A bit more work to build? 1983 Matchbox 1/72 P-40N Warhawk unboxing, review, comparison

[@Blitz9H]

I still have this in the stash.

[@jorodo299]

If you're looking for suggestions, how about doing the Henschel Hs126 - this was the first Matchbox kit I built after returning to the hobby, partly (mostly) due to the box art.

[@jorodo299]

I know it's more important to focus on the quality and accuracy of the model, I really do, but for me as a kid (and as an adult tbh) it was all about that evocative Roy Huxley boxart firing my imagination which is why Matchbox remains my favourite manufacturer.

[@MattsModellingMemories]

The box art still looks good, even in the simplified 1980s versions. I'd have bought postcards of just the box art had it been possible! And 10 minutes sanding panel lines doesn't take away from what a nice kit the Matchbox P-40N is.

[@windsorspitfire]

Another excellent vid. I like the comparison with the contemporary kits. I enjoyed building the Matchbox and later built the Airfix Kittyhawk Mk.Ia which was not as good. The Hasegawas not only had that excellent detailing but also had accurate shapes, more so than the Academy kits that came out much later. I wouldn't build the Matchbox again but there are half a dozen Hasegawa Es and Ns waiting their turn in my stash along with some Legatos and Special Hobbys. One thing about the P-40 is that there are possibly more awesome paint schemes to choose from than any other WWII fighter type, so you can never have too many.

[@MattsModellingMemories]

Thank you for the kind words. I do agree, my current stash has two Matchbox P-40Ns because they're Matchbox, plus about six Hasegawa P-40s, which I hope to do in some of the great schemes. As a kid, I thought it was a shame that Matchbox didn't do a P-40E because the real-life example I sat in at the Moorabbin Air Museum was an E. But, good times were had at the workbench.