Bell P-39Q Airacobra 'Weekend Edition'

Inside the box you will find one clear and four dark grey-coloured sprues, with all surface detail via engraved panels lines and fasteners, but no structural rivets. Nothing has really changed, so the interior is made up of 15+ pieces, in this Weekend Edition version the seat belts are supplied as decals and the instructions clearly tell you to add some nose weight, as there is no longer the die-cast metal weight included that used to be in the early editions. The main wheels are offered both as standard or 'weighted' and you have the option of having both 'car doors' open or closed. There is a bomb or drop tank included for the centreline rack and gun pods to go under each outer wing panel.

Markings
The kit offers four decal options: 
• S/No.42-20351, flown by Lt W.A. Shomo, 82nd TRS, 71st TRG, 5th Air Force, Dobodura, New Guinea, March 1944
• S/No.42-19467, 'Pat Riot' of the 46th FS, 15th FG, 7th Air Force, Kanton Atoll, Phoenix archipelago, August 1943
• S/No.42-19896, flown by Lt W.W. Gambill, 363rd FS, 357th FG, 8th Air Force, Oroville CA, USA, autumn 1943
• S/No.42-20043, 70th FS, 347th FG, 13th Air Force, Torokina aircraft, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, autumn 1943
The decal sheets are printed in the Czech Republic and are of excellent quality with perfect register and colour. The main sheet contains all the national and unique markings (with red of blue-edged stars 'n' bars) plus there is a second sheet with a full set of airframe stencils, including wing walkways.
 
Conclusion
This is an excellent kit, still good after all these years and in its simplified form it can be most highly recommended to all USAAF modellers.

Our thanks to Eduard (www.eduard.com) for the review sample, UK modellers can obtain this kit from Hannants here.