Ok well with a week to go, I think I found something that might be fun, the Airfix Curtiss Hawk 81/P-40B/C:
That's some killer box art. The new Airfix has really upped their game here. Now I wish they'd go back to boxes with real lids.
The back of the box is no slouch either and has a great paint guide.
Of course, I totally ignored any directions or suggestions from Airfix when I built this up a few years back as the Curtiss Canada Kingbird:
The intervening years have not been kind. The model was dropped a few times and the prop was recycled...somewhere.
I was going to part out the remains, but this seems like a better use even if I have to source a new prop and port side window panel.
At least I should be set for decals. These came to me as a bonus in a Heller Hawk 75/P-36 from a re-seller:
They even give you a nice map:
I'm leaning towards going with the Escadrille Lafayette Indian head style squadron insignia. We'll see how those old Heller Hawk-75/P-36 decals work.
I've never seen an Armée de l'Air early P-40 and I don't think they actually flew them even though they had some on order when the Third Republic fell.
Now I need to decide if I'm going to go to town and sand off the old markings on the model or just try to paint over them.
Stay tuned.
Brian da Basher