I have just bought the Tamiya 1/48 scale brewster 339 pacific version. My plan is to convert it to Finnish brewster model 239.
I read that the 339 has a longer fuselage, is this the tail that is longer? The Tamiya kit comes with two different tails.
Do anyone have any pictures showing the seat in a finnish 239? I have a book of the 239 in finnsid service but there is no picture showing the seat, it seams that there is armor going up to the top of the cabin.
This is going to be my second kit, the last one was a 1/32 ASK-21 glider.
The seat shown here is from Brewster 239 BW-372. In Finnish service, there was a spade-shaped piece of armor protecting the head, and a leather seat back which probably covered seat-back armor. This may help:
These photos are of the Finnish Humu prototype, which was a Brewster fuselage with wooden wings (the Finns planned to build an all-wood Brewster, but never did). However, many of the details are the same as the ‘real’ Brewster. The floor in the Humu was solid where the Brewster had an opening between the seat and the foot pedals. The instrument panel and the engine cowling was somewhat different.
There is a problem with your choice of kit. The Tamiya kit is a good model of the F2A-2/339C/D/E. However, the Finnish 239 had several differences. The engine cowling was quite different, the forward fuselage had differences, the prop and spinner were not the same, etc. There is a good kit of the Finnish 239 from Classic Airframes (Google ‘Classic Airframes Brewster 239’ to find a mail order firm carrying the kit, and there’s a review at http://kits.kitreview.com/f2a1andmodel239reviewjm_1.htm )
The picture of the seat really helps me. Is it from the plane that was recovered some years ago in russia and now in a musemum in the states? I just got a very good book on the brewster today. It has scale drawings of all the models and a ton of pictures.
As jimmaas said it seems to be a a lot diffret in the nose section between the 239 and the 339 and also the tail cone is different. Also the 239 has a longer front fuselage with compleatly different panels and vents.
The tail cone is no problem as the Tamiya kit has both versions but the nose makes me consider the Classic airframes kit. Maybe I start with the Tamiya and see what I can modify.
I’ll keep you posted on the project, will be a long term project. Hope to get it ready by eastern.
Not to be too off topic here, but I feel kinda bad for the pilot that sat in that seat. That’s a big, nasty hole there.
Smoffo, perhaps you could build the Tamiya kit as a 339 and the Classic Airframes as the 239. You could have a sort of “evolution” flight line. That might be pretty neat!
I read trough two books regarding the brewster in the finnish air force, there where some pictures of the plane in winter conditions with the nose covered up to the leading edge of the wing. As the 339 is similar to the 239 from the wing leading edge rearwards it would be an option.
I also orderd a Classic Airframe 239 from squadron, but it will take a few week for it to get over here.
This way I would get some much needed practice before starting on the Classic ariframe kit. Have done some 30 to 40 kits 15-20 years ago so the building is a bit rusty
Have to start cleaning the work bench so I can get started.
The seat armor in the second photo I posted was in front of the seatback (the pilot’s back was against the armor, which explains the padding), so the round that put a hole in the seat was stopped by the armor.
Yes, the seat is from BW-372, the Brewster 239 recovered from the lake in Russia
I just noticed that the photo of the Finnish 239 cockpit is chopped off on the right, so that the seat and head armor detail is missing. If that is the way you;re seeing it, just right-click on the picture and select “Open Link” and the whole photo appears.
If you want more info on Buffaloes, check out: www.http://warbirdforum.com/buff.htm. It has the story of BW-372’s recovery and other info on Finnish , American, British and Dutch Buffaloes.
