Anigrand Craftswork 1/72
Curtiss XP-60C/XP-60E

Background

In 1940, Curtiss was thinking about their next aircraft after the P-40. Initial concepts included the adoption of the Continental, Merlin, and Allison engines and the initial design work was designated as XP-53. The design was later redesignated as XP-60 while Wright and Chrysler engines were also considered.

After further work, two prototypes were developed: the XP-60C with a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engine turning contra-rotating three-bladed propellers and the XP-60E with a different version of the R-2800 turning a conventional four-bladed prop.

First flight of the XP-60C was Jan 1943 and the performance of the aircraft was okay. The XP-60E flew in May of that year but its performance was substandard. By May 1944, all work was stopped on the project as the USAAF was satisfied with the P-47 and P-51.

The Kit

Anigrand Craftswork of Hong Kong has been turning out a wide variety of aircraft types in 1/72. These are usually subjects that nobody would dream of doing in injection-molded plastic. This release is definitely no exception.

This unique aircraft is cast in tan resin and is laid out for simple construction. The fuselage halves are hollow-cast and dry-fit together nicely. The wings are cast as left and right halves. The tail section is cast separately and plug into corresponding holes in the rear fuselage.

Take note of the third photograph, the packaging of this kit is nicely done so that there is little chance of any parts getting loose or damage from parts moving around inside the box. Nice!

The cockpit consists of a seat and control stick, which is all that will be visible with the canopy installed. While the basic assembly of the aircraft is quite simple, the kit provides options for landing gear up or down, and your choice of conventional or contra-rotating propellers for the version you're depicting.

The Decals

The kit comes with a set of generic national markings.

Conclusion

This is a nice-looking kit and should be a quick build for the experienced resin modeler.

This kit is definitely recommended for the modeler who is tired of the same old subjects getting released by the 'big guys' in the hobby industry!

My sincere thanks to the US importer, Nostalgic Plastic for this review sample!