Hannants http://www.hannants.co.uk http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AH70082 Curtiss P-36C. The final production series of the P-36A, featuring additional wing-mounted armament. Used for training and camouflage testing, it offers a visually appealing variety of paint schemes. Marking options: Curtiss P-36C, 27th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, National Air Races, Cleveland, Ohio, September 1939 Aircraft finished in one of the most distinctive experimental camouflage schemes used by the 27th PS. The temporary, high-contrast paintwork was intended for display purposes and formed part of trials conducted prior to the introduction of standard wartime camouflage schemes. Curtiss P-36C, 27th Pursuit Squadron, USAAC, Selfridge Field, Michigan, 1939 Aircraft photographed before the application of display camouflage, finished in the uniform, classic scheme used by frontline units. An example of the early appearance of the P-36C before the intensive camouflage testing phase. Curtiss P-36C, 23rd Composite Group, Eglin Field, Florida, 1940 Aircraft used for intensive training and test flights. The unit took part in training interception exercises involving B-25B bombers from James H. Doolittle’s unit, prior to the Tokyo raid in April 1942. The provisional camouflage and visible wear are the result of frequent flying and repeated repainting. Curtiss P-36C Hawk – a short production run at the dawn of a new era The Curtiss P-36 Hawk was the first modern American fighter aircraft introduced into frontline service with the USAAC. It was developed in response to rapid changes in global military aviation during the second half of the 1930s and marked a clear departure from earlier biplane designs. Retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit, and an all-metal airframe made it the starting point for subsequent generations of American fighter aircraft. The P-36C version represented the final stage of development of the design and was produced in a very limited run. The final thirty aircraft were completed to a new standard, featuring the Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 engine rated at 1,200 hp and reinforced armament. Aircraft of this version received additional 0.30-calibre machine guns in the wings, with distinctive external ammunition boxes mounted beneath the wing panels, becoming one of the most easily recognisable features of the P-36C. The small number of aircraft produced meant that P-36Cs did not form separate, uniform units but were instead dispersed among squadrons operating primarily earlier P-36A aircraft. Their largest concentration was within the 27th Pursuit Squadron, which became a natural base for operational trials and testing of new solutions, including camouflage schemes. It was the aircraft of the 27th Pursuit Squadron that played a key role in experimental camouflage programmes conducted in 1939. The culmination of these efforts was the participation of P-36Cs in the National Air Races held in September 1939 in Cleveland, Ohio. The aircraft displayed there attracted attention with bold, high-contrast and often temporary camouflage schemes, applied without uniform guidelines and treated as a testing ground for future standards. As a result, the Curtiss P-36C entered history as one of the most ambiguous and visually diverse Hawk variants. The short production run, dispersal among units and intensive testing meant that nearly every aircraft differed in equipment details and external appearance, making this version particularly attractive to researchers and modelers interested in the transitional period in the development of American fighter. Price:£19.16 sales@hannants.co.uk http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AH70082 Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:12:43 GMT http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AH40016 Hawker Hurricane Mk.I trop 1/48 Arma Hobby – all-new moulds for 2025, a RAF fighter from the campaigns in Africa and over Malta, offering exceptional precision and a high level of detail. Price:£38.32 sales@hannants.co.uk http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AH40016 Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:42:36 GMT http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AH70083 Messerschmitt Me-262A-1a “White 3” (W.Nr. 500071) This Me 262 was assembled in late March 1945 at the Messerschmitt-Obertraubling plant and assigned to III./JG 7. On 25 April 1945, it took off from the Munich area, flown by 23-year-old Hans Guido Mutke from Neisse (Nysa). Due to a lack of fuel, the aircraft made an emergency landing at the neutral Zürich-Dübendorf airfield, where it was interned. The aircraft was returned to Germany in 1957 and is now on display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, preserved as one of the best surviving Me 262 examples. Mutke is also associated with another remarkable flight — on 9 April 1945, during a steep dive, he may have briefly exceeded the speed of sound. If so, he would have been the first pilot to survive a supersonic flight. Boxart artwork by Piotr Forkasiewicz The Me 262 A-1a 1/72 kit will include three marking options: two wartime and one post-war scheme. Detailed information will be shared shortly after Sunday. Planned for the second half of January.. Price:£19.16 sales@hannants.co.uk http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AH70083 Fri, 07 Nov 2025 18:54:52 GMT