pleasant surprises either. While this one will not displace the Doras, Dr.1s and the AVG Tomahawk as my favorite C1 models, its a keeper. It sure adds some diversity to my collection. I give it .

[mustangdriver]

I volunter around this real aircraft and the real one is very reflective.

[STARMAN 352ND]

I think the real one looks like bare metal chrome.
JP