Back into a/c modelling after a long detour into armour – is there a modern kit, in 1/48th, of the Bell P-39? Would like one as a compliment to the Hasegawa A6M2 I’m working on.
Hasegawa or Eduard. The Eduard it kit has a few fit issues, one of them the clear canopy part doesn’t fit well at all. Upside of the Eduard kit is it comes with pe and masks and better decals if you order the Profipack kit. If I had to choose myself I’d get the Hasegawa kit with whatever aftermarket I feel like.
The Hasegawa kit is also supposed to have fit problems with the fuselage on the lower surfaces.
This, although three years old now, was helpful.
www.cybermodeler.com/…/airacobra.shtml
But I’m resolved not to buy any more kits until I’m done with the one I’m working on! Doing otherwise is how I ended up with a huge stash of unbuilt armor, more than I could finish in this lifetime I think …
ProModeler made the P39-Q that can still be easily found on Evil-bay. I have one I will be starting on in a few months. Having looked at the kit it appears to be a decent quality but I have not attack the build yet so i can’t speak to fit issues.
Brandon, the ProModeler P-39Q is the original 1964 Monogram P-400 with an extra sprue for the underwing gun tubs and a 2"x2" piece of PE. I bought one off of Ebay 3 months ago, and it is exactly like the P-400 my brother got from the basement of Pennywise Drug in 1972.
I could swear that the original Monogram release of the P-39 came with the underwing gun pods. But I know that the Pro Modeler kit came with a PE fret and things like ground crew figures and weighted tires.
Way back in the day the Monogram P-39 did not come with the underwing guns. The more recent non Pro Modeler releases have a sprue for the underwing guns. A decal option for the Q is not included. You could go aftermarket decals and build the Q.
I have an 89 CAF boxing and it does not have the ProMod sprue with the gun tubs, 2 figures and barrels.
Yes, I built that one a few years back and those parts were not in that issue. Buy I could swear that one of the 1970s “White Box” issues had the gun pods. I went and had a look at my Promodeler boxing and immediately saw the new sprue and old mold mods.
What I do recall was it had multiple options for versions and markings. RAF camo or OD P-400s, OD P-39D, and a Lend Lease Soviet OD P-39Q I believe… I built a few, but always made the camo’d 67th FS P-400 on Guadalcanal.
Cool, that’s good to know. Then it’s and older kit. I will keep that in mind when I build it up. Thanks.
Stik, I rummaged around a actually found an instruction sheet dated 1969 for the P-39. You could build the P-400, P39D1 or D2 and the P-39L1.
I bot the pro modeler p-39 a few years back didnt use the pe fret …but i did throw in one of the trumpeter p-38. V 1710 sans the front gear case it fit well looked good with crews working on it
Oh yea that was 1/32 scale not1/48 …my bad o_O
Must say I had the Eduard kit out and did quite a bit of dry fitting and found the cockpit to be only slightly over size but very easily fixed. I have the Hase kit too and if I had to choose between the two - the Ed kit will get the nod every time.
That wouldn’t happen to be the Pennywise Drug that was in Caldwell, Idaho would it??
I remember them, they just closed their doors for good. Sad to see it go.
That was the one on 2nd Street South in Nampa, not the one on 12th Avenue.
@richs26 & BrandonK… I used to shop at the Pennywise at the corner of Kimball and Cleveland. I’d always head to the basement while whoever I was with would shop upstairs. Afterwhile, they quit carrying as many model kits, the next best place was Kings. Ohhh the memories!
Kings!! I used to haunt their basement all the time for models. But, they are all gone now. Or even Ralph’s Toys and Hobbies?