Hobby Master 1/72 RAF Aircobra AH601 P39 County of London Aircraft Model (HA1703)

Hobby Master 1/72 RAF Aircobra AH601 P39 County of London Aircraft Model (HA1703) | Antics Online

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Hobby Master 1/72 RAF Aircobra AH601 P39 County of London Aircraft Model (HA1703)
Die-cast metal. Superb detailing in 1/72 scale. Pre-painted with pad applied markings. Fully assembled. Comes with a pilot. Weapons that are not permanently attached. Display stand included. Option to display model with wheels up or down. Movable propeller. Minimum use of plastic. Very collectable

The P-39 was very innovative having tricycle landing gear and an engine mounted in the middle of the fuselage behind the pilot. The primary reason for this was weight counter-balance to allow for the use of the large Oldsmobile 37mm cannon mounted in the aircraft nose and for shooting through the propeller hub. One major problem with this plane was the lack of a good turbo super-charger and this seriously hampered the performance above 20,000 feet. To compound the matter there was also a weight- problem. The only RAF unit to use the P-39 was the 601 Squadron. Based on the performance of the test model the RAF ordered 675 of these aircraft armed with 0.50-inch machine guns in the fuselage and four 0.30-inch machine guns in the wings, the 37 mm gun was replaced by a 20 mm Hispano Suiza. What the RAF received were aircraft without the turbo-superchargers severely reducing its effectiveness and after only one operational use by the 601 these aircraft were deemed unfit with further orders cancelled and the aircraft removed from service. The P-39Q has the distinction of being the most produced series with 4,905 built. The Q also was the last version of the Airacobra to be made by Bell. The main difference between the Q version and earlier versions was the replacement of the 4 wing-mounted 0.30 – inch machine guns with a single 0.50 –inch machine gun mounted inside a pod attached to the bottom of each wing. The P-39Q-1-BE also regained the additional 231 pounds of armor of the P-31N-1. US Marines recaptured Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands chain in the Fall of 1943 and immediately built an airbase. It became the home base for the 15th FG, 46th FS and their P-39s on December 18, 1943. The “Devastating Devil” pinkish sand paint scheme definitely was a stand out among all the greens. This P-39 was painted with the intention of it going to North Africa but it managed to find its way into the PTO. As well as escorts for the Makin A-24s on their bombing raids the P-39s bombed and strafed ground targets.

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