The Curtiss P-40C was the second version of the P-40 manufactured for the United States Army Air Corps. They looked the same as the earlier P-40B but had self sealing tanks which made them heavier and slightly reduced their performance.

The prototype P-40 was a modification of a the earlier Curtiss P-36 and first flew in October 1938. It was tough and dependable with competitive performance at lower altitudes.

The improved P-40C had several minor improvements over the previous P-40B which included an improved radio and provision for a drop tank.

194 were made for the United States Army Air Corps, 930 for the RAF and a further100 for the American Volunteer Group in China.

This model represents a P-40C flown by the 55th Pursuit Squadron, 20th Pursuit Group, USAAC, based in California in 1940.

Airfix 1/72 kit completed by Steve Pulbrook in 2019.