The appeal here is solving a familiar dilemma: you buy a kit with several marking options and want to try them all, but serial builds take forever. Model Minutes got around that by assembling three Curtiss P-40B Tomahawks in 1/72 scale at the same time, all from the Airfix Mk.IIB kit, number A68220, covering the RAF, AVG and USSR versions in one go. Comparing the schemes side by side seems like a smart way to judge the kit's range.
The construction follows a sensible order across all three airframes. Cockpit parts go together on the floor piece first, and the interior gets airbrushed with Vallejo Model Air 71.137 US Light Green. After the fuselage halves are cemented, the one-piece lower wing and cockpit assembly is glued to the underside. Gaps around the wing roots and cowling joints are filled with Ammo Mig Putty Surfacer Medium and smoothed with sanding sponges, then everything receives an even coat of Humbrol No. 1 Matt Grey primer from aerosol cans.
The paintwork is what stands out for me. Undersides are done in either Vallejo Azure Blue or Curtiss Grey, the RAF machine wears Middlestone, and the other two get USAF Brown. AML pre-cut vinyl camouflage masks are peeled and pressed onto the wings and fuselage, while the clear sections use a KV Models pre-cut yellow tape sheet. At 1/72 scale, trusting pre-cut masks over hand-cutting seems like the right call to me.
It was not all smooth sailing. The airbrush tip clogged with coagulated paint and needed a toothpick plus nozzle disassembly to clear, and the maker ran into challenges with the kit itself. How those difficulties were judged overall is something I would still like to hear more about.
Project by Model Minutes. Watch it on their YouTube channel: