Atlantis Models
BAGGED KIT-P-39 Bell Airacobra WWII Fighter 1/46 Plastic Model Kit--NO BOX OR STAND
- SKU:
- H222
- UPC:
- 850002740363
- Condition:
- New
- Availability:
- Usually Ships in 24 Hours
- Shipping:
- Calculated at Checkout
- How long is the model when complete:
- Measures 8 inches long with a wingspan of 9 inches
- What age is recommended:
- Ages 14 and up
- What paints do I need:
- We recommend Black, Blue, Flesh, Silver, Yellow, White
- Does it come with paint and glue:
- Paint and glue are sold separately
- How many parts are included:
- 39 parts
Description
THIS IS A BAGGED KIT--YOU GET THE PLASTIC PARTS, INSTRUCTION SHEET AND DECALS ONLY-- THERE IS NO BOX AND NO SWIVEL STAND
1/46 Scale. This kit comes molded in Olive Drab with 39 parts. Decals included for original release and shark mouth version. Measures 8 inches long with a wing span of 9 inches. Pilot and crewman are included, Features engraved original markings, landing gear and belly tank.
The Bell P-39 Airacobra is one of the more discussed fighters of WW2. This is in part because of its’ many different iterations and that it was one of the first to see actual combat use. There were many changes from the P-39C to the P-39Q, most of them were actual improvements. Employment by the USAAF was early in the war, before we had learned how to deal with the hard demands of Aerial combat, and before we had many well trained or experienced pilots. There was only one American pilot who became an ace flying the P-39. Our early efforts in the Pacific cost us dearly in lives and machines. Our P-39 units only managed about a 1:1 kill ratio against the Japanese. P-39’s were replaced as soon as we could manage by P-40, P-38, and P-47 fighters. The P-39 was a unique design, it was fairly fast, around 360 mph, and quite maneuverable. It could not reach 400 mph or extreme altitudes, but it did not tumble or fall out of the sky. The key element of it’s armament was it’s Cannon firing through the propeller hub. The key airframe element was the centrally mounted engine, sitting on the center of gravity. This allowed the airplane to maneuver in any direction without a huge mass of engine in the nose that had to be pointed and followed by the airplane. This made the airplane “twitchy”, meaning it would depart from straight and level at the slightest urging of the pilot. A good pilot who understood the airplane could dogfight with anything, Chuck Yeager flew the P-39 in advanced training and said it was the best pure dogfighter he ever flew. Now the famous 37mm cannon. The USAAF knew they would need a powerful weapon to effectively destroy enemy bombers. The warhead of the shell weighed about 1.5 lbs, which is a lot of explosive and steel when it explodes in an aluminum aircraft loaded with tons of gasoline and other nasty flammables. So it would not require many hits on any aircraft. Average time on target was only a few seconds so efficient firepower was critical. The Russians who were provided with thousands of P-39’s did not use them to “bust tanks”. For one thing the AP round for the cannon could only penetrate about .8” of armor, which was considered good at the beginning of WW2, as most tanks had fairly thin armor. The U.S. sent Russia 1.2 million rounds of HE, not armor piercing ammunition. Russia made a careful evaluation of the P-39 before placing it in service. They usually removed the four .30 cal. “paint scraper” wing guns to save weight and improve roll rate. Like the Germans they felt one good cannon and two heavy machine guns was quite adequate. They did very well in combat against all German aircraft. One Russian wing had a dozen aces with 15 or more kills. It’s worth noting that Russia accounted for 40% of German aircraft losses in WW2. Russian faith in the P-39 is well defined in Eddie Rickenbackers’ autobiography. While visiting Moscow he witnessed a scramble of P-39s’, there were 100 P-39’s overhead in 39 seconds. And 300 two minutes later. Rickenbacker said “The Luftwaffe studiously avoided bombing Moscow.”P-39 History provided by Eugene DuBey Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.19 m) Crew: 1 Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m) Height: 12 ft 5 in (3.78 m) Empty weight: 6,516 lb (2,956 kg) Gross weight: 7,570 lb (3,434 kg) Powerplant: × Allison V-1710-85 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW) at 9,000 ft (2,743 m) Performance Maximum speed: 389 mph (626 km/h, 338 kn) Range: 525 mi (845 km, 456 nmi) on internal fuel Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (11,000 m) Rate of climb: 3,805 ft/min (19.33 m/s) at 7,400 ft (2,256 m) Armament Guns: 1 × 37 mm M4 cannon in nose (firing through the propeller hub) with 30 rounds of HE-T ammunition. 2 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) synchronized Browning M2 machine guns, nose-mounted; 200 rounds per gun 2 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns (one each wing), 300 rounds per gun Bombs: Up to 500 lb (230 kg) of bombs under wings and belly
Warranty Information
5 Reviews
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P-39 airacobra
A great kit to assemble, It went together with no gaps between seams. There was little to no flash to remove, so that is a plus. It is molded in olive drab, so only the undersides need to be painted. I enjoyed assembling this nifty kit.
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P-39
Another winner of a classic aircraft! Keep it up Atlantis!
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Old Friend
I had been looking for this kit for years. I had the original Revell plans from 1961 and it was the first large scale model I built. I enjoyed building the Atlantis version. It all fitted together well. I first painted the pilot and put some weight in the nose. As it went together I was really surprised how it sat, very accurately. Assembly was straightforward with no glitches. I sanded the model down cleaned it then painted it. I was delighted at the result. The icing on the cake would have been a set of Soviet decals. A great simple build - thanks
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P-39 Airacobra Reissue
Nice kit. Good fit, considering the age of the mold. Did have to use some filler on the wing-fuselage joints and I did have a bit of problem on the canopy (perhaps my fault), but a nice build. I did the box art camouflage scheme. Worth a go if you're into a fun project.
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P-39 Revell reissue
Little flash, only one sink mark, parts all fit well. Good decals. If possible tho, Revell did sell a version of this kit with decals for the Cobra II air racer from the 1947 Cleveland Air Races. Any chance you could issue the kit w/those decals. Thanks