P-35A Philippines Defender

[Stikpusher]

So, for my final completion of 2025, I decided to pull this old one off the “shelf of doom” and finish it up over the last couple of weeks. This is the Hobbycraft 1/48 P-35A kit that I started apparently sometime in ‘07 or so before being sidelined for whatever multiple reasons. Anyways, I finished assembly and painting and now it is completed at last. The decals fought me hard, as I had neglected to seal them in a zip lock bag and they dried out. Unfortunately I didn’t coat them with Micro Scale Liquid Decal Film until after I had already lost the tail numbers to shattering. The remaining decals that I did coat, didn’t want to play well with setting or solvents to get them to snuggle down properly, and in the end they still silvered and/or look rough. I was able to use some numbers and letters from my spare decals to cobble together the tail markings, but again, those weren’t the best either. And wanting to get this done by today shows. Time deadlines are not conducive to best results in this hobby. I finished this in the markings of the 34th Pursuit Squadron in the Philippines in late 1941/early 1942 during their gallant but doomed defense of the islands. Weathering is based off of multiple photos of P-35A’s from that time.























Thanks for looking, comments and critiques are welcome…

[speedgraflex]

Great project and photography, Carlos! Bravo!

[Stikpusher]

Thank you Bruce! The photography is all due to your coaching me on that art. The build I'll claim most of the credit

[cbaltrin]

Nice build Carlos. Makes you think of the brave soles that climbed into those machines to go up against zeros,and be out numbered on top of that!

[BlackSheep214]

What a delightful weather beaten bird! Well done, Carlos!

[Stikpusher]

Chris and Tom, thank you!

Nice build Carlos. Makes you think of the brave soles that climbed into those machines to go up against zeros,and be out numbered on top of that!

Exactly. Many of the pilots sent to the Philippines were quite experienced in flight time. They just lacked combat experience compared to the Japanese who had been fighting over China for years. And yes, they were quite outnumbered. But the P-35 pilots gave better than they got, losing more aircraft on the ground to air attack or due to friendly fire from trigger happy gunners when coming back, than they lost in aerial combat against the Japanese. They put up one hell of a fight.

What a delightful weather beaten bird! Well done, Carlos!

Tom, it was fun trying a new technique to get that weather beaten look here. I will have to try it on a Japanese late war aircraft sometime in a more beat up look…

[BorgR3mc0]

Great work Carlos! Decals can be quite “hit and miss” bit this came out great.

[Gary Brantley]

Yes, I like your result here, Carlos! That's a great looking bird!

[Tojo72]

Vey cool,an 18 yr old shelf queen,looks great,glad you got it to the finish line.

[Stikpusher]

Great work Carlos! Decals can be quite “hit and miss” bit this came out great.

Thanks Remco. You are oh so right about decals. Man I just with that my spares bin had what I needed.

Yes, I like your result here, Carlos! That's a great looking bird!

Thanks Gary! I am so happy with this aside from the decals. The paintwork came out better than expected.

Vey cool,an 18 yr old shelf queen,looks great,glad you got it to the finish line.

Thanks Tony. It feels real good to get this one completed after so many years I have a few more as old or older to get over the line.