Special Hobby 1/72 P-40K-1, 64FS 57FG, Tunisia 1943.

[speedgraflex]

WHITE 13

Pilot: 1st Lt. Robert Johnson “Jay” Overcash
64 FS, 57 FG
Hani Airfield, Tunisia
May 1943

Robert Johnson Overcash

Born: June 1, 1920, Mooresville, North Carolina

During World War II, Robert Overcash became a U.S. Army Air Forces ACE, credited with shooting down 5 enemy aircraft in aerial combat. After the war he transferred to the new U.S. Air Force, and retired in 1980 as a U.S. Air Force Reserve Colonel.

Overcash final score was 5 victories, the last two flying White 13 on April 26th,1944, while escorting USAAF B-25s and RAF Baltimores on a bombing mission.

White 13 is finished in very worn and matt AAF Sand over Neutral Gray, from being scoured by the abrasive desert sand. Area behind rear glass panels could be faded OD or Sand. Spinner is a dull red, rectangle on fin and rudder behind serial number is Olive Drab. Prop blades black with 4” yellow tips. Mainwheel hubs appear to be upper surface color.

HANI AIRFIELD, TUNISIA

The Ninth Air Force units operating with WDAF were by now all on the maritime plain. The 57th, which had been running patrols over minesweepers around Zarzis and over convoys between Djerba and Sfax, moved into EI Djem North and later, on 21 April, into Hani Main.



SPECIAL HOBBY 1/72 WARHAWK

The Special Hobby Ltd. company (originally MPM Production Ltd.) was founded in 1989. My impression of the kit—bad ass! Beautiful plastic!

[BlackSheep214]

Oooo... nice one!

[KSaarni]

- Kari

[LyleW]

Nice. Almost makes me want...stop, just stop...but it is only...stop!

[Stuart]

I love the P-40 - one of the best looking aircraft I've seen and certainly one of the most photogenic - it looks soooo good on screen.

[Stikpusher]

Very nice subject choice Bruce! That sure looks to be one sharp looking kit. And you have excellent reference photos of your subject aircraft.

[Floki]

A P-40 build, this should be good!

[Medicman71]

This looks cool! Can't wait to see the build.

[speedgraflex]

Belated but heartfelt thanks to all. Thank you, Tom. Thank you, Kari. Thank you, Lyle. Thank you, Stuart. Thank you, Carlos. Thank you, Clint. Thank you, Mike. I hope i have thanked everyone in order because your words mean a lot to me. I read your replies earlier as I was getting ready to go to work. I knew today was going to be a beast. I hope everyone in SoCal (Carlos, Duke, John) stayed cool.

So... as I am packing up for the plumbing repipe, I revisited many projects—the 190 A-1 was my first stop. I just have to thank you, Clint. This is a beautiful kit and I will do the kit justice. I am very close to a "firing solution" on the small wedge of black paint that was added to these early front line models which is basically a surface covering the pilot's step. Very close. Just one thing will shut down the brain for awhile so you have to go and work around it. I am sure you folks know this scenario well. I also looked in on the Bf 109, just to see if the area that I scraped away on the pilot's seat was still shiny... and it was. So that was exciting. I have Kari to thank for the superb reference photo—I have to thank you, Kari. I really appreciate your scholarship. Ditto you, Tom, Carlos, Clint, Mike and Lyle. Thank you all. I still am pushing along on the Vigilante, but slowly because the intake fills were apparently not quite at 100 percent cured status when I hit them with primer and they started to "sweat," or I guess the proper term would be to "blister" as they were sealed prematurely. I sanded off the primer and now have my fingers and toes crossed that the Millput will cure correctly. I would hate to have to redo these areas.

[LyleW]

Prayers for a positive outcome. I cannot imagine the chaos your place is in. I think the Brits said it best. “Bloody ‘eck!”. Stay the course, my friend.