Special Hobby 1/32 scale P-39D Airacobra

Kit: No. SH32002
Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Special Hobby, from Squadron Mail Order, 877-414-0434, www.squadron.com
Price: $57.60
Comments: Injection-molded, 197 parts (3 resin, 37 photoetched-metal), decals
Pros: Great subject; impressive finished model
Cons: Cockpit could benefit from more photoetched-metal details; poor wing-to-
fuselage fit

February 6, 1943, in the skies over New Guinea: American fighters engage and destroy 11 Japanese fighters with no losses.

The Americans' plane? The Bell P-39 Airacobra! Its performance wasn't great, but it did have heavy armament, pilot protection, and low-level speed. It helped hold the line in the early days of World War II until P-38s and P-51s arrived.

Special Hobby's new 1/32 scale kit is the first plastic P-39 in this scale. The kit is nicely molded in gray plastic, and surface detail and clear parts are very good. I found some flash, and some of the small parts are poorly represented. Details include optional drop tank or bomb, pre-colored photoetched-metal parts, and resin exhaust stacks.

I started with the nose wheel bay and integral cockpit floor. I found later that it is important to get a true alignment when assembling the six-piece bay area. Poor assembly will affect the installation of the nose wheel later on.

The full nose wheel bay and cockpit interior, back to the radio shelf, neatly fit into the fuselage.
Special Hobby went all out on the photoetched-metal parts for the seat belts, with separate parts for the belts and buckles. I'd like to have seen the photoetched-metal parts used for the many switches and levers found in the P-39. The belts are nice, but the cockpit is a bit more Spartan than I would have liked.

The plane will be a tail sitter if you do not add weight to the nose. The fuselage can be assembled and the weight can be added before adding the nose gun cover, part C4.

The fit of the wing to the fuselage was a major weak point; it's poor all around. The wing roots had major gaps I remedied by adding thin plastic strips to the fuselage wing roots. Both the front and back touch points needed filling and sanding. The separate parts for the leading-edge air intakes fit loosely into the wings and required special attention.

As I was only going to have the right door open, I carefully checked the fit of the left door to the fuselage and canopy before gluing it in place. (By the way, pilots found if they entered from the left they would hit their knees on the throttle quadrant, which blocks the left door!)

The parts for the .30-caliber wing guns are poorly molded. I gave up on making them work and found some plastic tubing to use instead. I would recommend using some aftermarket metal barrels for a good representation.

I painted my Airacobra with a combination of Hobby Color and Tamiya paints. Decals, produced by Avi Print, are given for three killer schemes, are beautifully printed, and applied extremely well on a gloss undercoat. The schemes matched my markings reference, P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War 2, by George Mellinger and John Stanaway.

The model looks good compared with my primary reference, P-39 Airacobra In Detail & Scale, by Bert Kinzey.

I completed my Airacobra in 28 hours. There were some rough spots, but nothing I couldn't solve. The kit is not for beginners, but it won't overwhelm intermediate modelers. I highly recommended it to 1/32 scale WWII aircraft builders, who finally get a P-39 for their collection! - Jim Zeske