Bell P-400 Airacobra ***FINISHED***

[PeterB]

So, with my P-39N nearing completion it is decision time on the next version.

As the P-39Q is virtually identical ot the P-39N, particularly when in Russian service with the gondola mounted 50cal mg not fitted, and as it will require some work to make it accurate for the US version that HB provide decs for, I thought I would convert it to either the RAF Airacobra I or maybe one of the ones "repossessed" from the British order by the USAAC who called them P-400. I will have to replace the entire prop anyway as it is far too small, and while I am at it I will fit a longer and slightly thinner 20mm cannon in the spinner. I need to remove the two triangular vents on the nose which were fitted to help stop the cockpit being filled with cordite fumes when the guns were fired as these did not appear until the later P-39L version, and at the same time make gun troughs for the nose 50cal which HB missed out. As with the N, I will also have to fill in the mounting slots for the underwing guns but unlike the N I can leave the wing mg in place - they are supposedly 30cal and the RAF used 0.303 Brownings but they are close enough I guess. The RAF machines had a radio mast behind the cockpit but most P-400 did not, and I need to check which versions used the belly drop tank. The only other modification will be fitting the resin 12 stack exhausts which arrived today - they cost me £2.60 so I am still under a tenner even at todays prices! Now all I have to do is decide on the paint scheme and markings.

 

Following on from my history up to the P-39N which is on that build thread, here is a bit more.

 

The P-39Q was the final version of the Airacobra and was produced in far larger numbers than any of the others – 4905 in total. Essentially it was the same as the P-39N and was made in a number of blocks, with detailed changes such as reducing then increasing both armour weight and fuel capacity and incorporating some strengthening to the fuselage. The only noticeable difference on the outside was the deletion of the 4 wing mounted 30cal mg and replacing them with a pair of gondola mounted 50cal, though these were not always fitted in US service and probably never by the Russians. Most went to Russia but some did serve in the Pacific theatre.

 

As I mentioned earlier, when the YP-39 prototype first flew in April 1939 it had excellent performance and so in October of that year the French ordered 200 of the so called model 14 export version. The Brits followed with an order for 475 in April 1940, and also picked up the French order after that country surrendered. Sources differ as to how many they actually received but they seem to have first had 3 P-39C which they were going to call “Caribou” but decided to call Airacobra I. The main batch, which may therefore have been Airacobra Ia's depending on which book I read were about the equivalent of the P-39D model ordered by the USAAC, but with a slightly different engine which had 12 exhaust ports a side instead of the usual 6. In terms of armament they asked for the 37mm cannon to be replaced with a 20mm one which had a higher rate of fire and twice as much ammunition. They were happy with the 50cal mg above the nose, but specified 2 x 0.303 Browning mg in each wing. They might have retained the 2 x 30cal alongside the 50cal on the nose though probably not – again sources vary.

 

To be continued!

 

Pete

Edited June 10, 2021 by PeterB

[PeterB]

I have made a start, using a heated compass point to make the gun troughs and filing down the vents I mentioned, though not as well as I thought.

The Macro lens not only shows up that I need more work on the vents but interestingly shows that the kit exhausts actually have 12 pipes a side, which is not visible to the naked eye - it is just that unlike the replacements there is virtually no gap between the pairs whereas on the replacements they are rather more obvious. Whether or not HB got that right I have no idea - everything I have read says 6 pipes on "normal" 'Cobras. As the resin parts are intended for the Academy kit the "base plate" is narrower so I have packed out the slot in the fuselage with some card - I will trim it down later.

 

Incidentally, I have now  looked at "walkround" pics and there seem to be only 6 pipes on the later models but in the Mushroom book there is a pic of one being restored where the pipes have been taken off and there are indeed 12 ports on each side of the engine so the paired stacks are correct but unlike the P-400 they must merge into a single outlet so I have learned something new about the P-39 today.

 

So time for more background.

Unlike the P-39C their new planes had about a ton of extra weight in the form of armour, self sealing fuel tanks and other changes to make them combat worthy, and coupled with the change to a two stage supercharger from the turbocharger fitted to the prototype that was forced on Bell by the USAAC the speed was about 40mph less and the altitude performance poor. The RAF were a bit cross though again sources vary as to whether or not they should have known about the changes. Whatever, after a few were issued to one Squadron they decided to cancel the order, and here it gets a bit complicated as it difficult to pin down exactly how many they did in fact receive. Certainly 212 (or maybe more) were shipped to Russia though up to 54 were lost en route, and the USAAC commandeered 179 for their own use as P-400's, many of which were sent to Australia and fought in New Guinea and on Guadalcanal. Some may or may not have been sent to the Western Desert as part of Operation Torch though again sources do not entirely agree. I suspect part of the RAF order was actually switched to US P-39D's but in their Putnam's book on US Military Aircraft  Swanborough and Bowers say that "Over 250 British Airacobras were made over to the Soviet Air Force as part of British aid to Russia, nearly 200 were re-acquired by the USAAF in Britain at the end of 1942, and about 200 were repossessed in the US in December 1941".

 

 As to what colour scheme they were in, the RAF had by that time switched to Dark Green and Ocean Grey over Medium Sea Grey and profiles show the Airacobra I in those colours both in the UK and Russia. They also show a fair number of P-400 in what appear to be the US equivalents of Dark Green and Dark Earth over Sky, complete with RAF serial numbers so presumably that is how they were painted on the production line. Confusingly, on one of their decal sheets Print Scale show a P-400 in the Green/Brown scheme but the narrative says Green/Grey! Some were also seen painted in the US version of sand over presumably Azure blue, and also in some cases just with the brown replaced by sand, both of these in the Pacific. I will clearly need to decide which user/theatre I am going for before I can start painting. At least I should now have a better idea of how to fit the parts together after my struggle with the P-39N!

 

Cheers

 

Pete

 

 

[PeterB]

As I mentioned in my P-39N build thread one of the biggest problems with the HobbyBoss kits is that the propellor is far too small - it scales out at around 9ft 6inches diameter whilst the one for the early models was 10ft 5inches I believe, so I have modified a prop from my spares box.

The outer circle is11ft 7inches as used on most P-39N and Q versions. I have also removed the 37mm cannon muzzle and flattened the tip of the spinner ready for my 20mm replacement cannon.

 

Whilst I would quite like to build a P-400 in US service, and the colours are easy, the markings are a bit tricky - sharks mouths etc. As I neither want to spend money on some aftermarket decs, nor indeed can I under the terms of this GB I think I will probably end up with a very rare bird - an Airacobra I of 601 Squadron RAF though I have just found a P-400 I might just be able to make decs for.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited June 11, 2021 by PeterB

[PeterB]

I have just found my Camo and Markings book on the Tomahawk, Mohawk and Airacobra and guess what - although the "production" Airacobra I's arrived with a 12 stack exhaust the ruddy RAF promptly replaced it with a fishtailed 6 pipe one so it looks like it will be a P-400 after all! DIY decal time I think.

 

Pete

[PeterB]

I am adopting a slightly different approach to this kit, partly due to the way it goes together and mainly due to the problems with DIY decals. As I have said many times before in the last couple of years, my inkjet printer cannot print white and is not too good on paler colours as the ink density is not really good enough for say red or yellow on clear decal paper. I therefore use white paper, and print the design on a background colour similar to that on the kit. Once in place I then have to very carefully blend them in, and it will be a lot easier with this kit if the wings are not on.

So I have made a start -the wings are just a push fit at the moment but are useful for holding the kit when working on it. I will put the exhausts on next then start touching it up. The sharksmouth and eyes decs will go on after the wings are glued in place. This is a plane flown by Lt Eugene Wahl when based in New Guinea, and there is a bit of disagreement between my sources. All 3 say it had a blue spinner and top to the vertical fin, but one says the name was in blue - I have gone with the two that say yellow!

 

Cheers

 

Pete

[PeterB]

I suppose I must have learned something from the P-39N build as this one went together with a lot less trouble and I managed to get rather more lead in the nose so it is rather better balanced.

Bit of filling to do then I can finish off the painting. I have added the missing radio to the cockpit behind the seat.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited June 14, 2021 by PeterB

[PeterB]

Nearly there!

All my DIY decs are on and whilst far from perfect they are not too bad - I will add the 4 US Stars once I have finished touching it up. After that I just need to add the canopy, prop and 20mm cannon and it will be done. The wing guns should be staggered with the inner barrel higher than the outer, but HB moulded them level and it is beyond my skills to change them as the wing is too thin to drill new mounting holes without making a mess. Walkrounds show that Bell fitted a stainless steel fairing to the leading edge behind them so I have tried to represent that.

 

As I mentioned earlier they were painted in US equivalents to Dark Earth, Dark Green and Sky but I don't have any of Jamie's Colourcoats versions and anyway he is out of stock of at least one of them. I looked at the paint scheme for the Airfix Flying Tiger P-40C and they say to use Hu 28, 116 and 117 - well the 116 is a decent enough dark green but the 117 Tan seems rather light to me so I have used Mr Hobby Dark Earth. As to the Sky equivalent, sources stress that it was a grey and 28 looks pretty good, but I have added a couple of drops of Hu 90 "Beige Green" aka Sky  to give it a very slight green tinge as shown in profiles.

 

Needless to say it will not be totally accurate, but with the nose vents removed, the long 20mm cannon , the small diameter prop and the 12 stack exhausts it will resemble a P-400 operating in New Guinea so I am content with that.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

 

 

Edited June 19, 2021 by PeterB

[PeterB]

That is the best I can do I think.

It will now join the queue for a finishing coat of flat varnish.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

[stevej60]

Great to see an easy kit entered Pete I love them for their quick assembly great for those(like me) that likes painting above construction!

[PeterB]

Hi Steve,

 

Yes, once you have figured out where exactly the cockpit floor/nosewheel bay roof unit goes and where to fit lots of lead in, the construction is pretty easy, though the ridiculously short prop is a bit of a pain and I have gone to the trouble of replacing it in both my HB builds - fortunately I had a pair of old Frogspawn B-25 props in my spares box that were suitable after considerable shortening and thinning down. I have no idea how accurate these kits actually are, but dimensionally they are a big improvement on the Airfix kit I believe.

 

Pete

[PlaStix]

Hi Peter. Well it looks like you've been excellent progress with this project too! Nicely done.

Kind regards,

Stix

[PeterB]

Finally managed to get a coat of varnish on.

I will get it in the gallery now.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

[PlaStix]

Hi Pete. Congratulations on your superb P-400!! It looks really impressive in the Gallery!

Thank you very much for building it in this GB.

Kind regards,

Stix