Bell P-63 Kingcobra by Dora Wings

1/72 scale
Kit No. 7201D
Decals: Three versions
Comments: Dual combo kit; engraved panel lines; photo-etch details; paint masks

History

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a development of the P-39 Airacobra, intended to address its deficiencies in the areas of speed and armor protection. In 1941, after the P-39 had been in production for one year, Bell engineers began designing a new fighter after the P-39’s limitations became apparent. The new plane would be based on its predecessor, but one of the main features of the airplane would be the use of the laminar-flow wing. Laminar design was used on the P-51 Mustang, making it the best American fighter of World War II. Laminar-flow design uses a symmetrical airfoil that minimizes drag, resulting in greater speed.

The new airplane that finally materialized was designated the P-63 Kingcobra. While the P-63 looked similar to the P-39, it was a larger and heavier airplane. Unlike its earlier cousin, which was originally envisioned as a fighter/interceptor, the P-63 was designed as a ground-support/fighter-bomber from the beginning.  The P-63 originated from the XP-39E1 prototype and retained the Bell trademark tricycle landing gear as well as the automobile-type cockpit doors and engine behind the cockpit. The 37 mm cannon that fired through the propeller hub was kept as well as the two synchronized .50 caliber machine guns in the nose and two additional .50 caliber guns located in under-wing pods, similar to the P-39Q.

On June 27, 1942, the USAAF ordered two XP-63A prototypes powered by a 1,325 hp Allison V-1710-47 engine. A third prototype was ordered under the designation XP-63B with the intent of using a Packard/Merlin V-1650 engine, but the Merlin engine was never installed. Other design changes were a new tail unit, a large four-blade propeller replaced the three-blade prop used on the P-39, a larger cowling was incorporated for easier access to the nose armament, and a second remote mounted hydraulic supercharger was added to improve performance of the single-stage supercharged Allison V-1710-47 engine.

The first P-63 prototype flew on December 7, 1942, exactly one year after Pearl Harbor. The first two prototypes were lost due to mechanical failures—one prototype suffered a landing gear failure and the second suffered an engine failure by swallowing a valve.  An improved 1,325 hp Allison V-1710-93 engine, with a war emergency rating of 1,500 hp was installed on the third prototype, in lieu of the Rolls-Royce Merlin which had been originally planned. This made it one of the fastest Kingcobras built with a top speed of 421 mph (678 km/h) at 24,100 ft. (7,300 m).

The USAAF found the performance of the XP-63A to be satisfactory and ordered it into production in September 1942 with deliveries beginning in October 1943. The P-63A had an internal fuel capacity of 100 gallons and was powered by an Allison V-1710-93 engine. It retained the standard P-39 armament, but not all P-63As had nose mounted machine guns. P-63A-1s and -5s could accommodate a 75- or 175-gallon belly drop tank or a 500 lb. bomb beneath the fuselage. P-63A-6s had racks installed outboard of the wing guns to accommodate two 500 lb. bombs or wing drop tanks. P-63A-10s could accommodate three air-to-ground rockets beneath each wing.  The weight of the protective armor to absorb ground fire increased from 87 to 263 lbs. on the P-63A-10. Bell produced 1,725 P-63As between October 1943 and December 1944.

This was followed by one of the subjects of this kit, the P-63C (the P-63B never went into production). The P-63C featured a distinctive ventral fin beneath the aft fuselage. The internal fuel capacity was increased to 107 gallons and it was powered by a 1,355 hp Allison V-1710-117 engine with an emergency wartime rating of 1,800 hp using water injection. The armament was unchanged and the protective armor weight decreased slightly to 201 lbs. Bell produced 1,227 P-63Cs. The P-63A and P63-C were the models produced in the greatest numbers.

Despite being heavier, the P-63D was the fastest version of the P-63 reaching 437 mph at 30,000 feet. The wing was lengthened by 10 inches and it was powered by an Allison V-1710-109 engine producing 1,425 hp.  A major change was the removal of the automobile-type doors and the installation of a bubble canopy. The performance of the P-63D put it on par with the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt, but it was destroyed during diving tests. It never went into production.

This was followed by the second subject of this kit, the P-63E which was identical to the D model, except it reverted back to the traditional canopy and automobile-type doors. Thirteen P-63Es were completed with a contract for an additional 2,930 aircraft, but this order was canceled after VJ-Day. Two P-63F models were completed and powered by an Allison V-1710-135 producing 1,425 hp. The F model had an enlarged vertical stabilizer and rudder for improved longitudinal stability. One P-63F survived the war and now resides with the Commemorative Air Force.

The P-63 performance was ideal for low-level fighting and the majority were sent to the Soviet Union. They were delivered via an Alaska/Siberia route as soon as they had left the factory. P-63s were picked up by (mostly) female Russian pilots who flew them via Anchorage, Alaska to the Soviet Union. Another route went from Great Falls, Montana to Fairbanks, Alaska and on to Siberia. One source states that there were 2,397 P-63As and Cs sent to the USSR, of which only 21 were lost en route and another source records 2,456, of which 2,421 reached their destination.

What made the P-63 and P-39 so successful in Russia was that on the Eastern front, most aerial battles were flown at lower altitudes at around 15,000 ft. or less. In Europe the situation was quiet different. The majority of US fighters were assigned to escort high-altitude B-17s and B-24s on long distance bombing raids over Germany. US Fighters often flew top cover for bomber squadrons at 30,000 ft. or higher, so most dogfights began at high altitude. Whereas in Russia, the distances traveled were much shorter and the Russian Air Force wasn’t staging the same type of long-distance, high-altitude bombing missions that characterized the Allied air offensive in the West.  Free French forces obtained 300 of these aircraft, but the US Army Air Force never used the P-63 in combat, although some were used for fighter training. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) used a handful for experiments.

The biggest operator of the P-63 was the Soviet Union, which received 2,397 aircraft, delivered between 1943 and 1945. Very little is known about their service in the Soviet Union, other than reports that they were very popular with their pilots. This anecdotal evidence suggests the type was very effective at providing low-altitude air support, since the Kingcobra often flew in support of Red Army units. A total of 3,305 P-63s were produced.

The Kit

Dora Wings P-63 Kingcobra Dual Combo kit includes two complete P-63’s, one a P-63C and the other a P-63E. These two kits are virtually identical, having common sprues, with the only tell-tale difference between them being the position of the dorsal air scoop aft of the cockpit. On the P-63C it is immediately behind the faired window behind the pilot’s seat which provides a view of the radio equipment. On the P-63E, the scoop is noticeably smaller in diameter and has been moved back about a foot from the window over the radio equipment — the contrast between the two can be seen on the box art. A single small, extra sprue contains the two halves of this modified scoop in the clear plastic bag containing the P-63E.

Each P-63 is injection molded in dark grey and consists of 103 parts, including five clear parts for the canopy/windscreen, gunsight, car doors, and the rear window over the radio aft of the cockpit. Unlike the Monogram P-39 which provided a single door with a separate window, Dora Wings provides two separate doors, both molded as a single clear part, with internal details such as window cranks which can be brought out by painting. There are two extra parts in the P-63 kit for the modified dorsal air scoop.

The airframes bear engraved panel lines and faint but nonetheless noticeable recessed rivet detail in places.
The cockpits are richly detailed with raised dials on the main instrument panels, a detailed four-part bucket seat with photo-etch seat straps, a cockpit floor with raised detail and instrumentation, including a faithfully recreated crankshaft connecting the rear-mounted engine to the airscrew, to be cemented to the cockpit floor between the pilot’s legs, and yet more raised detail for the rear bulkhead and radio compartment. This level of detail is more commonly seen in 1:48 scale.

The kits feature separately mounted control surfaces (flaps, ailerons, elevators and rudders), boxed in wheel wells for the main landing gear, and an option for under wing fuel tanks as well as the bulbous belly tank, along with gun pods for .50 caliber machine guns mounted beneath the wings outboard of the drop tanks. In what will have to be a delicate operation, the instructions call for the tiny gunsight to be mounted to the interior of the windscreen before it is cemented to the fuselage.

Markings

Each of the two kits provides decals for two separate versions. The markings all have realistic color and are perfectly in register, there should be no issues with them. The P-63C includes markings for both French and Soviet aircraft, as well as a private owner. All P-63C versions show black walkways on the upper surfaces of the wings, but no markings are provided for this.

The Soviet version, White 50, tail code 311229 in yellow, is in a paint scheme of Olive drab over Light Blue, with a Light Blue spinner and a Red flash on the upper quarter of the tail. It was flown by pilot K. Sukhov, posted to a unit of the VVS based in Austria. The exact time period is not given but it had to be late in the war, late 1944 or early 1945.

The second P-63 version is for a post-war French aircraft based in Indochina, circa 1949. It is in a scheme of overall natural metal with an Olive Drab anti-glare panel on the nose and a Red spinner. This version incorporates the bulging belly fuel tank, and features a gold sword and shield marking on the car door. The third version for that of a private owner, Stephen Grey, tail code NX62822 printed vertically on the rudder. It also is in overall natural metal with an Olive Drab anti-glare panel on the nose, with the logo Bird Airways on the nose, just below the anti-glare panel.

For the P-63E, there are a total of six versions: three USAAF, one civilian racing version, and two for the Honduran Air Force. All appear in overall natural metal with black anti-glare panels on the nose, and black walkways on the upper surfaces of the wings. The three USAAF versions are distinguished mainly by the differences in their tail codes, 311720, 311721, and 311727. 311720 features a natural metal spinner; 311721 features a Red spinner, and 311727 is not pictured. All are likely training aircraft since the Americans reportedly never flew the P-63E in combat. The American national insignia are perfectly in register but the shade of blue appears a little too light and does not ring true; modelers may want to consider aftermarket replacements.

The civilian version, likely a racer, has a Red spinner and a Red flash on either side of the fuselage wrapping around the spinner at the very front of the nose and tapering to a point just aft of the car-style doors. It bears the large code N9003R on the fuselage tail boom in black.

The first Honduran Air Force version bears the code 402 in back on the fuselage tail boom, with Honduran Blue and White emblems on the rudder and wing tips and a Blue star in the white portion of the markings.  The second Honduran version is nearly identical, lacking the number of the fuselage and instead carrying a smaller number 402 on the tail along with a small Honduran flag and “FAH,” the acronym for the Honduran Air Force.

Conclusion

This is a richly detailed pair of kits of an often overlooked American fighter, enabling modelers to build at least two versions. Highly recommended.

References

• aviation-history.com
• historyofwar.org