076 Bell P-76 (XP-39E) Airacobra

Dave Burgess
This project turns out to be a bit more complex than converting the Bell P39D into a Bell P-45 (P-39C) by snipping off a couple of wing guns. In this case, three P-3Ds were modified for ground & flight testing. The intended engine was the Continental 1430, but they were only ever flown with the AlLison V-1710. They were used to test various wing and tail configurations, and the fuselage was lengthened by 21". The production variant was to be called the P-76, so the designation used during testing was XP-39E. The only pic I have, shows one of the XP-39E's with clipped wings and tail surfaces, like the P-51. The wingspan was 35'10" almost 2 feet greater than the P-39D (34'0")
So - the plan is: get a P-51D kit; scavenge the wing and tail surfaces (i.e. chop off the back end of the Mustang fuselage); do the same with the Airacobra and graft on the Mustang's tail; re-sculpt the Mustang's wing to match the contour of the XP-39E; remove the wheel wells from the Airaicobra's wing (which I stupidly glued in already; cut openings into the Mustang wings to accommodate the Airacobra's wheel wells. Sounds like a LOT of putty's gonna be involved in THIS one! Wish me luck!