Michal Teichman has built our 1/48th scale Airacobra. Although he is an experienced modeler, this was his first aircraft! It’s hard to believe – see how great Michal’s model looks and read his commentary!
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P-39Q Airacobra 40010 1/48 – recenzja Hyperscale/Brett Green
Michal Teichman wrote:
I’ve always liked the Airacobra. Even though I’ve been modelling for many years, I’ve never built a plane. When I saw the new release from Arma Hobby at a local competition in Hradec Králové, in a camouflage with a white tail, the decision was made. I started building the same day.
What’s inside?
Since I have no experience with planes, I didn’t know what to expect, but I’ve only read positive reviews about Arma Hobby models. The expectations were confirmed. Nice, clean parts packed in a sturdy box. The packaging advertises 3D printed parts – the kit includes parts for building a reconnaissance version. Inside, you’ll find a template for cutting out the bottom of the fuselage and cameras. There are also masking covers for the pilot’s cabin and landing gear wheels.
A pleasant bonus is a link to download a 3D file with the pilot’s seat, machine gun barrels, and exhausts. If you have a 3D printer, you can print these parts. The workmanship and details are excellent and will definitely bring the model to life. On the Armahobby.com website, you can buy various other 3D templates to enhance the Airacobra. I decided to buy the wheels. There are always 3 variants in the set, and it’s up to you which ones you choose. For a symbolic price of €2.5, you get a great detail.
Construction
The instructions are clear and easy to understand. The construction was very quick, everything was glued together in a few evenings. The fit of the main parts is precise. There was no need to fill the gap between the wing and the fuselage at all. Minimal filler was needed – more attention needs to be paid to the leading edge and the air intakes in the wing.
I slightly modified the internal locating pins of the cockpit to make everything fit more easily. I wasn’t sure how the dashboard would turn out, as it has “just a decal”. I was worried about how it would adhere, whether it would fit, and I was already looking for an alternative etched one. I was worried unnecessarily, it fit perfectly, and the result surprised me greatly.
The included masks for the pilot’s cabin fit almost perfectly, I only adjusted one part. This saves a lot of time compared to masking by hand or spending money on aftermarket masks. I masked the cabin doors and landing gear bays using Tamiya tape and a dish sponge.
Painting
I used Tamiya paints (with the addition of gloss varnish) according to the instructions and applied preshading. I appreciate that there is an alternative in the instructions in the form of Tamiya paints. This is not common, at least with AFV. The decals are excellent, thin, and adhered perfectly with the use of Mr.Mark softer Neo. I only sprayed the black stripe between the wing and the fuselage and cut the red line from the remaining decal. I “chipped” some areas with a lighter base color. This was followed by several thin layers of Vallejo varnish and a patina with 502 Abteilung oil paints. The only thing which I made different from the instructions was the propeller color. Based on the only available photos, it seemed to me to be black rather than silver.
Summary
Superb fit of parts, high-quality decals, 3D parts, masks, and beautiful camouflage make the Airacobra from Arma Hobby a very enjoyable experience, and I can recommend it to everyone (even those who have no experience with planes).
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