Bell P-76 (XP-39E) Airacobra

Nicolas
Following

Robert Podkoński
Me 2!

Marcin Dudek
👀 3rd

Dave Burgess
So now the FUN begins! Turning the P-39 wing into a (laminar flow) P-76 wing! I found a cheap P-51 kit ($13 CAD) to sacrifice. I'll need to cut out and fill in the P-51 landing gear wells, chop off the wingtips to reduce the wing span to ~36 scale feet (35'10"), cut out the P-39's gear wells, chop holes in the P-51's wings to mount the P-39 gear wells, and remove the leading and trailing edges of the P-39 wing root to mate up with the P-51 wing so it matched the P-39 fuselage. Also because the gear wells in the '39 are further back than the P-51, and the flaps on the P-51 are molded as one piece not two, the rear of the gear wells extends into the flap space, so I'll have to toss the flaps and fill that space with sheet styrene. Piece of cake! (Yeah, right!)

Guy Rump
Following as well! 👍

Dave Burgess
Step 1: Chop both the P-39 and P-51 lower wing into the component parts. I want to keep the P-39 wheel wells, and rear and forward centre so they will mate to the P-39 fuselage

Dave Burgess
Step 2: I re-sorted the wing components to prepare assembling the XP-39E/P-76 wing.

Dave Burgess
Step 3: glue all the bits together; re-invorced with styrene strip

Dave Burgess
Step 4: a WHOLE BUNCH of puttying! in retrospect I probably didn't need to do so much disassembling of the P-39 wing, but I wasn't sure where it was going at the time.

Dave Burgess
Step 5: Now I have to chop the tail off the P-39 and fit on the P-51 tail. I think this will probably be the easiest approach here. I also have to lengthen the fuselage by 24 inches or 24/72 - 1/3". Fortunately the rear and front of the wing bottom match up well to the fuselage wing fillets, suggesting to me that my wing mods were pretty accurate.

Robert Podkoński
Photos #4-6 terrified me... 😉 Great job, Dave!

Dave Burgess
Thanks, Robert. Y'know, the first time I decided to to a mod that required me to cut up a new kit, that was EXACTLY my reaction. I was terrified that I was going to destroy a perfectly good kit and have to throw it away. And that was only one kit - this one required me to cut up TWO!. Several decades of model building and multiple mods have given me the confidence to do these mods, knowing that while it may look a hot mess when it's in progress, with a little sheet styrene and some putty, I can pull it off, and most people wouldn't be the wiser.

Dave Burgess
Step 6: Wing and fuselage have now been modified for XP-39E / P-76; Still looking a bit rough; some sanding to do before I mate the wing & fuselage.

Dave Burgess
Step 7: Modified fuselage mated to modified wing. more putty applied. I have to sand down the wing fillets, a couple of low spots on the wing underside, and feather in the new (P-51) tail into the rest of the fuselage. Then, my favourite job: painting and decaling! I'm still trying to decide whether to just paint the XP-39E as it is in the photos, or dress it up as a P-76 in US or Soviet markings (which is probably where the P-76 would have ended up). I'm leaning towards the latter, because the only photo I could find of the XP-39E is this B&W one.

Dave Burgess
Three more rounds of putty & sanding to smooth out some rough patches; Canopy masked and attached; ready for airbrushing!

Robert Podkoński
Looks great already. Fantastic job, Dave!

Dave Burgess
So there it is folks! After a long chop, putty, much sanding, and just generally fiddling about, a P-39D converted to a XP-39E / P-76. Bell never actually got a contract for the Bell- P-76, which was what the XP-39E was to be designated when it entered production. However the production contract for 4000 aircraft was cancelled (to allow Bell Aircraft to concentrate on bomber production), but much of the development of the XP-39E ended up in the P-63, including the more powerful engine, lengthened fuselage and wings, and I believe the supercharger which was removed from the P-39's design, which was restored. The one adaptation in the XP-39E that DIDN'T get incorporated into the P-63 was the straight (clipped) wing tips and tail surfaces. All-in-all, it was a REALLY fun build, especially watching the ugly duck grow into a swan!

Guy Rump
Great job and very interesting, congrats! 👍

Robert Podkoński
That was quick! Fantastic job, Dave!

Marcin Dudek
Wow, impressive effect. Congrtatulations 👏

Dave Burgess
Thanks, folks! I've got another one upcoming in the next few months - gonna take the Execuform 1:72 XP-54 Swoose, and convert it into the XP-68 Tornado. Vultee was going to upgrade the engine to drive contra-rotating pusher props. The project neverr left the drawing board, and the XP-54 project was canceled.
It involves a) working with the very BASIC Execuform kit, and modifying the fuselage to include intake scoops in the fuselage above/behind the canopy, and modifying the vertical stabs to a more rounded appearance. First tho, I have a number of Anigrand resin kits to complete in this US Fighters series.

Villiers de Vos
Fantastic work.