Some background:Bell's P-76 had its roots in the P-39 Airacobra, one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II.
The Airacobra had an innovative layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot, and driving a tractor propeller via a long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage.
Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work. As such it was rejected by the RAF for use over western Europe and passed over to the USSR where performance at high altitude was less important.
Bell permanently tried to improve the aircraft. Trials of a laminar flow wing (in the XP-39E) and several alternative engines were unsuccessful, so the basic concept was taken into two directions: The mid-engine, gun-through-hub concept was developed further in the overall larger Bell XP-63 Kingcobra, and a radical re-design of the whole aircraft around its basic structure and its power unit, which became the XP-76.
The basic concept was simple: the proven Allison V-1710 engine was to be retained, but the rest of the aircraft was to be lightened and "minimized" wherever possible in order to improve its performance - a similar way Grumman went with the F8F Bearcat.
Anyway, Bell's construction team did not find much options, at least without compromising other factors like rigidity or armament. In a almost desperate move the decison was made to change the aircraft's layout altogether - making the P-39 a pusher aircraft! The Allison V-1710 allowed a simple switch from a pull to a push arrangement, and with a canard layout lots of weight could be saved: the tail section was competely deleted, and the heavy extension shaft and the respective gears for the front propeller became obsolete, too.
Wind tunnel tests confirmed the basic idea, even though the new layout called for several major innovations and new constructions which postponed development and service introduction considerably until late 1943.
These innovation comprised, for instance, the first (moderately) swept wings on an USAAF aircraft, due to CG and atability reasons. Unlike the very similar but bigger Curtiss XP-55 Ascender the XP-76 "Airaconda" had a very good performance, compared to the standard P-39. It was more agile, had a better rate of climb and retained the powerful 37mm cannon, which was highly effective against large air targets as well as ground targets. The gun was complemented by foud 0.5" machine guns, all grouped into the aircraft's nose.
By January 1944 the first service machines, designated P-76A, were delivered to homeland defence units for evaluation, especially against the P-39 as well as the P-40. Anyway, pilots distrusted the very different aircraft. The high tricycle landing caused frequent problems, especially on soggy ground, and several accidents with propeller contacts during exagerrated take-offs did not build the P-76's reputation - even the though the aircraft was basically good and a true step forward from the P-39. But to no avail: no ally would take it, neither Great Britain (having the disappointing P-39 still in mind) nor the Soviet Union.
The P-76's career was short, though. The machines were too late for the Aleutian Campaign, and none saw real combat action. Furthermore, more capable aircraft had entered the scene in the meantime, like the P-47 and the P-51, so the P-76 was primarily used for combat training on the USA mainland.
Only about 80 of this unique aircraft were built, before production switched to the more conventional P-63 Kingcobra.
General characteristics: Crew: One
Length: 26 ft 10 1/2 in (8.2 m)
Wingspan: 31 ft 3 in (9,54 m)
Height: 13 ft (3.96 m)
Wing area: 190 sq ft (17.71 m²)
Empty weight: 4.900lb (2.225 kg)
Loaded weight: 6.530 lb (2.965 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 7.709 lb (3.500 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Allison V-1710-47R liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,325 hp (955 kW),
driving a four-blade pusehr propeller
Performance: Maximum speed: 390 mph at 19,300 ft (628 km/h)
Range: 635 mi (1,020 km)
Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (10,700 m)
Rate of climb: 3,750 ft/min (19 m/s)
Wing loading: 34.6 lb/sq ft (169 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.27 kW/kg)
Time to climb: 15,000 in 4.5 min at 160 mph (260 km/h).
Armament: 1x 1.5 cal. (37 mm) M4 cannon in the nose with 30 rounds of HE-T ammunition
4x .50 cal. (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns, nose-mounted with 200 RPG
Up to 1.000 lb or ordnance, including a drop tank or (rarely used) a single 1.000 lb bomb on
a centerline pylon; alternatively two 500 lb (230 kg) bombs under the wings or six unguided
HVAR missiles.
The kit and its assembly:Dieses shinden-esque Whif ist eigentlich aus einer Reihe von CG-Illus entstanden (die ich leider nicht mehr online finde...
), die eine P-39 als Entenflügler darstellten.
Da ich sowieso eine Hobby Boss P-39 ohne Plan auf Halde hatte, habe ich mich einfach an die Umsetzung gewagt. Und was als einfaches Abschneiden des Hecks anfing artete in größere Transplantationen und Umbauten aus. Denn die Simulationen waren sehr geschönt, und kritische Bereiche wie der Propelleransatz waren geschickt "vermieden".
Was so in die P-76 "einfloss"...
● Rumpf, Cockpit und Bugrad der Hobby Boss P-39
● Gekappte Tragflächen und Höhenrruder (als Seitenruder) einer Revell Me 262
● Höhenruder einer Italeri Fw 190
● Propeller einer MPM P-47H
● Das Hauptfahrwerk ist aus Resten zusammengeschustert
Um die Proportionen anzupassen musste der Rumpf verlängert werden, zunächst vor dem Cockpit, später dann auch am abgesägten Heck, um einen Übergang zum Propeller hinzubekommen.
Es war nicht der Plan, aber irgendwann sah die Kiste wie eine Mini-Shinden aus...
Beim Anstrich blieb ich konservativ - typisch Olive Drab mit Neutral Grey, kaum Deko. Die rot gefassten Stars & Bars passen in die Epoche, die weißen Bänder sind in Alaska als Schnell-ID-Markierungen verwendet worden.
Irgendwie hat das Ding was Deutsches... und es erinnert an den Captain America Realfilm oder auch an 'The Sky Crawlers'?
Thema: What if? 1:72 Bell P-76A 'Airaconda', USAAF 344th FS/343rd FG; Adak/Alaska, 1944 (Gelesen 5065 mal)
