P-63C/E Kingcobra
Dual Combo

Dora Wings, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by John Miller

With a lightning-fast reflex, my left hand reached for this kit as the right went looking for my wallet. I know you understand. Boy, that guy behind the counter at Skyway Models sure knows his clientele.

I’ve long admired the pleasing lines of the Bell P-39 and its successor, the P-63, but the latter has not been as well served by scale modeling as the former. There have been fewer boxing’s of the Kingcobra and some of those aren’t worth writing home about. That being the case, it’s nice to see Dora Wings, a company that has previously impressed this reviewer, take on the Kingcobra and do it justice. This is a nice kit that will be welcomed by P-63 fans.

Background

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra is an American fighter aircraft that was developed by Bell Aircraft during WWII. Based on the preceding Bell P-39 Airacobra, the P-63's design incorporated suggestions from P-39 pilots and was superior to its predecessor in virtually all respects.

The P-63 was not accepted for combat use by the U.S. Army Air Forces. However, it was used during World War II by the Soviet Air Force, which had also been the most prolific user of the P-39.

(Edited from Wikipedia)

The kit comes in a lidded box on five grey sprues. Sprue (K) carries just the smaller dorsal air intake used for making an “E” model P-63.

Surface details are finely rendered and scale appropriate. The recessed panel lines are of consistent depth and width and there’s just a little flash in some places to contend with. That said, the overall finish of the larger parts is a bit rough in some areas. In addition, there are small, cosmetic issues that will have to be dealt with if the scheme being built requires a natural metal finish. This is not a deal breaker by any means. But, additional work and elbow grease will be required if your goal is an all-metal USAF P-63E or similar.

The nose wheel well assembles onto the bottom of the cockpit tub and here too the detail right out of the box is quite substantial. Next are the main gear wells, which assemble onto the single-piece, full-span lower wing. Note the molded-in wheel well details on the inside face of the left and right upper wing halves, which will look great under paint and a wash.

With the cockpit tub/nose wheel well assembly trapped between the fuselage halves, the builder is instructed to add the dorsal fuselage air intake that sits just behind the canopy. Note that two different intakes are provided; one for the P-63C and a smaller intake for the E model.

The assembled fuselage is then joined to the wing followed by the horizontal stabilizers (from halves) and the rudder (also halved). With the addition of the single-piece ailerons and flaps the model is largely complete.

Last up are the very nicely detailed landing gear that (unfortunately) utilize halved wheels/tires so a little seem blending will be required here.

The canopy parts are clear with scale appropriate framing. Both cockpit doors can be posed open and are supplied as clear parts facilitating assembly and painting: nice.

The molded-in details on the inside of the doors is very nice and augmented by additional detail (map case) from the sprues.

The kit decals come on two separate sheets printed by Decograph.

Airframe stencils are supplied on an additional sheet by AMG.

All decals are crisply printed with appropriate hues and good color densities. The following schemes are covered:

P-63C Schemes

1) P-63C-5-BE, serial 43-11229, VVS RKKA, Austria, pilot K. Sukhov.
2) P-63C (RP—63C), serial 44-4393, NX62822, Stephen Grey Collection.
3) P-63C, serial 44-4037, GC 2/9, Auvergne Armee de l’Air, Indochina, 1949.

P-63E Schemes

1) P-63E, USAF, serial 43-11720.
2) P-63E, USAF, serial 43-11721.
3) P-63E, USAF, serial 43-11727.
4) P-63E, USAF, serial 43-11727, civil registration N9003R.
5) P-63E, #402, Fuerza Aerea Hondurean FAH, Tegucigalpa, 1948.
6) P-63E, Fuerza Aerea Hondurean FAH, Tegucigalpa, 1948.

This is a nice kit; both of them are :) The detail is sufficient right out of the box to build a very detailed P-63C and E. The addition of a small PE fret, masks, and decals covering 9 separate schemes makes this a real bargain as well.
Highly recommended for Kingcobra fans everywhere.

Now go paint something!

--John Kit purchased by reviewer, again.

For more on this review visit Modelpaintsolutions.com

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2021 by John Miller / Model Paint Solutions
Page Created 18 November, 2021
Last updated 18 November, 2021

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