Carousel 1 AirCraft 6101
Curtiss P-40C Warhawk Diecast Model
AVG Flying Tigers, "White 21", Pappy Boyington, Burma

1:48 Scale		Length		Width
Curtiss P-40C Warhawk		8.25"		9.25"

When the Japanese Army completed its conquest of Chinese port cities in 1941, it became more difficult for America to supply China with the resources needed to fight the Japanese. The only remaining supply line was the Burma Road, 700 miles of dirt road through rugged mountain terrain from Rangoon, Burma, to Kunming, China. American aviator Claire Chennault, in the service of China and with the cooperation of the American government, assembled a force of 100 P-40's and 100 American military pilots to defend the Burma Road. Lt. Greg Boyington was a flight instructor in Pensacola, Florida, with a reputation as one of the hottest fighter pilots in the US Marine Corps. When he learned of the opportunity to join the American Volunteer Group as a Squadron Leader, he resigned his commission in August 1941. He traveled with the third group of AVG pilots, arriving in Rangoon in November 1941. Boyington and the other pilots began training on P-40's. Although he had more experience flying fighters than anyone in the AVG, he ranked as only Vice Squadron Leader in the "Adam and Eves" First Pursuit Squadron. He quickly made enemies of Co I. Claire Chennault and others on the AVG staff. Boyington opened his victory tally on 6 February 1942, when he shot down two Japanese fighters. On a fighter sweep against the Japanese airfield at Chiang Mai on 24 March, Boyington made two passes and claimed three transports and four fighters destroyed despite heavy anti-aircraft fire. But the AVG reduced his score on the mission, and his relations with his superiors went from bad to worse. He resigned from the Flying Tigers on 21 April and returned to New York via Calcutta, Karachi, and Bombay to rejoin the Marines. In September 1943 he took command of VMF 214, the "Black Sheep Squadron." Major Boyington was a superb leader and fighter with VMF 214, scoring 22 victories with the Marines, plus six from the AVG. Under his command, VMF 214 claimed 94 victories against the Japanese. His pilots nicknamed him "Gramps" because he was thirty-one-ten years older than most of them, and news media changed this to "Pappy." Boyington was recognized as the leading Ace of the US Anned Forces, and when he was shot down on a mission over Rabaul on 3 January 1944, he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. But Boyington survived Japanese captivity, and President Truman pinned the Medal of Honor on him on 5 October 1945. Boyington's autobiography, Baa Baa Black Sheep was published in 1958 and became a bestseller. From 1976-1978, Robert Conrad portrayed Boyington in Black Sheep Squadron, a TV series loosely based on his adventures. Gregory Boyington died on 11 January 1988, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Curtiss P-40C Warhawk

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Carousel 1 AirCraft

The Carousel 1 "AirCraft" range presents highly-detailed, ready-made diecast models of military aircraft. Carousel 1 have an excellent reputation for producing superbly accurate diecast models of racing cars and their "AirCraft" range is worthy of the same praise. Aircraft in the Carousel 1 AirCraft range are carefully researched and reproduced with a level of detail that is unmatched by most other manufacturers in this scale.

Carousel 1 "AirCraft" diecast airplanes feature:

• Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
• Interchangeable extended/retracted metal landing gear with rotating wheels and rubber tires.
• Extremely detailed cockpit interiors with glazed instruments.
• Detailed removable pilot figures.
• Spinning metal propellers.
• Accurately detailed underside with concealed screwheads.