Olimp 1/72nd Curtiss P-6E By Matt Bittner

Background

I wanted to do a bunch of research for the Curtiss P-6E, but just ran out of time. There are plenty of references out there, including the In Action on the Curtiss Army Hawks, so finding it isn’t difficult. It’s just finding the time to piece it all together. I’m writing this trying to justify to myself why I’m just going to type the history of the aircraft from the Olimp instructions…

The Curtiss P-6E, a first-line pursuit aircraft of the early 1930s, was the last of the fighter biplanes built in quantity for the Army Air Corps. Originally designated the Y1P-22, it was later redesignated the P-6E because of the similarity to the other P-6 series airplanes. Although it was never used in combat, it is remembered as one of the most beautiful biplanes ever built. Despite its excellent performance, only 46 P-6Es were ordered because of the shortage of funds for the Air Corps during the austere days of the Great Depression.

The Kit

Olimp’s representation of the Curtiss P-6E consists of 38 injected pieces and one injected, clear windscreen. Parts are very nicely cast, even with some flash on the parts. (To be truthful, I’m never concerned with flash as in the over scheme of modeling, it’s extremely easy to deal with.) There are decals for two schemes. The first is an overall blue with yellow flying surfaces machine that was stationed at Wright Field in 1937. The other is one of the extremely well known – and frequently modeled – aircraft of the 17th Pursuit Squadron of Selfridge Field, Michigan, in 1933, with the Snow Owl insignia and white/black markings on the wheel spats and cowl. (I think anyone who builds a P-6E usually finishes it in a 17th Pursuit scheme.)

Comparisons with the venerable – and difficult to find – Monogram kit will of course take place. While the Monogram kit still holds up to scrutiny – and a lot of current model manufacturers can still learn a thing or two from the kit – the Olimp transcends the Monogram kit. Not only do you get interior detail – completely lacking in the Monogram kit – but some of the finer parts are definitely well done. The one area Monogram definitely has on the Olimp kit is the way the center struts are assembled. On the Monogram kit, they’re already molded onto the fuselage, making upper-wing alignment a snap. The Olimp struts are all separate which isn’t as easy to deal with as the Monogram kit. If you have the Monogram kit, it’s still a viable build and I wouldn’t throw it away. However, if you want to build a decent P-6E out of the box with little work, than the Olimp kit is the one you want. Personally, I plan on using the parts the Olimp kit has that the Monogram doesn’t – namely the cockpit pieces – as ideas and possibly masters for the Monogram kits.

Construction of the Olimp kit naturally starts with the cockpit. I plan on adding seat belts, but that’s all you truly need, as the Olimp cockpit is pretty complete. Once the cockpit is put into a fuselage half, along with the instrument panel, then the fuselage halves can be assembled together. The exhausts are to be added – along with the prop – before the upper, forward nosepiece is glued on. I’m not sure if there’s a way around the exhausts, but the prop is best left until the very last.

From here the flying surfaces are glued on, including the upper wing. Needless to say, the upper wing should definitely be left off until one of the very last assembly steps. It’s up to you if you assemble the spats to the model prior to painting, but there may be seam issues that are best dealt with prior to painting. (Actually, one of the options in the kit is for either full, or partially spatted wheels. Something to decide depending on the aircraft being modeled.)

Thankfully Olimp provides a rigging diagram. However, it has you rig extra radio lines from the rudder to the upper wing tips, which may or may not be evident on the machine being modeled. Definitely check your references before adding these lines.

Conclusion

All in all an impressive model from Olimp. I like the Curtiss P-6E enough that I bought this kit on my own, once it was available in the US. This kit is definitely recommended and a must for the US ‘tweener (between-the-wars) fan.

I truly hope Yellow Wings Decals can be convinced to come out with a decal sheet for this aircraft. There were 46 built so there’s bound to be more than just 17th Pursuit schemes. Plus, the decal sheet could be used for those that already have the Monogram kit and are looking for alternatives.

I bought my kit through Roll Models.