Arma 1/72 P-39 Airacobra Reconnaissance
By Matt Bittner
Introduction
When I received the Arma Hobby 1/72 P-39 Reconnaissance (recce) version, and knowing we were having issues with our admin pages, I thought I could built it before our pages were functioning correctly. And this time I was correct. However, what happened between the admin pages working again and me publishing my article, I made a major physical move so the rest of my time - after the build - was spent with working on stuff to support that move.
We've had a First Look on the Arma Hobby Airacobras and Chris finished one in Italian markings. I will direct the reader to his full build because mine didn't differ very much from his. The only problem I ran into is somehow I glued the gun sight too high to the instrument panel - with CA - so had to trim it so the windscreen would fit.
The Build
Like I mentioned above, I didn't veer far from how Chris built his. The cockpit is a dream out of the box (my P-39 didn't come with any of the 3D-printed options) but I decided I was going to pose one of the doors semi-open, so opted for adding Yahu USAAF photoetch seat belts to the set, as I had it sitting around. Otherwise the cockpit is completely out of the box.
When the cockpit was painted, inserted into the fuselage, along with the cannon and nose wheel well, it was time to add the supplied weights. I remember reading on-line that the weights could be "not enough" in certain circumstances. So, I ended up adding Liquid Gravity in amongst the areas of the nose where they would fit. Turns out it was just enough.
Definitely pay attention to the instructions. There are panel lines to fill and different options depending on which P-39 you're finishing it as. I opted for "painting option 3" so followed all recommendations for that particular aircraft. The part that makes it a recce P-39 is 3D printed but also included is a 3D-printed template to ensure you get the "hole" in the correct position. Even so, I needed to do a little bit of filling with CA to smooth it out.
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I used hardly any putty on this model, mainly on the underside where the wing meets the fuselage. Otherwise it either a quick brush with sandpaper over a seam, or a little bit of Vallejo putty applied.
There were other items I added to the model. For some strange reason - like the Academy kit - Arma Hobby left off the baffle inside the intake behind the pilot. I used some sheet plastic to add that. While looking at images of the real aircraft online, I noticed there was a "whip-like" antenna on the rear of the fuselage, and what could be a gun-sight stem in front of the windscreen; those were added with plastic sprue. The antenna wire is from EZ-Line. Finally, I replaced the pitot tube on the port wing-tip with the one from Master. While the kit one is decent enough, the Master replacement is just a bit better.
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All paints are Vallejo. Reading over Robert Archer's book The Official Monogram US Army Air Service & Air Corps Aircraft Color Guide, Vol 1, 1908-1941, the color that was mainly used for state-side identification was yellow so I opted for that instead of white. It's definitely a personal thing. Just be sure to apply all decals to the fuselage sides before spraying the overcoat-color.
The decals went down well and I had no issues with them Because this was a state-side bird I decided to keep weathering to a minimum. I painted the wing-tip lights first with a chrome marker, then used Tamiya's clear paints over that. Also because of the "age" of the aircraft, the propeller was definitely left natural, so painted Vallejo aluminum.
My kit did come with the optional stand which is very nice. Not only is it a great item to hold the model while construction, it's also used to ensure the correct placement of the landing gear.
Conclusion
This is an awesome kit, and definitely the best P-39 in 1/72. I have a couple more in my stash and hope to build them some day, once I find the right markings for them. My thanks to Arma Hobby for the review kit. Check out their website & blog for all the latest Arma news and information.
