| Bell P-39Q/N Airacobra
Lt. Clarence 'Bud' Anderson ,357FG, 363FS, October 1943 Hasegawa 1/48 scale |
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| The kit...
Inside the box are 5 sprues molded in gray, and one clear with windows, and unique to the Hasegawa kits, nav light lenses. These are optional parts and pretty tiny little things easily lost. Parts are crisp with no flash and the fit is almost flawless This kit comes with instructions and markings for two different versions in three different configurations, the -N model with marking for Lt. Bill Fiedler the only American pilot to become an ace in a P-39, and the -Q model with and without underwing mounted .50 cal Machine guns
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| Construction...
I chose the the -Q version with the underwing .50 cal gun pods The construstion of this kit like most aircraft revolves around the cockpit. Fairly well detailed, the instrument panel has all the gauges, dials and buttons, and it comes with decals if you prefer not to paint and dry brush the details.
Once the Cockpit was assembled, it fit into the fusilage and the two halves went together without any issues follows by the wings. Mating the wing to the fusilage usually takes a little effort, but in this kit, there were no gaps or alignment issues I've found with others. Masked off and attached the doors and canopy and off the the spray table. Horizontal stabilizers and gear doors were painted seperately Once dry, the landing gear and tail surfaces were installed, This kit comes with "weighted wheels" meaaning a flat spot that helps keep the kit from rocking back onto it's tail
The decals were interesting, for the most part they're a little thick and take a lot of solvaset to settle into the recesses. The stenciling data is in strips covering several locations at a time instead of the usual individual decals. While they're easier to apply, they do leave noticable long strips of film between the markings as you can see in the build photo's that are only a little less noticable after the aircraft is clear coated.
Painting...
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| Final Thoughts...
A pretty decent kit, but like the Eduard kits, it lacks detail in the weapons bay or engine compartment
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