For your viewing
pleasure, here are some photos of my 1/48 scale Eduard Profipack P-39Q Airacobra.
Designed and built by the Bell Aircraft Corporation the P-39 was one of the most
controversial and disappointing aircraft of WW II. It was conceived as a fast
intercepto r designed
around a 37-mm cannon that fired explosive rounds to insure destruction of any
enemy aircraft.
However, after
promising flight tests, the U. S. Army Air Corp demanded the removal of the
turbo- supercharger. This short sighted decision meant that the aircraft high
altitude performance suffered considerably. Because of this, the P-39 was not
held in high favor by most pilots that flew it.
Even with poor high
altitude performance, the 37-mm cannon made it a most effective ground attack
aircraft. The Soviets used hundreds of P-39s against German ground forces with
great effect. The last production version of the Airacobra was the P-39Q and was
also the most numerous with 4,905 being built. Over half were delivered to the
Soviet Union.
The P-39 had some
unique features, for example, a 37-mm cannon that fired through the nose.
Because the cannon was so large, the engine was mounted behind the cockpit. The
propeller drive-shaft ran through the cockpit underneath the seat and between
the pilot's legs. Access to the cockpit was through automobile doors. You read
it correctly, car doors, manufactured by Hudson Motor Car. And finally, two .50
cal machine gun pods under the wings.
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images below to see larger images
About the kit: This was my
first experience with an Eduard Profipack kit and it was a good one. This
was a fun kit to build, finished straight out of the box. The parts fit
was good except for the cockpit doors, the required some sanding and
fiddling to get them to fit. Cockpit and external detail was quite good.
because I wanted pin-washed panel lines, I rescribed all the panel lines.
The kit comes with PE parts, but I used only the seat belts. The kit also
included Eduard's Express Masks for the canopy, wheels, and landing light.
The masks were easy to apply and they fit perfectly.
For painting, I airbrushed MM
Neutral Gray enamel for the bottom of the fuselage and wings, and MM Olive drab
enamel for the top. the cockpit interior was painted with MM enamels according
to painting instructions. the tail assembly called for flat white, but I chose
to go with Olive Drab.
After painting, a coat of Future
in preparation for decals. Eduard provided decals for four aircraft; I chose the
markings for the P-39Q No. 4219995, 71st TRS, 82nd TRG, 1944. I finished off the
model with a combination of MM Semi-Gloss Clear and Flat Clear Lacquer Finish.
All in all, I was pleased with the finished model.
Burt Gustafson
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images below to see larger images
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