Hasegawa 1/32 P-26A Peashooter Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Boeing's P-26 Peashooter had the distinction of being the company's first and last production monoplane fighter, not counting those aircraft being turned out by the Boeing-acquired McDonnell Douglas decades later. The aircraft was of all-metal design, but still revealed its biplane heritage with the external wires used to strengthen the wings.

The aircraft entered service in the mid-1930s with the US Army Air Corps, and had been retired prior to the US' entry into WW2. A number of aircraft were provided to the Philippines, who used the Peashooter in combat against the Japanese. China had been provided export versions of the P-26 which may have seen combat in that region as well.

Hasegawa's 1/32 P-26 Peashooter is one of several 'between-the-wars' aircraft produced in this series that also included the F4B, P-12E, and BF2C-1. These kits are several decades old, but are nicely engineered and the molds have obviously been well maintained.

Molded in light gray styrene, the kit is presented on two parts trees, plus a clear windscreen safely packaged separately in the box. The star of this show is the Pratt & Whitney R1340 engine that builds up from individual cylinder heads. Much of the detail will be visible from the front and from behind the cowl ring.

As with the full-scale aircraft, the cockpit is a simple affair and the kit captures the look nicely. With a little pre/post shading and the addition of seat belts, it will look great.

I build this kit about 15 years ago and it was a simple build with no real problems. The challenge for me then was the rigging and there are lots of product options available today to make that job easier.

One thing about these re-releases from Hasegawa, there is usually a different set of decal options in each release. This kit has four colorful options to choose from. Markings include:

• P-26, #23, 34th Attack Sqn/17th Pursuit Group, USAAC
• P-26, #101, 17th Pursuit Group, USAAC
• P-26, #2, Philippine AF
• P-26, #94, 1st Pursuit Sqn/17th Pursuit Group, USAAC

This is still a nice kit despite its age. The detailing on the exterior is very nice and the interior is reasonable. The 1/32 scale size makes detailing a snap, and looking at the other P-26 options in all scales, this kit is still the best P-26 Peashooter in any scale.