Hello guys,
I really like painting historical aircraft models, althought I have painted only a handful in all my life, I especially when they tie into a themed wargaming force (this time, Bolt Action force).
For my Mediterranean theatre army, I recently finished painting a Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk in RAF desert camouflage — specifically representing an aircraft in British service during the Sicilian campaign of 1943.
For the kit I used the 1/72 scale P-40 from HobbyBoss, a solid kit that goes together quickly, because it is a begginer model, and while it’s simple compared to more detailed aircraft kits, it’s perfect for tabletop use — light, durable, and looks great from a distance.
The painting process was as follows;
I wanted the plane to reflect the classic RAF desert scheme common in North Africa and Sicily around 1942–43, so for the base colors: I primed the whole model in light grey, then sprayed the underside with a pale Azure Blue.
Then began the masking process with masking tape and black masking putty for the topside camo. I applied Mid Stone and Dark Earth and achieved the hard edges between the two tones.
The weathering was simple, oil dots fading in the fuselage, panel lines were lightly washed with a brown wash, and then some streaks on the wing roots and cowling. I used RAF decals from the model.
To simulate the aircraft in flight for Bolt Action, I made a custom flight stand with a mdf round base, clear acrylic rod.
I glued a small neodymium magnet under the fuselage, this connects to a clear acrylic rod, which is inserted into a custom MDF base.
The base itself is textured and decorated with static grass and flowers.
While Bolt Action’s air support is abstract and often limited to one die roll, having a painted aircraft on the table adds atmosphere and narrative value. Whether it represents a strafing run or just serves as thematic terrain, this P-40 helps root the force in its historical context — British and Commonwealth troops fighting their way through the sun-baked hills of Sicily in the summer of ’43.
I hope you like this little plane.
Cheers
