The Curtiss P-40B was the first version of the P-40 manufactured for the United States Army Air Corps. They were a slightly improved version of the original P-40 and began entering service in 1941.

The prototype P-40 was a modification of a the earlier Curtiss P-36 and first flew in October 1938.

In April 1939 the United States Army Air Corps ordered 524 P-40s and the final 324 aircraft of that order were completed as the slightly improved P-40B which had additional armour, self-sealing tanks and improved armament including bomb shackles.

Before the United States entered World War 2 the American Volunteer Group was established in China to help support the Nationalist Chinese Government in the war there against Japan. It was initially equipped with P-40Bs and made the shark mouth marking on the nose famous.

This model represents a P-40B of 3 Squadron, American Volunteer Group at Kunming in China in the Spring of 1942.

Trumpeter 1/72 kit completed by Steve Pulbrook in 2016.