1:32 Special Hobby P-39MK1 Just what the doctor ordered to get my groove back

[Vleugelmoer]

time to go get my groove back on now that the manecave is ready fore some real work to progress.




Sorry for the quality of the detail photo's but these where taken on the run whilst taking the old mancave down.

[Vleugelmoer]

Today I had some time too take a couple of better quality photo's of my ongoing build.






The nose gun bay and engine details a resin upgrade's make by CMK

Because one of the .50 cal guns is going to be loaded started in converting a Ma Deuce form the Academy kit to represent the correct configuration for this installation.





Brass barrel from Aber, and some Evergreen rod that will be made into a muzzle flash suppressor that was typical in the P-39 and P-400.

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking good Paul

An interesting aircraft and an example of just how far the US was behind us and the Germans in aircraft design when they entered the WW2.

[Vleugelmoer]

Cheers Kevin,

It's been a labour of love thus far. I also have a threads in the AVF and others sections for a Tamiya willys MB and the ground works that will all come together as one big 50 X 60 cm diorama depicting a scene on 12 mile aerodrome (now Jackson International Airport) in Port Morresby, Papua New Guinea 1943 ish...

The P-39 by Bell was in fact quite ahead of its time. First aircraft to have a tricycle landing gear in the world, it als had its engine installed on the cross points of it controlled axes making it a nimble and agile fighter. That was until the U.S. Army Airforce order the super charger to be removed from the production models. After that it was an underpowered sluggish machine that was no match for the fighters of the Third Reich. Due to it not meeting the performance figures the U.K. canceled the order. Although being similar to the U.S. P-39 D. There where some small differences mainly the wing guns .303 cal instead of .30 on the U.S. version and the nose cannon being 20 mm instead of 38 mm on the U.S. version. After the cancellation of the U.K. order the aircraft where re-designated it the P-400 to reflect these minor differences. Most of the P- 400's ended up flying for the USSR. The remain aircraft where rushed to the Pacific to halt Japan's rush toward Australia.

A fierce battle irrupted on Papua New Guinea between the Australians and the Japanese in the summer of 1943. It lead to the biggest medical retreat by the Australians in history. They were aided by the "fuzzy wuzzy" angels of Kokoda (a small native town in the heart land of PNG).

I first heard this story in September of 2009 whilst I was working for Air New Guinea at the airport in question. This inspired me to do this diorama. Now you also know some more about the aircraft and my inspiration to build this subject.

As always happy modeling and keep sticking styrene.

Paul