iModeler Review: Arma Hobby 1/48 P-39 Airacobra Recon
The Arma Hobby 1/48 Airacobra kit is the third addition to the company's growing quarter-scale range.
The initial boxing, released in June 2024 as P-39Q, was followed by P-39N, and now the "Airacobra Recon" boxing, which covers the lesser-known photo reconnaissance variant of the aircraft.
Contents and Parts Breakdown
Building on the success of its earlier 1/72 scale Airacobra kit, this offering upscales the detail and quality to match the larger format.
The kit is generously packed in a sturdy cardboard box, featuring 85 parts in gray plastic spread across three main sprues, along with a clear sprue, stainless steel metal weights for nose weight stability, two 3D-printed resin parts (camera lens fairings for the recon version), self-adhesive Kabuki canopy masks, and decals for three marking options.
The sprues provide all parts required to model any main production variant of the Airacobra — from P-39D/P-400 to P-39N and Q. Different styles of front wheel, exhaust stacks, nose armament panels, and three different propellers are included, offering welcome flexibility and variety for modelers.
Surface Detail and Molding Quality
The initial release of this kit was hampered by gentle but noticeable sink marks on the wing's upper surface. This fault has now been addressed by the manufacturer. The plastic used for the sprues appears slightly harder and more solid than in the original release. The difference may be subtle, but the important thing is that the molding is excellent, with no sink marks or visible ejection pin marks. There's a tiny bit of flash in places, such as ejection chutes, but it's easy to deal with.
Typical of Arma Hobby 1/48 kits, the sprue tree structure is elaborate, with thick runners and many attachment points. Separating some of the parts from the sprue will require care, and I'd advise using a razor saw rather than nippers.
Arma Hobby has opted for a conventional approach to surface detail. The fuselage and wings feature recessed panel lines, fasteners, and screw heads. The fuselage, in particular, looks great with this detail.
Notably, there are no rivet lines on the kit, following an authentic representation of the aircraft's flush-riveted construction. The balance achieved between accuracy and visual appeal is commendable, but the surface detailing of the wings and tail does not stand out as exceptional.
The breakdown of the wing leading-edge air intakes assembly and the decision to go for various inserts for the upper nose appear a bit tricky — special care is advised to ensure good fit in these areas.
Cockpit and Interior
The cockpit boasts an extensive range of detailed components, including a molded floor, throttle quadrant, rudder pedals, control column, and radios. Raised detail on the instrument panel can be enhanced by overlay decals for the instruments. The seat harness is only provided as decals — it's the only cockpit element I would recommend replacing with an aftermarket item.
Additional Features
The three stainless steel balls included as nose weights fit snugly into their pre-molded sockets.
The wheel wells are deep, detailed on the interior, with landing gear covers (now corrected on the sprue) featuring lovely internal detail.
The clear canopy and side doors are thoughtfully designed, allowing modelers to pose the doors open or closed. Pre-cut Kabuki masks simplify the painting process, ensuring clean and precise cockpit framing.
Separate parts for the elevators and rudder allow for dynamic posing, but the ailerons and flaps are molded integrally with the wings.
The main wheel tires appear nicely weighted and feature molded-in tire texturing — a hallmark touch from Arma Hobby.
Marking Options
Three distinct color and marking schemes are provided: two in Olive Drab over Neutral Grey and one in natural metal. Decals, printed by Techmod, are glossy, well-saturated, and perfectly registered, promising a vibrant finish for all options.
Compared with Other 1/48 Airacobra Kits
In my review of the initial release of this kit, I commented on how this kit compares with Eduard and Hasegawa offerings. I have since further developed my view, which I'd like to share here.
The nearest competitor to this kit is Eduard's P-39, first released in 2000, now 25 years old. Although long considered a good kit, it is not up to current standards, with issues such as poor canopy fit and overly thick trailing edges. Also, the fuselage geometry of the Eduard kit is markedly different from Arma's, Arma being a closer rendition of the real thing.
Hasegawa's 1/48 P-39 from 2006 is an excellent and very buildable kit, one of Hasegawa's best. The overall shapes and the surface detailing appear to match Arma Hobby's offering very closely. One notable fault of the Hasegawa kit is the nose wheel being too small, which sadly affects the look of the completed model. It's an easy fix if you can find a proper replacement wheel among your spares, but an annoyingly difficult one if you don't.
Also, the main wheel wells of the Hasegawa kit are rather shallow. Some people also complained about the slightly odd rendition of the fabric surfaces in the kit.
My conclusion is: if you have a choice, pick the Arma Hobby kit. It is eminently accurate and well-researched, comes with first-class decals, great cockpit and wheel wells, offers fool-proof nose weights, and a freedom to build any Airacobra variant from the same basic sprues.
Final Thoughts
Arma Hobby has delivered a standout kit with its 1/48 Airacobra Recon.
The combination of excellent molding, a high level of detail, overall build experience, and meticulous research positions the Arma Hobby 1/48 P-39 series as the best buy for an Airacobra enthusiast. Highly recommended for anyone looking to add a P-39 to their quarter-scale collection.
See also...
Thanks so much for this thorough review, Martin!
Glad that you like it!
To me that’s a perfect example of a good kit review, Martin.
Nicely put, George. Thank you.
Eduard's worst fault is not the wing trailing edges, but the leading edges. Instead of a streamlined thin wing Eduard gave us barn doors, with almost flat faces. Pretty much unfixable. The Arma looks good to me. Now we need a decent 1/32 Cobra.
Thanks @billkoppos. During my research I have become sceptical about the quality of Eduard’s CAD work for their P-39 kit. You comment reinforces my impression that shape-wise , it’s the weakest of the three kits mentioned.
I built the Eduard kit recently and now wish I had waited for this one. The Eduard had many fit issues the worst being the canopy. Thanks for this review. I may try it and let my other one go.