Forward Island base rivals, Pacific, 1943
The P-38 is an interesting idea, but I'll save that for a later build!
For this, it will be a two-part build. The first one will be a US float fighter based on the P-40. As indicated in the .PDF from the forum I linked to at the start of this thread, in July of 1940 the USAAF was looking for options to ferry the P-40 using floats from the EDO Aircraft Corporation. To do this, EDO recommended a twin float configuration and that the landing gear, ammo and armament be removed so that the floats could provide sufficient floatation. I'm going with the idea that after testing a twin float design, the P-40E-1, they determined that with the landing gear removed and moving to a single float design, much like the SOC seagull and Kingfisher, they were able to keep 4 of the .50 cal guns and have a cheap and effective float fighter. This was fortunate as the SeaBees expanding into the Pacific after Pearl Harbour were hampered in building new runways for land based fighters in 1942 and into 1943. (it's a thin alternate history, I just want to build a float plane!).
here's the kit
and for the floats, I am going to be using floats from a Tamiya Kyofu that I got at a hobby show for $5. the kits was already started so the floats were together.
For part 2, I am planning on building a float version of a Ki-61. With the US forces expanding into the Pacific and the IJAAF short on good float fighters, they decided to test the Ki-61 with a pair of Aichi floats being developed for the M6A Seiran. This new float fighter was not without its problems, but due to the situation, the IJAAF forced the fighter into limited production as the Ki-61-A-1 and it was deployed to several small Island bases in early 1943.
Here's the kit. It was a bagged kit I got off Ebay.
For this one, I ordered two "C" Sprues from Tamiya from their seiran kit.
Let the fun begin!
Again, these builds will be exempt from prize drawings!