P-39 Airacobra 1/12 scale fighter!

If you are looking for a small, cheap and quick-built model, that you can have a lot of fun with, then this is the thing! This is a 1:12 scale-model of the W.W.II fighter P-39 Airacobra.

Simplicity
The basic idea with this design is simplicity - you are not supposed to sit a whole evening looking at the plan and trying to figure out how things are to be built. Just go out, get the material, and start!
	You can choose between two wings: Either the simple Clark-Y balsa-wing, or the more symmetric foam-wing. You definitely get a better flyer with the foam-wing, but don't under-estimate the balsa-wing - it flies good also, but is a little more sensible to wind.

No good-looker!
It should be pointed out, that this is no good-looker! 1/12 scale fighter-designs do usually look more like their original aircraft. I chose to make the P-39 much simpler, just to make it easier to build. In comparison with another design of mine, the P51B/D Mustang, the P-39 looks very crude. But in this case, the P-39 wins in time to build and in robustness.

Quick-builder
As stated above, this is a quick-builder. I built the prototype in approximately 15 hours of effective building, from starting to cut balsa, up to the point when it was painted and ready to fly! The fuselage is simple to build, upside down to get everything straight. 
	The balsa-wing is also very simple to build, placing the ribs and spars flat on top of  the bottom sheeting. The foam-wing might be a little more complicated, because you need a thermal foam-saw to cut it. If you are familiar with that technique, it should not raise any difficulties. 

Short life-expectancy
Remember that this is a fighter! You should not pay to much attention making it look good. You will probably fly it very hard, and it will not look very good after a few cartwheels on the ground... This is mostly scale. The Italian Reggiane fighter Re2000 Falco (used in the Swedish Air Force in W.W.II) was designed to put up with eight hours of combat duty! After that, the manufacturer counted on that the fighter was either shot down or bombed out.

Flying
Be aware that this is a fighter! You should not try to fly this model directly after your first beginner-model. You should have some experience of a little faster aerobatics-trainer first. But at the same time, don't be afraid! The P-39 is a cheap and quick-built model, and also very easy to repair. If you crash an Airacobra, you should not feel very sorry for it. It could have been much worse!
	If you feel uncertain, get a more experienced pilot to assist you the first couple of flights. This might save you a lot of trouble.

Final words
As final words I would like to say that I hope that you will have as fun as I myself have had with this model! You could also try an aircombat, against a few friends (or perhaps enemies!), or in a competition. Because there is no such thrill as a real fight!

Martin Elmberg
