P-40 P-40E Warhawk "Flying Tigers" 1st Sqn and 50 similar items

1:72 Scale Metal Die-Cast - Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, 13 Victory Ace Robert Neale, 1st Squadron Commander, AVG "Flying Tigers" ? Length: 5.5" Wingspan: 6? This P-40 Warhawk model is a single seat plane. The cockpit is glue shut. It has no pilot/crew figures included. The landing gear is modeled in the retracted position. A display stand is included. This is not a toy. Recommended for 15 and up. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighterand ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. It was the third most-produced American fighter, after the P-51 and P-47; by November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been built, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation's main production facilities at Buffalo, New York. The P-40 was originally conceived as a ground support aircraft and was very agile at low and medium altitudes but suffered due to lack of power at higher altitudes. At medium and high speeds it was one of the tightest turning early monoplane designs of the war due to its great structural strength. At lower speeds it was out turned by the lightweight fighters A6M Zero and Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" which did not possess the structural strength of the P-40 for high speed hard turns. The American Volunteer Group Commander Claire Chennault advised against prolonged dog fighting with the Japanese fighters due to the resulting airspeed reduction which favored the lightweight Japanese designs low speed turning superiority.