NB: This page has been updated with new photos. The previous photos were not up to an acceptable standard. They were a fialed experiment with handholding the camera. I got the tripod out for these. Much sharper and much better depth of field.

It has been six weeks since I commenced this model, and it is finally completed.  Not that it took  month and a half.  Other activities took much of the time.

This is my third Arma kit.  Some of the parts are very tiny and very easy to lose, so caution is necessary.  The detail of the parts is exceptional.  As mentioned in my previous post, I was fortunate to order the kit prior to its release, so Arma included some 3D printed parts which included the most detailed 1/72 scale seat (with belts molded in) I have ever had the pleasure of using.

Arma supplies three steel ball bearings to weight the nose so the model will not be a tail-sitter.  As I was getting to the end and attaching all the small bits and pieces, I came to a place where I had only the prop and the cockpit doors to attach.  And the model was sitting on its tail!  I was not pleased.  But once I glued the prop and the doors on, it sat on its tricycle landing gear.  That is great engineering on Arma’s part to weight the model so precisely.

I liked the unusual color scheme for an Airacobra stationed on Makin Island in the Gilberts.  The color was unusual;  however, I could not find a match for it anywhere.  I settled for Vallejo Model Air 71.143 UK Light Stone.

These Arma kits are a real pleasure to build and display.  The finished models have exceptional presence on the display shelf.

Thank you for dropping by.