P-400 Cactus Air Force
The Bell Airacobra Mk.I was a version of the Bell P-39D Airacobra, made for the British RAF in 1941. The original 37mm nose cannon was replaced by a Hispano M1 20mm one, while the wing mounted 0.30″ machine guns were replaced by 0.303″ Browning’s. The RAF were disappointed by the Airacobra’s high altitude performance and withdrew them almost immediately from service, donating them to the Soviet Union.
When the USA entered the war, they were in dire need of fighter aircraft. They confiscated 179 Airacobra Mk.I’s from the British order, re-designated them as P-400 and sent them in the Pacific.
“Cactus Air Force” was the name given to the mismatch of aircraft assigned to Henderson field in Guadalcanal between August 1942 and February 1943. They fought hard despite the harsh conditions on the island and the lack of critical resources and spare parts. This specific aircraft, “Old 13” suffered damage after a crash landing and was cannibalized for spare parts. However, due to the critical lack of aircraft, it was later restored to flying condition by using the left wing and some fuselage panels of another damaged aircraft. The replacement parts were in Olive drab/Neutral grey colours while the rest of the plane remained in the original British camouflage. The repaired aircraft received the fitting name “The Resurrection“.
P-39N Groznaya boyevaya mashina
A large number of P-39Qs and P-39Ns was sent to the Soviet Union, where they were used with great success, earling the nickname “Groznaya boyevaya mashina” (frightening combat machine).
In total, more than 4500 Airacobras were used in Russia. Their solid metal built and their heavy weapons made them very popular. Additionally, the majority of the air battles took place in lower altitudes where the Airacobra performed well against the Luftwaffe.
This specific plane was the mount of Guard Capt. Grigoryi A. Rechkalov, the pilot with the second highest number of kills (61) among the allies.
Kit Review
Since it’s first release in 2000 by Eduard, more than 20 versions of this kit have been released, covering all versions of the Airacobra. This specific boxing was released in 2019. Despite it’s age, the fit and detail is superb. I purchased 2 different boxings, a P-400 and a P-39N. In both cases, the included plastic was identical, as the Eduard sprues include parts for all Airacobra versions. There were some differences in the included Photo-Etched parts and, of course, the decals.
Build Process
Project Inventory
| Kit | Box | Scale | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eduard P-400 ProfiPACK Edition |  | 1/48 | 8092 |
| Eduard P-39N Airacobra ProfiPACK Edition |  | 1/48 | 8067 |
| Master Model US WWII Pitot Tube “Shark Fin” Type |  | 1/48 | AM-48-156 |
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