This is the Bell XP-77 fighter. This is a WWII design, that was made from “non-essential” materials. [IE- wood]. It was designed for homeland defense [coastal]. the kit is from Czech Models. It includes a resin cockpit, wheels, and engine/nose gear bay. The instractions claim that the engine/ nose bay also acts as the nose weight, it does not. I had to add 11 steel BB’s to the front end. and it just barely balances. Overall, its a nice kit. Lots of flash, but you dont have to worry when you sand. there are virtually no panel lines. Its finished in Floquil bright silver and uses the kit decals, which wer VERY delicate.
Sorta. I have a collection of Cop cars, then I switched to Armor, now I am almost strictly planes. This one I got cause the LHS was getting rid of three of them for $5.99 a piece. I picked it up cause it looked neat. Now, yes, it is part of a growing WWII fighter collection.
Nicely done my friend…!! Can you please comment on the over build & fit of this kit. I have a few of these in my stash and one of these days I want to do a “What If” build w/ one of them…
Well, Butz, make sure to have plenty of sandpaper and putty on hand. The fit between the wings and the fuselage is very poor. you will need a lot of filler. The gap on mine was roughly 1/8th of an inch. But this is only on the bottom. the rest fits ok. The front resin piece needs to be sanded down on the edges to fit into the fuselage, and the fit of the sidewalls to the tub floor is bad. I recommend glueing them to the fuselage instead. The main gear connection to the underside of the wings is very flimsy. I have no recommendation here. And its not in the instructions, but there is a piece that goes under the cockpit tub that completes the wheel wells. Mine is missing as i didnt notice it till after the wings were put in place. It should go in the wing before it joins the body. Lots of nose weight is needed. and the prop is a pain. Its a 4-piece prop with individual blades. There is a lot of flash, so be prepared to do a lot of sanding. Good luck, my friend.
