AMF Wen Mac P-39 Airacobra

Yes, the main gear locks behind this pylon and is very difficult to dislodge.  And they are all built that way.



It is built that way I would think to soften the landing, and would work very well in that regard.  But in hard landings it would hit the wing and just doesn't look right.  I may remove it as I did the second P-39 and bend it a bit.  It just looks so un-scale.



Notice the removed main gear is not bent other than the triangle that fits over the pylon.

But the new P-39 does have a good fuel tank and a better canopy.



It's good points though are, the olive drab coloring is believable and it's nicely thought out and strongly built.

Looking good!

Good o'l Brasso metal polish will work great on the canopy.

Notice the landing gear wire is the same as the SN-J's

I wish i had a spinner for you, i might have a prop.

I notice the antenna on your's is intact, both of mine are broken off, benefits of buy a new or better example. I'm not sure what the white plastic insert is though? One of mine has it the other doesn't. I prefer the clear canopy.



One reason I bought the second parts model was for the spinner. I see that yours has a simulated cannon through that spinner. I had to use a razor saw to remove it as the PO had glued it on.

The horizontal stab is a mess. It's really bent and I can't figure out why. I'm going to try to straighten it by binding both ends and heating the middle with a hair dryer, my heat gun even on low would eat it up.



The elevator is broken in the middle, I will have to graft on a piece of plastic or use a dowel to repair it. It will be hidden inside the fuselage.

If I want to completely repair it I will have to construct a belly pan out of balsa, make up a front L/G strut and add a bell crank.

Enjoyed that video roddie, flyer liked to keep it on the ground. From what I have read, Wen Mac intended these to be sort of a trainer/slow flyer for beginners.

I have a couple of Day Fighters and a Jungle Fighter. My first one was a Day Fighter (the white one with British markings) from my parent's friend Bill Bobe for Christmas when I was 4 yo. I modified it in the 70's to look like my dad's friend Larry Havens' P-63 racer. I clipped the wings!, and made ribs from styrene at the tip, mid span, and next to the belly pan so I could close the bottom with styrene. I removed the scoop from the top, cut out the motor mounts, tank and stuff and added a ply firewall and installed a Tee Dee on a beam mount tank. It never flew but I restored it to a Wen Mac by subtistuting an unmodified fuselage bottom. I found a bunch of cool Wen Mac parts, like chrome stacks, chrome struts, I made gear doors, NOS spinner, four bladed prop, Mark gave me some good engine stuff, so it's going to be cool. I never finished it and it sits complete but unfinished.
I flew mine a lot, they fly fine, but are better when you replace the prop with a Cox fiberglass 6x4 and use Cox red can Racing Fuel, or one could use Sig 25% to 35% nitro fuel which helps the Wen Mac perform much better. They like nitro, like OK Cubs. But the old King Cobra only fly level, and my Jungle Fighter has an elevator that is much larger than my earlier Day Fighters. Just noticed that, I guess it needed it for some reason. They're fun, but just for cruising in level flight and collecting as a hobby oddity. Odd, like us that fly model airplanes!
Chris...

On that broken elevator you might try a small wire pin drilled into plastic and super glue. Steam and gloves seems to work best for reforming plastic, i've had a couple times using a heat gun where i got it too hot and it melted!

(It's too fricken cold out today, so i'm glued to the computer)

Yes, the two planes are very similar interchanging many parts.  Sounds like you had a good time with yours.  Got a picture?

I have been looking for a parts day fighter to replace the belly-pan/bell crank on this P-39, but I don't think the day fighter has the same style pan.  I can duplicate the missing front wheel strut, but that pan is a different animal.

I did straighten the really bent horizontal stab- see above picture, by using an ordinary clothes iron.  I looked for my monocote iron but couldn't find it.  Don't laugh the clothes did fine, ironed it flat as a flounder.  Put the iron on warm, used a wet terry towel and ironed it.  



The seller had disassembled the fuselage from the wing, can't figure out why, he put it in a large enough box to ship it in one piece. When he did he broke one of the front tabs. Putting it back together I put my finger through the wing support and had to reglue it. These do not reassemble easy.

lol, my first time using monokote, used an iron, it worked, but not the best. I looked for the correct Wen-Mac red, wide tipped blade for you, found one it's pretty chewed up, its your if you want it.

Mark Boesen wrote:lol, my first time using monokote, used an iron, it worked, but not the best. I looked for the correct Wen-Mac red, wide tipped blade for you, found one it's pretty chewed up, its your if you want it.

Is it like this Mark?





It's a standard Wen Mac prop but the spinner doesn't snap on.  Is there some sort of adapter that I need?  Perhaps the cannon thingy.

The spinner pops onto a metal disk that's held under the prop nut. I've got a spare if you need one...also a spinner/cannon that are molded in black plastic.

Yep, that's it, i wasn't sure you had one.

Nice model this, however, are you sure it's an Aircobra? The shape of the fin and rudder is much more like a P-63 Kingcobra.

Yeah, it was always a King Cobra, but started life tagged as a P-39 Airacobra.

Thanks Kim and Mark, when I saw that picture I knew what I had done. It came with that disk but no spinner, but I thought it just a random washer that the PO had put on it. Sometimes 2 + 2 for me adds up to 3 3/4.....

After a frantic search I found it, put it back on and snapped the spinner in place.



I was going to swap the best parts around from both P-39's but have decided just to leave both as is. I now have to build a front landing gear assembly and a belly pan for the partzer, install the spare engine and fire 'er up. If it turns out ok I may need that black spinner Kim.

Sure thing...just shoot me a note when you need it.

Want another P-39?  I think I paid $20 for it. If not it's going on ebay.

That's pretty neat, it's the same model/vintage as Kim's!

Sitting on three wheels again.  Bent up the missing front strut, simple 90 degrees.





Added a clevis to the elevator fix out of plastic, drilled a hole off-center so it snapped on then glued.  It's solid and should work.



Now all I have to do is make a belly pan out of balsa and some 1/4" dowel, add the engine and go round and round.





Edit add: Anyone here get this one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WEN-MAC-Airplanes-Vintage-/111597464759?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19fbba2cb7

$12.35 for a bunch of stuff, but loaded up on the back end with $40.00 shipping. The most I have ever seen on these boxed models is around $17.00 with most around $12.00. Was going to bid, but forgot about it.

Here's the one I have $20 + Shipping if you want it.

Thanks, I'll take it. Lots of parts there that I can use. I appreciate it.

PM Sent

Bob