RW: Bell P-39 Airacobra restored in New Zealand

[KiwiZac]

Hi all,
Yesterday I finished my Eduard 1/48 Airacobra in the colours of Jerry Yagen's example as she appeared when test flying after restoration by Pioneer Aero in New Zealand, registered ZK-COB. She is now registered N39FF at her new home with the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, also home to the Me262 replica I posted earlier.

This is an older kit but still apparently the most accurate/"best" P-39 in 1/48 scale, and in many boxings comes with goodies such as photoetch details and masks. Unfortunately my masks were fluffy thanks to improper storage on my part so I didn't risk using them. Another great bonus is a specially-moulded nose weight which is a must for a 'cobra.

P-39 N39FF/ZK-COB, Eduard 1/48 P-39Q by Zac Yates, on Flickr
P-39 N39FF/ZK-COB, Eduard 1/48 P-39Q by Zac Yates, on Flickr
P-39 N39FF/ZK-COB, Eduard 1/48 P-39Q by Zac Yates, on Flickr
P-39 N39FF/ZK-COB, Eduard 1/48 P-39Q by Zac Yates, on Flickr

President of the New Zealand Warbirds Association Frank Parker did much of the test flying in COB, and coincidentally co-owns another Allison-powered warbird with his wife Liz Needham - Curtiss P-40N-1 A29-448/ZK-CAG. So here's a photo of the 'cobra with my model of the P-40:
P-39 N39FF/ZK-COB, Eduard 1/48 P-39Q by Zac Yates, on Flickr

The colors may look a little off because I used a filter on my phone camera to compensate for an overcast sky. Hopefully she looks about right on your screen.

[Brian da Basher]

That's a real stunner, Zac-o-matic and one of your sharpest builds yet!

The green is quite nice too, almost hypnotic.

None of this has anything to do with the P-39 being one of my favorite airplanes, nosiree...

Well done, Old Bean!

Brian da Basher

[finsrin]

That's a real stunner, Zac-o-matic and one of your sharpest builds yet!

The green is quite nice too, almost hypnotic.

Yes agree.  Color with trim is perfectly perfect when worn on P-39. 

[GTX_Admin]

Neat

[apophenia]

A very tidy build ... as one would expect on a restoration. Your resto warbirds are turning into quite a collection 

[Camthalion]

awesome build.  very nice

[KiwiZac]

Thanks gents! I'm very disappointed with the photos, the lighting and filter really don't reflect the actual finish. Fortunately we have much nice lightning today so I've reshot...still doesn't quite look the same as in real life, but ah well.

P-39 ZK-COB by Zac Yates, on Flickr

P-39 ZK-COB by Zac Yates, on Flickr

P-39 ZK-COB by Zac Yates, on Flickr

P-39 ZK-COB by Zac Yates, on Flickr