I started this project several years ago and have since decided to reconnect and hopefully finish it at last. In 1945, after getting discharged from the military, Chuck Tucker bought two Kingcobras for $1,000.00 each, one for the Thompson Trophy Race and one for the Bendix, from the War Assets Administration office at Kingman, Arizona. The Bendix racer carried the racing number 30. Chuck and his younger brother set about to prepare the plane for racing. Chuck contacted Bell Aircraft engineer Bob Stanley for advise who told him the fighter carried too much wing for racing and that he should reduce the span. Chuck removed the tips where the wing spars ended leaving a wingspan of 34.6 feet, 8 percent less than the military wing. Chuck then proceeded to add two P-38 wing tanks on the end, remove the ventral fin and all unnecessary equipment to save weight. I started this project with the FM (Fonderie Miniature) 48th scale Kingcobra P-63C kit. The fuselage will be done in natural metal with white wings.Chuck finished seventh in the 1946 Bendix Race with an average speed of 367mph.
4 attached images. Click to enlarge.
