Bell Airacobra I/P-400 (1/72nd)
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Kit Review
This is a reissue of the Airacobra Mk I #92131 first released in 2012 with new decal options and box art.
The kit itself is made up of one clear and two medium grey-coloured sprues along with three resin components. Surface detail is via engraved details for panel lines and fixtures, with raised ribs for the fabric-covered control surfaces. The interior is made up of separate floor, rear bulkhead, seat, control column and a multi-part instrument panel that has raised details on it. There is no decal for the instrument pane nor any seat belts as decals or etched. The kit has the multi-port ejector exhausts of the P-400 and the six-stack units for the RAF Airacobra Mk I, these latter items being supplied in resin. Nose weight is essential with the Airacobra and the instructions note this, problem is they give no indication of how much is required. The wheel wells are one-piece units, which are well detailed and you are going to have to do some sanding and trial runs before you can assemble the wings, but that will probably also be the case with all the other elements of this kit due to its limited-run nature. The undercarriage parts are all well moulded, but again the limited-run nature of the tooling means these will need cleaning up first. You have the option of opening or closing the access doors, there are two styles of aerial mast and the fifth option has an arrestor hook, which is supplied in resin.
Markings
The kit comes with five decal options
• Airacobra Mk I AH601, flown by S/L E.J.Gracle, No.601 Squadron, RAF Duxford, August 1941
• P-400 Airacobra, '60', Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force, January 1943
• P-400 Airacobra, OK+L, 331 of the Força Aérea Portuguesa (Portuguese Air Force), June 1943
• P-39F Airacobra, A52-3, Royal Australian Air Force
• Airacobra Mk I, AH574 used for deck-landing trials by the Royal Navy at RAE Farnborough; the type was never intended for carrier use, it was just a case of being the first tricycle undercarriage type available for such trials in the UK.
All colours are identified by names, there are no paint ranges quoted, however this does include the full RAF name for official colours, so this should not be a problem.
The decals are nicely printed, with perfect colour and registration, limited excess carrier film and nice and glossy. The sheet includes all the national insignia, unique markings and a comprehensive set of airframe stencils.
Conclusion
The early Airacobra is not that easy to find in the scale, so although the limited-run nature of the technology makes this not the easier of products to build, the subject is such that it is well worth considering. It is recommended to all modellers with experience in this type of limited-run kit and our thanks for RS Models (www.rsmodels.cz) for the review sample. UK modellers can obtain this kit from Hannants here.
This is a reissue of the Airacobra Mk I #92131 first released in 2012 with new decal options and box art.
The kit itself is made up of one clear and two medium grey-coloured sprues along with three resin components. Surface detail is via engraved details for panel lines and fixtures, with raised ribs for the fabric-covered control surfaces. The interior is made up of separate floor, rear bulkhead, seat, control column and a multi-part instrument panel that has raised details on it. There is no decal for the instrument pane nor any seat belts as decals or etched. The kit has the multi-port ejector exhausts of the P-400 and the six-stack units for the RAF Airacobra Mk I, these latter items being supplied in resin. Nose weight is essential with the Airacobra and the instructions note this, problem is they give no indication of how much is required. The wheel wells are one-piece units, which are well detailed and you are going to have to do some sanding and trial runs before you can assemble the wings, but that will probably also be the case with all the other elements of this kit due to its limited-run nature. The undercarriage parts are all well moulded, but again the limited-run nature of the tooling means these will need cleaning up first. You have the option of opening or closing the access doors, there are two styles of aerial mast and the fifth option has an arrestor hook, which is supplied in resin.
Markings
The kit comes with five decal options
• Airacobra Mk I AH601, flown by S/L E.J.Gracle, No.601 Squadron, RAF Duxford, August 1941
• P-400 Airacobra, '60', Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force, January 1943
• P-400 Airacobra, OK+L, 331 of the Força Aérea Portuguesa (Portuguese Air Force), June 1943
• P-39F Airacobra, A52-3, Royal Australian Air Force
• Airacobra Mk I, AH574 used for deck-landing trials by the Royal Navy at RAE Farnborough; the type was never intended for carrier use, it was just a case of being the first tricycle undercarriage type available for such trials in the UK.
All colours are identified by names, there are no paint ranges quoted, however this does include the full RAF name for official colours, so this should not be a problem.
The decals are nicely printed, with perfect colour and registration, limited excess carrier film and nice and glossy. The sheet includes all the national insignia, unique markings and a comprehensive set of airframe stencils.
Conclusion
The early Airacobra is not that easy to find in the scale, so although the limited-run nature of the technology makes this not the easier of products to build, the subject is such that it is well worth considering. It is recommended to all modellers with experience in this type of limited-run kit and our thanks for RS Models (www.rsmodels.cz) for the review sample. UK modellers can obtain this kit from Hannants here.
