Arma Hobby NEW 1:72 P-39Q Airacobra

[112 Squadron]

I am really looking forward to the release of this new P-39 kit. According to their blog, Arma Hobby has indeed included a lot of nice features. The fact that the kit has some nose weight included to prevent it from being a tailsitter is a huge plus. I shied away from building my Academy P-39 (see below) for many years. Finally, I got hold of the Scale Aircraft conversion set and found a proper remedy to solve that very problem. Of course, there are other solutions such as using products like Liquid Gravity as well. Getting a P-39 kit that does not require additional aftermarket products to stand properly on its landing gear is indeed a major progress. Since all variants of the P-39 are covered in the sprues there is a good reason to buy more than one as soon as it is on the market given the fact that there is a wide range of 1/72 scale decals available for all the different subtypes.

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by 112 Squadron

[Meatbox8]

On 4/17/2022 at 10:05 PM, Borisz said:

Do you think that we need a new one after the MPM/Special Hobby kit?
 

I am lucky for having more than 60 kits in my stach.

Only 60?!

[stevehnz]

52 minutes ago, Piotr Mikolajski said:

 

The True Modeller Badge is awarded for the ability to be quick in finding the right excuse to make a new kit purchase.

Spare decals for the other kits?  

Steve.

[MrB17]

7 hours ago, Ventsislav Gramatski said:

Any idea if the new P-51 boxing has new decals or the same ones from the Expert kit?

The box art features “OLD CROW”, which isn’t in the expert kit. So hopefully some different P-51’s.

 

Cheers

Jeff

[zigster]

With so many colorful schemes to choose from, they went for some rather uninspiring choices.

Take it, or spend another handful of mulla 4 new decal. Guess, that's the way.

 

[Fin]

I’ve been looking at this since yesterday and I don’t see how I could pass it as an IAR 80.

 

Congratulations to everyone who wished for an Airacobra! Also, I’m impressed that Arma not only took into account the necessary space for counterweights, but also included them with the kit. That’s a very nice approach!

[Redboost]

A great choice from company that is a leader in 1/72 scale recently, can't wait to have it on my table.

[stevehnz]

40 minutes ago, Redboost said:

can't wait to have it on my table.

Can't wait to see the results on my screen.

Steve.

[rickpeck]

Not what I was hoping for but I will get one. The earlier version is what I'm interested in the P-400 etc. for the Pacific area US fighter Groups. 

I built the RS model kit and it was ok. The extra 'armor' on the nose and engine panels were odd and reason I didn't buy anymore except one for the decals only as I was hoping for a new P-39 kit sort of . Think I sort of want a Tamiya 1/72 P-38H now😃

Of all the kits I have built in the last 20 some years Arma so far is the only kit I used the kit decals. 

Rick

[TheKinksFan]

The RS Models kits are rather expensive, minimum 15 pounds for a 1/72 kit. The price seems to have gone up, I paid 12,65,- for the only RS kit I've got, the RE.2005 and now it's 15,-. Pointing out that other kits are expensive too doesn't make Arma Hobby kits more affordable. But at least there is a certain guarantee that you will receive a quality kit, and also in away we are financing them to release other great kits in the future.

[Trenton guy]

2 hours ago, rickpeck said:

Not what I was hoping for but I will get one. The earlier version is what I'm interested in the P-400 etc. for the Pacific area US fighter Groups. 

I built the RS model kit and it was ok. The extra 'armor' on the nose and engine panels were odd and reason I didn't buy anymore except one for the decals only as I was hoping for a new P-39 kit sort of . Think I sort of want a Tamiya 1/72 P-38H now😃

Of all the kits I have built in the last 20 some years Arma so far is the only kit I used the kit decals. 

Rick

According to Hyperscale, today, the first release Sprue will include parts for all versions, the P-400, Airacobta Mk I, etc, etc. True to form Arma will release all versions eventually, but it is nice to be able to choose any version from the beginning if you have the decals. My plan is to start wth that very colorful P-39D “UMP” from the 1941 Carolina war games.

[Dave Fleming]

28 minutes ago, Trenton guy said:

According to Hyperscale, today, the first release Sprue will include parts for all versions, the P-400, Airacobta Mk I, etc, etc. True to form Arma will release all versions eventually, but it is nice to be able to choose any version from the beginning if you have the decals. My plan is to start wth that very colorful P-39D “UMP” from the 1941 Carolina war games.

The Q doesn't grab me, but if it's got a mk I and a C/D that lets me do all the British operated versions I'll be a happy bunny!

[Tbolt]

24 minutes ago, Dave Fleming said:

The Q doesn't grab me, but if it's got a mk I and a C/D that lets me do all the British operated versions I'll be a happy bunny!

 

The kit starts from the D, you can't do a C from it without some extra work.

[Sabrejet]

3 hours ago, TheKinksFan said:

The RS Models kits are rather expensive, minimum 15 pounds for a 1/72 kit. The price seems to have gone up, I paid 12,65,- for the only RS kit I've got, the RE.2005 and now it's 15,-. Pointing out that other kits are expensive too doesn't make Arma Hobby kits more affordable. But at least there is a certain guarantee that you will receive a quality kit, and also in away we are financing them to release other great kits in the future.

 15 quid seems very reasonable for a 1/72 kit. I was looking at the 1/72 Kora Fairey IIIF at £45 and thinking that seemed OK compared to the floatplane at £60+. Maybe we expect too much?

[Graham Boak]

The IIIF is a large aircraft, and resin kits are considerably more expensive than injected plastic, even short run ones.  Aside from this Arma kits are of very high quality and you always have to pay for that.

[TheKinksFan]

23 minutes ago, Sabrejet said:

 15 quid seems very reasonable for a 1/72 kit. I was looking at the 1/72 Kora Fairey IIIF at £45 and thinking that seemed OK compared to the floatplane at £60+. Maybe we expect too much?

Of course if you can afford to pay £45 for a 1/72 kit, then £15 is very reasonable.  I made my comment mainly  to emphasize that Arma Hobby prices are not that far from the average 1/72 kit price. Very few modern kits cost less than £10. 

[KRK4m]

You'll probably take this as a joke on my part, but I've never really checked it out.

Does the change of armament from 4 MG 0.3 inside the wings to 2 MG 0.5 in nacelles under the wings not entail any changes to the wing panels?

Were the ammunition boxes and their covers identical?

If not (and if Hyperscale is telling the truth that the first boxing will include parts for all versions from D to Q), Arma must include 2 sets of wings in the box.

Cheers

Michael

[Tbolt]

45 minutes ago, KRK4m said:

You'll probably take this as a joke on my part, but I've never really checked it out.

Does the change of armament from 4 MG 0.3 inside the wings to 2 MG 0.5 in nacelles under the wings not entail any changes to the wing panels?

Were the ammunition boxes and their covers identical?

If not (and if Hyperscale is telling the truth that the first boxing will include parts for all versions from D to Q), Arma must include 2 sets of wings in the box.

Cheers

Michael

 

I believe the wing was essentially the same, only the early wings on the C was different as it didn't have any wing guns. Hasegawa dealt with it by having separate leading edge inserts and separate inserts for the cartridge ejector panels and Eduard just had holes you had to open up in the leading edge, they didn't mention filling the ejector holes. Arma will probably just have holes to open up for the wing guns and maybe a separate cartridge ejector panel.

 

You can see the leading edge gun holes in the CAD.

 

 

 

 

[KRK4m]

Thank you, Tbolt.

However in my long life I must have built 2 or 3 P-39 models and I remember that all manufacturers use the same panel layout on the wing surface. But life has taught me to be careful about model makers' decisions (see: Allison Mustang fuselage depth). And I have never seen factory drawings (I do not believe in modern ones, from the CtrlC + CtrlV era either) or photos of P-39D/N and P-39Q with open ammo bays. And the wing armament is a very sensitive part of the aircraft to modification - look at the panelling of the Curtiss P-40C and P-40D wings or the 3 layouts of the wing gun covers on the Allison-engined Mustangs.

In the older P-39, the covers had to be able to handle both ammunition boxes and the guns. And in the P-39Q, the guns were hung in the nacelles under the wings, so the arrangement of the weapons chambers had definitely changed. Didn't that entail changes in the outline of the covers?

Cheers

Michael

[Tbolt]

2 hours ago, KRK4m said:

Thank you, Tbolt.

However in my long life I must have built 2 or 3 P-39 models and I remember that all manufacturers use the same panel layout on the wing surface. But life has taught me to be careful about model makers' decisions (see: Allison Mustang fuselage depth). And I have never seen factory drawings (I do not believe in modern ones, from the CtrlC + CtrlV era either) or photos of P-39D/N and P-39Q with open ammo bays. And the wing armament is a very sensitive part of the aircraft to modification - look at the panelling of the Curtiss P-40C and P-40D wings or the 3 layouts of the wing gun covers on the Allison-engined Mustangs.

In the older P-39, the covers had to be able to handle both ammunition boxes and the guns. And in the P-39Q, the guns were hung in the nacelles under the wings, so the arrangement of the weapons chambers had definitely changed. Didn't that entail changes in the outline of the covers?

Cheers

Michael

 

This is the wing from P39Q-15BE 44-2911 when it was recovered from Mart- Jarv lake in Russia. The panel layout looks to match the Arma kit to me. Some aircraft had different wing layouts for different armament but then some aircraft like the Spitfire ended up with a universal wing so different armament could be used on the same wing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KRK4m]

Thanks a lot, Tbolt - this is exactly what I have been looking for for years.

You can see that the Bell engineers did not want to remake the wing armament bay covers like the P-63 manufactured in parallel, which had the same .5" MG installation in the under-wing nacelles as the P-39Q. Or maybe the accountants didn't let them? In any case, thanks to your photos, my awareness of Airacobra increased by a few hundred percent.

Cheers

Michael

PS. Here in one of the photos you can see two rows of P-39s assembled simultaneously with at least three (maybe even six) rows of P-63s at Niagara Falls Bell factory in 1943.

https://aodww2.com/betty-bishop-attends-miss-betty-dedication/

[MrB17]

Thanks for sharing Betty’s story @KRK4m I really enjoyed reading that, it gave me a bit of a glimpse into an important part of WWII history. Two of my aunts worked at Canada Car and Foundry in Fort William, Ontario during WWII on the Hawker Hurricane. I often think about them working in the factory. My father was very young at the time, and one of his duties was to draw nice straight lines on the back of my aunts legs with eyebrow pencil when they went to a dance. (Nylons were scarce in WWII). They have all passed on but the memories are still there. Very different times. Thanks again for sharing.

 

Cheers

Jeff

[Dennis_C]

On 25/08/2022 at 01:04, Torbjorn said:

Well, there are options even of that is a concern. E.g. ace Dmitry Glinka, of Kherson or the mentioned Amet-khan Sultan recently honoured on Ukrainian bank notes.

Exactly. Red stars in WWII and red stars carried during invasions to Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan or current invasion to Ukraine are a bit different cases. 

 

Nevertheless I'm glad 1/72 revolution goes on! Great job, Arma Hobby!

[Wulfman]

On 25/08/2022 at 07:47, Fin said:

I’ve been looking at this since yesterday and I don’t see how I could pass it as an IAR 80.

 

Congratulations to everyone who wished for an Airacobra! Also, I’m impressed that Arma not only took into account the necessary space for counterweights, but also included them with the kit. That’s a very nice approach!

Frog provided nose weights over 60.years ago !

Wulfman

[Trenton guy]

12 hours ago, Wulfman said:

Frog provided nose weights over 60.years ago !

Wulfman

Ah, that long age Seahawk !!!  Nose weight but no wheel wells. You can’t have everything. Those Frog kits are very fondly remembered, even if they did cost 2 1/2 times what an Airfix series 1 did.