Soviet P-39N Airacobra Germany January 1945 Scale HA1715 Scale 1:72

Hobby Master 1:72 Air Power Series Soviet P-39N Airacobra Germany January 1945 Scale HA1715 Scale 1:72 Capt. Ivan II’ich Babak, 100 GIAP, Germany, January 1945 Aircraft: P-39N Airacobra Hobby Master Item: HA1715 True 1/72 scale. Professionally painted. Great attention to detail. All markings are Tampoed (pad applied). Option to display the model on a stand that is provided. Model can be shown with the landing gear in the down or up positions. Optional armament provided. Canopy can be displayed open or closed. Pilot figure included. Extremely heavy metal with a minimum of plastic. Highly collectable. Every country except the Soviet Union disliked the P-39. All wanted it to perform well above 20,000 feet but it didn’t because of a supercharger instead of a turbo-charger and weight. The Soviets liked the low altitude speed and maneuverability, excellent structural integrity, and heavy armament, everything they needed to fight the type of war on the Eastern Front. They were so pleased by these attributes that they nicknamed it “The Iron Dog”. There were 9,585 P-39s of all variants built with about 4,500 going to the Soviets. In April 1942 Ivan II’ich Babak was assigned to 45th IAP (45th Fighter Wing) of the 100th GIAP (Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment) flying a Yak-1. In April 1943 Babak downed 14 fighters over Kuban making him a top Kobra Ace and winning the HSU award – Hero of the Soviet Union. Later that year Babak contracted malaria and spent several months in hospital. On April 22, 1945 Babak was shot down and had 33 victories and 4 shared. The inscription below Babak’s P-39N reads “From the schoolchildren of Mariupol”. Specifications for the Bell P-39N Airacobra Aircraft role: Fighter – Ground attack fighter Production: 2,095 with first delivery November 1942 Crew: 1 Dimensions: Length: 30 ft. 2 in. Wingspan: 34 ft. Wing area: 213 sq. ft. Height: 12 ft. 5 in.