Guillow's Guillow Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

These guys have been making kits before I got into the hobby in the 70s . They were great then and they are great now. Technology has came a long ways in the last 50 years, so I say take advantage of it. If you can spend up to $10 more buy their laser cut kits, they are a masterpiece just waiting for you to build. I highly recommend the laser cut over their die cut kits. If your new to the hobby you’ll actually have a good chance of finishing the kit with very self satisfying results.

First of all, to be blunt, a Guillow's balsa model is not for the faint of heart. It's a a time-consuming build and not something you're going to just slap together like some Revell Snap-Tite model.But if you're patient, it's worth it. And you don't have to go into these models thinking you have to put the tissue paper on the plane. I've never done that, and I've grown up watching my father build actual fabric wings for planes like Stearmans.These balsa models are a time machine for me to days when my days were spent building models of all shapes and sizes, not just balsa, but plastic as well.Give one a try! Just be patient with the process of cutting the parts from the slabs of balsa and prepare for a marathon of building...not a sprint.

These kits bring back memories of when I used to build Peck-Polymers peanut scale planes with my father. In continuing tradition I purchased this to do the same with my 9 year old son. Everything about building these are as I remembered, and my son is crawling the walls to want to finish it and fly it. The only criticism I would have, and the reason for a 4 star versus 5 star, is that the blueprints leave a lot of guess work. Upon completing the main parts, wing, stab, elevator, you are left with a semi-vague blueprint of the fuselage where it outlines the main form. After much time and many left over parts, I figured out on the other side of the blue print there was a completed picture with micro part numbers listed all over the design. I was able to determine where some of the parts go from this picture, but others left me scratching my head.Overall these kits are a blast to build and to share the experience with your kids, it's priceless. If you don't have any experience with modeling such as this, I would definitely suggest a youtube video to get acclimated.

I built two during the days of lockdown. This one was easier, sturdier and flew much better than the other (Guillow Piper Super Cub 95). I would recommend this for beginners. Laser cut is wonderful.

I ordered this balsa wood Curtiss P-40 airplane model for my 86 year old Father in law.I try and order the laser cut or die cut models for him as they are easier to remove the balsa wood pieces from the balsa sheets. All pieces are clearly numbered and easy to read. This model is a die cut.He really enjoys tinkering on these type of model kits.One model usually takes him a couple of weeks to fully build. He adds his own unique touches to each airplane.The propellers really wind up with the rubber band and will move around the floor. He does not try and fly them through the air. He likes to wind them up and let his Great Grandson watch them "fly" across the kitchen floor!Fun for all ages.The white tissue airplane on the left is this model plane.I purchased this item at full price. My opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for my thoughts.I rely on product reviews just like others to help make my purchase decisions so I try each product very carefully before reviewing and always do my best to leave honest opinions and provide as much facts as possible based solely on my experience.

These kits are exactly the same as they were 50 years ago - they look good and are fun to build, a great value, and just plain cool! More importantly, they foster real three-dimensional hand-eye coordination skills and family time. From my perspective, creating something tangible with your kids is far more valuable than having them sit in front of a computer screen blowing things up and killing people.

Difficult to put together, not for kids.

The laser cuts are great. A challenging and enjoyable model to put together.