WAK Curtiss P-6E Hawk 1:33

**shrike** · #1 11-11-2009, 10:22 PM

Model: Curtiss P-6E Hawk
Scale: 1/33rd
Publisher: WAK 6/2007

A quick review before the build begins

The kit is an A4 sized booklet with four pages of card parts (3.5 + fields of Zapas Koloru and errata for the Mgebrov-Renault), one page of paper patterns, two pages of drawings and a page of history and instructions.
The same design is also available from ecardmodels.com in several other colour schemes.

The printing is the crisp quality we have come to expect from WAK. The wings and fuselage have excellent shading depicting the underlying structure. There is no weathering, which is proper, given that the USAAC of the era was as much an exclusive sport flying club as it was a military asset.

Construction is classic butt joints and all control surfaces are modeled as separate pieces.

One feature of the kit that is especially handy, is that some of the parts most likely to be difficult to form (nosebowl, wheel pants and a few others) are duplicated to offer a second chance.

**kenlwest** · #2 11-12-2009, 04:39 AM

This is probably my favorite aircraft of the era. I love the paint scheme. I sized up and built the FiddlerGreen model a few years back. Can't wait to see this come together.

Ken

**Wyvern** · #3 11-12-2009, 08:45 AM

Really looking forward to seeing this, Shrike!

Wyvern

**fitter** · #4 11-12-2009, 11:05 AM

Be careful with parts no 1, 13 and 14. Good luck

**Don Boose** · #5 11-12-2009, 03:00 PM

Discovering that you are going to build this beautiful airplane has made my day, Mark!

I once attempted to build the Cleveland model. Finished the top wing before I shipped out to Korea in 1962 and still have the rest of the model in the box (the wing disappeared along the way).

Yesterday, I was looking over the WAK site and speculating on this specific model. Can't wait to see your build.

Don

**shrike** · #6 11-12-2009, 05:17 PM

Maciej,

Always good to have the designer onboard. Any advise is always welcome!

**wag** · #7 11-12-2009, 06:55 PM

Thank you for posting this. I really want to follow along before I try this one myself.
Wayne

**Wyvern** · #8 11-13-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wag

Thank you for posting this. I really want to follow along before I try this one myself.
Wayne

Me too! There's some equally lovely alternate paint schemes available at eCardmodels.

Wyvern

**shrike** · #9 11-25-2009, 08:07 PM

Hulloo all,

Sorry for the delay. It's been a very distracted fortnight, although, aside from making a Canon MG for the better half, I couldn't tell you what any of the distractions were. Been that sorta couple of weeks.

Anyway, on with the build now that I've had a chance to get back to it. Construction is straightforward butt-jointed sections.

Pic 1 A whole bunch of formers ready to be tacked together and sanded to match shapes. All of them so far have been a tad on the tight side so extra sanding is in order.

Pic 2 Cockpit. Simple yet effective. Parts are provided to layer the instrument panel for extra depth. The stick is the trimmed Q-tip stick that seems to figure in a lot of my work of late.

Pic 3 is the start of the rather distinctive nose of a P-6E (or O-39, but hush) It's a reverse petal that went together pretty easily but will need some serious trimming to fit...

Pic 4 the first three section (4 with the nose). Next step will be fitting the gun troughs whilst assembling them into a complete cowl-y thing.

More soon, as I'm not a football fan and I anticipate long stretches of oven time after prepping dinner tomorrow.

**CMDRTED** · #10 11-25-2009, 08:37 PM

Shrike looks good so far. The section in upper right, the outer bulkhead looks a tad big. It's better to have these things an absolutely loose slip fit. Also a little trick is to use the glue on the inside of the section behind the bulkhead at the skin bulkhead juncture. It'll eliminate most of the overstretched skin bulhead look.