History

The Bell P-400 was a development of the Bell Model 14 P-39 Airacobra series, which originated in the late thirties. It was an unusual design in that it featured an engine mounted behind the pilot, and a cannon firing through the propeller shaft.It also was equipped with a tricycle landing gear. It was designed for high performance, and the U.S.Army ordered quite a few before the beginning of World War II.

New P-47D Thunderbolt “Razorback” vacuformed canopies are available from Brengun for the 1/144^th scale Platz/Eduard kit.

There are two (2) canopies in the package. There are no instructions, but the product is self-explanatory.

The clear vacuformed plastic is thin and has very good clarity with very little distortion when looking through it.

Upon closer inspection of the canopies, there is a difference in the moldings. One is for an open canopy since there is a space gap between the windscreen and canopy. The other has no spacing thus making it a closed canopy installation.

Care must be taken when dealing with vacuformed parts. A new blade in you hobby knife will be a must when trimming away the canopy from the rest of the plastic. Light sanding will also be needed to smooth the rough edges.

The David vs. Goliath nature of the inception and survival of Israel in the Middle East provides an element of fascination to those interested in military history, especially the air war component. Israel came into existence at a time when technology was taking giant leaps forward, but due to mixed support of the birth of the small nation, restrictions and embargoes played heavily into the Israeli Defense Force’s ability to build up its air arm. In this alone it battled great odds to piece together a hodge-podge of aircraft in their early years, but understanding the value that air warfare brought to them in their tenuous geographic and political situation, they continued to spend significant resources to develop a competent air force.