Special Hobby P-39F

[aldur]

Hi all,

 

For my next 1/32 project I decided to tackle my first limited run kit: the Special Hobby Airacobra MK1/P-39F in RAF/RAAF Service. On first inspection it looks like a really nice kit. (on second inspection/test fitting it's still is )

The only aftermarket product I'm using are the Eduard Mask's. (I love those.)

 

 

This is the plane I'm going to make:

 

Hope you're going to like it.

Comments are very welcome.

 

groeten,

Ian

[aldur]

After a lot of test fitting and trying to grow a third and fourth arm to hold all the pieces, I managed to put the front landing gear bay together. (The fit is actually pretty good.)

 

 

Here are some pictures of the fusalage taped together with the front landing gear bay, cockpit floor and back put in and kept in place with some blue tack.

 

 

I had to remove the locating pin on the top of the fuselage right behind the cockpit opening the get good alignment.

 

I used some copper wire to add a little detail to the back of the instrument panel:

 

Here's a picture of the parts that are almost ready for some paint:

 

The small part in the lower right corner needed some putty on both sides because of some sink marks. As it sits right in front of the door it will be very visible. (I'm planning on leaving both doors open).

 

Hope you like.

 

groeten,

Ian

[ruzlkampf]

Alright, Ian!! Great choice for a project. Always wondered how this kit goes together, and looking at the parts you've laid out so far....it appears to be excellent! Can't wait to see more pics as this progresses. I love this plane!

[aldur]

Thnx Russ. At first I didn't like the P-39 very much, but lately it's growing on me after reading a bit about it and it is a nice looking plane.

 

Not much progress to show. I have been spending some time cleaning up the parts for the cockpit and getting as many of them ready for the interior green.

Also dipped the clear parts in some future and leaving them to dry for a day or 2.

The fit so far is pretty good, but yesterday I started dry fitting the wings to the fuselage and that will need some careful work to get a clean join and probably some filler. (no pics of that yet).

 

I've glued the PE door panels on and they're drying for now:

 

 

Also tested the canopy and that seems to fit pretty good. (it just resting on the fuselage, no glue, tape or blue-tack):

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Groeten,

Ian

[dennismcc]

Just finished building the same basic kit (P-39D), and it is a good one, the only problems I had were with the internal wing ducting alignment and the very fiddly nose wheel. , have got an RAF macjine to build as well so I'll be taking notes.

 

Cheers

 

Den

[rotary]

hi aldur---can't be sure but IF your artwork for skylark X111 is showing the sky fuselage band as extending underneath the fuse. (wrapping all the way around) this would be incorrect--it stops at the undersurface demarcation. just a point mate--and indeed the artwork may show this---it may just be my eyes but to me it looks like it is showing a full wrap around.

cheers,

dave.

[big matt]

Looks like you got the fuse to come together pretty good. I think that is a bit of a finicky kit. At least for me when I started to dry fit it and promptly put it back in the box.

 

Nice work so far.

 

Matt

[nmayhew]

can i ask where you got those cool looking clamps?

[LSP_Kevin]

can i ask where you got those cool looking clamps?

 

I purchased similar clamps from a large hardware chain here in Oz. I'm sure they'd be available at similar stores all over the world. They're made by the trillion in China.

 

Kev

[aldur]

@rotary:

Thanks for the info dave. On the artwork the fuselage band indeed wraps all the way around. Hopefully bye the time I get to painting I'll remember.

 

@big matt:

Thanks Matt. Some parts are indeed a bit finicky. I had some trouble getting the front gear bay together all line up and square.

 

@nmayhew:

I bought those from a German merchant MAKO Modellbau (link, on the left site of the page click on the link Werkzeuge,Hilfsmittel) at a modeling event here in Belgium, but as Kevin said, you can probably find them in your local hardware store.

 

I'll be going a bit slower for the next couple of days as I sprained my wrist, trying to rollerblade for the first time and didn't wear any protection. (Ah just try them for 5 minutes, what can happen!!! )

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Groeten,

Ian

[nmayhew]

thanks for the link, and sorry to hear about your wrist

[aldur]

Hi everyone,

 

After more than 4 months of no modeling, I finally started again this weekend.

First I put some preshading on the cockpit parts:

 

After that some color:

 

Now I'm adding some wiring, and then detail painting. Picture will follow (hopefully a little faster this time )

 

Hope y'all like it.

 

groeten,

Ian

[Azgaron]

Looking good so far Ian! Nice looking kit!

 

Cheers,

 

Håkan

[ruzlkampf]

COOL!!!! Glad to see you get started on this one again Ian. Been missing your avatar for awhile now,.....I get a huge chuckle whenever I see it! Welcome Back.

[aldur]

Thanks very much.

 

Russ, it's a crop of a picture I took in my backyard of a blackbird chick that came out of a nest that was build on top a of a bird house we have hanging against our garden shed.

This is my favourite picture of them in the nest:

 

groeten,

Ian