BELL AIRCRAFT Corporation’s P-63 Kingcobra has
always suffered from something of an identity crisis. Because
of its midengine design, car-door-style cockpit, and bullet
shape, it has been repeatedly misidentified as a P-39
Airacobra.
Carefully examining the two World War II aircraft reveals
that their resemblance is only skin-deep; the P-63 had few
parts in common with the smaller P-39. (Among the shared
components were the so-called “car doors.”) The Kingcobra
was quite a different aircraft, featuring a two-stage
supercharger, a laminar-flow wing, and flying surfaces of
totally new design compared with the Airacobra.
The P-63 never served in combat with the US military, but
the Soviet Air Force used lend-lease aircraft in defense of
Moscow and on the Eastern Front after the Soviet Union
declared war on Japan late in the conflict. Following World
War II, the fledgling French Air Force employed P-63s in,
among other places, French Indochina, later to be Vietnam.
The Kingcobra’s excellent moments and lightly tapered
wing make it an obvious subject for a flying Scale model, yet
few rubber-powered plans for this aircraft were ever
by Mark Fineman
Looking at the bottom of the P-63, you can see the simulated
retracted landing gear. This is legal for FAC competition.
30 MODEL AVIATION
Often overlooked warbird makes great
FAC WW II Mass Launch design
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:46 am Page 30
Check out the P-63’s cockpit area; the long, sleek nose that fairs
into the spinner; and the simulated exhaust stacks!
This gives you a better look at the simulated retracted landing
gear. Mark drew the details with a fine-point Sharpie.
Mark Fineman looks proud of his new craft at the field. This is a
great first low-wing Free Flight Scale project.
The author’s original P-63 required few adjustments other than a
bit of downthrust and right thrust to propeller.
published. To the best of my knowledge, there were no P-63
kits either.
The 22-inch version featured here was intended primarily
for the Flying Aces Club (FAC) WW II Mass Launch event.
FAC mass-launch rules permit retractable gear to be modeled
in the “up” position, but fidelity to scale must be maintained.
The full-scale P-63 featured a hub-firing 37mm cannon and
four 50-caliber machine guns, two of which were mounted in
gondolas beneath the wings. Photos show that the latter were
sometimes removed from Soviet Kingcobras, and I carried out
that practice on my model. The wing guns are shown on the
plans for anyone who would like to include the gondolas on
his or her model.
CONSTRUCTION
The P-63 model’s design should be familiar to anyone who
has ever built a World War II model designed by Earl Stahl,
Comet, and many others.
Flying Surfaces: The curved wingtips and the rudder tip are
formed from three laminations of 1⁄32 x 1⁄16 balsa. A good way
to make the laminations is to glue copies of the curved areas
of the plans onto illustration board, cut them to their inside
dimensions, and apply wax to their edges (candle wax works
well). Pin the forms firmly to your building board.
Soak the lengths of balsa in extremely hot water for a few
minutes, and then carefully bend three laminations to the
outside of a form, applying slightly diluted white glue
between layers. Use straight pins to hold the balsa “sandwich”
to the building board while it dries—probably overnight.
Carefully remove the dried laminations from the forms, and
trim them for assembly into the flying surfaces.
The wing spars are on the top surface of the wing. Build
the wing halves separate, and then block up each wingtip 11⁄2
inches. Sand the ends of the spars, the LEs, and the TEs so
they will form a tight joint when the wing halves are
connected.
When the halves are joined correctly, glue them together
with a few drops of cyanoacrylate. The instant glue is better
for this operation than ordinary model-airplane glue because
the cyanoacrylate will not pull on the joint as it dries, thereby
adding dihedral.
Fuselage: Build the fuselage using the time-tested half-shell
August 2004 31
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:48 am Page 31
method. Construct each former in halves, separated along the
vertical midline. Lay the top and bottom longerons directly on the
plans. Glue the formers into place starting at the rear of the
fuselage.
You should use a small metal triangle or square with a true
right angle to make certain that each former is glued in at right
angles to the building board. Never trust this alignment to the
eye! If the former halves are properly aligned with the longerons,
everything else will fall into place.
Once the formers have dried, systematically add the remaining
stringers to create a complete fuselage half. When this assembly
is dry, remove the fuselage half from the building board and add
the complementary former halves and stringers on the other side
to complete the structure.
The canopy-area construction is unusual. For the sake of
appearance, the canopy brace is formed from two laminations of
basswood. Balsa should also work here. The clear canopy aft of
the canopy brace is a simple acetate sheet. (The pattern is
included on the plans.) You must vacuum-form or plunge-form
the more complex clear canopy to the front of the brace, which
requires that you fashion a mold.
The accompanying framework photos show that I filled
several stringer bays at the front of the fuselage with 1⁄16 balsa
scrap. This technique strengthens and smoothes the nose contours
and adds nose weight, which is usually needed anyway. It also
makes it easier to make the indentations for the two fuselagemounted
machine-gun muzzles.
Make sure you sand this sheeted area smooth and paint it with
two coats of sanding sealer before you apply the tissue.
Finishing: Carve the scoop behind the canopy from balsa or foam.
Refer to pictures of the full-scale aircraft to get an accurate idea of the
contours.
Most Kingcobras were painted standard-issue olive drab on the
upper surfaces and gray below—even the Soviet airplanes. Stateside
P-63s and postwar French versions were often left with a bare metal
finish.
For ease of construction, and because FAC rules permit it, I
covered my model with dark green and gray Japanese tissue. I
simulated the control surfaces and landing gear with a Sharpie
permanent fine-tip marker. I created the red star insignia on the
computer.
Flying: Power to the 7-inch plastic propeller is supplied by two loops
of 3⁄32-inch FAI Tan rubber that are approximately 24 inches in length.
My model required no nose weight and few adjustments which
included a bit of downthrust and right thrust to the propeller.
The model is extremely stable in the power and glide portions of
flight and will consistently put in times in excess of a minute; twominute
flights are common.
The elegant Kingcobra gives the enthusiast yet another choice of
subject—one that has perhaps been neglected for too long. MA
Mark Fineman
1244 Wolf Hill Rd.
Cheshire CT 06410
The fuselage is built using the time-tested half-shell method.
Is there anything more elegant than a well-built FF Scale
structure? All the pieces are ready to go together.
32 MODEL AVIATION
Type: FF Scale
Wingspan: 22 inches
Power: FAI Tan rubber
Flying weight: 11⁄8 ounces without
rubber
Construction: Built-up balsa
Covering/finish: Dark green and
gray Japanese tissue
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:50 am Page 32
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/08
Page Numbers: 30,31,32,33
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/08
Page Numbers: 30,31,32,33
BELL AIRCRAFT Corporation’s P-63 Kingcobra has
always suffered from something of an identity crisis. Because
of its midengine design, car-door-style cockpit, and bullet
shape, it has been repeatedly misidentified as a P-39
Airacobra.
Carefully examining the two World War II aircraft reveals
that their resemblance is only skin-deep; the P-63 had few
parts in common with the smaller P-39. (Among the shared
components were the so-called “car doors.”) The Kingcobra
was quite a different aircraft, featuring a two-stage
supercharger, a laminar-flow wing, and flying surfaces of
totally new design compared with the Airacobra.
The P-63 never served in combat with the US military, but
the Soviet Air Force used lend-lease aircraft in defense of
Moscow and on the Eastern Front after the Soviet Union
declared war on Japan late in the conflict. Following World
War II, the fledgling French Air Force employed P-63s in,
among other places, French Indochina, later to be Vietnam.
The Kingcobra’s excellent moments and lightly tapered
wing make it an obvious subject for a flying Scale model, yet
few rubber-powered plans for this aircraft were ever
by Mark Fineman
Looking at the bottom of the P-63, you can see the simulated
retracted landing gear. This is legal for FAC competition.
30 MODEL AVIATION
Often overlooked warbird makes great
FAC WW II Mass Launch design
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:46 am Page 30
Check out the P-63’s cockpit area; the long, sleek nose that fairs
into the spinner; and the simulated exhaust stacks!
This gives you a better look at the simulated retracted landing
gear. Mark drew the details with a fine-point Sharpie.
Mark Fineman looks proud of his new craft at the field. This is a
great first low-wing Free Flight Scale project.
The author’s original P-63 required few adjustments other than a
bit of downthrust and right thrust to propeller.
published. To the best of my knowledge, there were no P-63
kits either.
The 22-inch version featured here was intended primarily
for the Flying Aces Club (FAC) WW II Mass Launch event.
FAC mass-launch rules permit retractable gear to be modeled
in the “up” position, but fidelity to scale must be maintained.
The full-scale P-63 featured a hub-firing 37mm cannon and
four 50-caliber machine guns, two of which were mounted in
gondolas beneath the wings. Photos show that the latter were
sometimes removed from Soviet Kingcobras, and I carried out
that practice on my model. The wing guns are shown on the
plans for anyone who would like to include the gondolas on
his or her model.
CONSTRUCTION
The P-63 model’s design should be familiar to anyone who
has ever built a World War II model designed by Earl Stahl,
Comet, and many others.
Flying Surfaces: The curved wingtips and the rudder tip are
formed from three laminations of 1⁄32 x 1⁄16 balsa. A good way
to make the laminations is to glue copies of the curved areas
of the plans onto illustration board, cut them to their inside
dimensions, and apply wax to their edges (candle wax works
well). Pin the forms firmly to your building board.
Soak the lengths of balsa in extremely hot water for a few
minutes, and then carefully bend three laminations to the
outside of a form, applying slightly diluted white glue
between layers. Use straight pins to hold the balsa “sandwich”
to the building board while it dries—probably overnight.
Carefully remove the dried laminations from the forms, and
trim them for assembly into the flying surfaces.
The wing spars are on the top surface of the wing. Build
the wing halves separate, and then block up each wingtip 11⁄2
inches. Sand the ends of the spars, the LEs, and the TEs so
they will form a tight joint when the wing halves are
connected.
When the halves are joined correctly, glue them together
with a few drops of cyanoacrylate. The instant glue is better
for this operation than ordinary model-airplane glue because
the cyanoacrylate will not pull on the joint as it dries, thereby
adding dihedral.
Fuselage: Build the fuselage using the time-tested half-shell
August 2004 31
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:48 am Page 31
method. Construct each former in halves, separated along the
vertical midline. Lay the top and bottom longerons directly on the
plans. Glue the formers into place starting at the rear of the
fuselage.
You should use a small metal triangle or square with a true
right angle to make certain that each former is glued in at right
angles to the building board. Never trust this alignment to the
eye! If the former halves are properly aligned with the longerons,
everything else will fall into place.
Once the formers have dried, systematically add the remaining
stringers to create a complete fuselage half. When this assembly
is dry, remove the fuselage half from the building board and add
the complementary former halves and stringers on the other side
to complete the structure.
The canopy-area construction is unusual. For the sake of
appearance, the canopy brace is formed from two laminations of
basswood. Balsa should also work here. The clear canopy aft of
the canopy brace is a simple acetate sheet. (The pattern is
included on the plans.) You must vacuum-form or plunge-form
the more complex clear canopy to the front of the brace, which
requires that you fashion a mold.
The accompanying framework photos show that I filled
several stringer bays at the front of the fuselage with 1⁄16 balsa
scrap. This technique strengthens and smoothes the nose contours
and adds nose weight, which is usually needed anyway. It also
makes it easier to make the indentations for the two fuselagemounted
machine-gun muzzles.
Make sure you sand this sheeted area smooth and paint it with
two coats of sanding sealer before you apply the tissue.
Finishing: Carve the scoop behind the canopy from balsa or foam.
Refer to pictures of the full-scale aircraft to get an accurate idea of the
contours.
Most Kingcobras were painted standard-issue olive drab on the
upper surfaces and gray below—even the Soviet airplanes. Stateside
P-63s and postwar French versions were often left with a bare metal
finish.
For ease of construction, and because FAC rules permit it, I
covered my model with dark green and gray Japanese tissue. I
simulated the control surfaces and landing gear with a Sharpie
permanent fine-tip marker. I created the red star insignia on the
computer.
Flying: Power to the 7-inch plastic propeller is supplied by two loops
of 3⁄32-inch FAI Tan rubber that are approximately 24 inches in length.
My model required no nose weight and few adjustments which
included a bit of downthrust and right thrust to the propeller.
The model is extremely stable in the power and glide portions of
flight and will consistently put in times in excess of a minute; twominute
flights are common.
The elegant Kingcobra gives the enthusiast yet another choice of
subject—one that has perhaps been neglected for too long. MA
Mark Fineman
1244 Wolf Hill Rd.
Cheshire CT 06410
The fuselage is built using the time-tested half-shell method.
Is there anything more elegant than a well-built FF Scale
structure? All the pieces are ready to go together.
32 MODEL AVIATION
Type: FF Scale
Wingspan: 22 inches
Power: FAI Tan rubber
Flying weight: 11⁄8 ounces without
rubber
Construction: Built-up balsa
Covering/finish: Dark green and
gray Japanese tissue
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:50 am Page 32
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/08
Page Numbers: 30,31,32,33
BELL AIRCRAFT Corporation’s P-63 Kingcobra has
always suffered from something of an identity crisis. Because
of its midengine design, car-door-style cockpit, and bullet
shape, it has been repeatedly misidentified as a P-39
Airacobra.
Carefully examining the two World War II aircraft reveals
that their resemblance is only skin-deep; the P-63 had few
parts in common with the smaller P-39. (Among the shared
components were the so-called “car doors.”) The Kingcobra
was quite a different aircraft, featuring a two-stage
supercharger, a laminar-flow wing, and flying surfaces of
totally new design compared with the Airacobra.
The P-63 never served in combat with the US military, but
the Soviet Air Force used lend-lease aircraft in defense of
Moscow and on the Eastern Front after the Soviet Union
declared war on Japan late in the conflict. Following World
War II, the fledgling French Air Force employed P-63s in,
among other places, French Indochina, later to be Vietnam.
The Kingcobra’s excellent moments and lightly tapered
wing make it an obvious subject for a flying Scale model, yet
few rubber-powered plans for this aircraft were ever
by Mark Fineman
Looking at the bottom of the P-63, you can see the simulated
retracted landing gear. This is legal for FAC competition.
30 MODEL AVIATION
Often overlooked warbird makes great
FAC WW II Mass Launch design
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:46 am Page 30
Check out the P-63’s cockpit area; the long, sleek nose that fairs
into the spinner; and the simulated exhaust stacks!
This gives you a better look at the simulated retracted landing
gear. Mark drew the details with a fine-point Sharpie.
Mark Fineman looks proud of his new craft at the field. This is a
great first low-wing Free Flight Scale project.
The author’s original P-63 required few adjustments other than a
bit of downthrust and right thrust to propeller.
published. To the best of my knowledge, there were no P-63
kits either.
The 22-inch version featured here was intended primarily
for the Flying Aces Club (FAC) WW II Mass Launch event.
FAC mass-launch rules permit retractable gear to be modeled
in the “up” position, but fidelity to scale must be maintained.
The full-scale P-63 featured a hub-firing 37mm cannon and
four 50-caliber machine guns, two of which were mounted in
gondolas beneath the wings. Photos show that the latter were
sometimes removed from Soviet Kingcobras, and I carried out
that practice on my model. The wing guns are shown on the
plans for anyone who would like to include the gondolas on
his or her model.
CONSTRUCTION
The P-63 model’s design should be familiar to anyone who
has ever built a World War II model designed by Earl Stahl,
Comet, and many others.
Flying Surfaces: The curved wingtips and the rudder tip are
formed from three laminations of 1⁄32 x 1⁄16 balsa. A good way
to make the laminations is to glue copies of the curved areas
of the plans onto illustration board, cut them to their inside
dimensions, and apply wax to their edges (candle wax works
well). Pin the forms firmly to your building board.
Soak the lengths of balsa in extremely hot water for a few
minutes, and then carefully bend three laminations to the
outside of a form, applying slightly diluted white glue
between layers. Use straight pins to hold the balsa “sandwich”
to the building board while it dries—probably overnight.
Carefully remove the dried laminations from the forms, and
trim them for assembly into the flying surfaces.
The wing spars are on the top surface of the wing. Build
the wing halves separate, and then block up each wingtip 11⁄2
inches. Sand the ends of the spars, the LEs, and the TEs so
they will form a tight joint when the wing halves are
connected.
When the halves are joined correctly, glue them together
with a few drops of cyanoacrylate. The instant glue is better
for this operation than ordinary model-airplane glue because
the cyanoacrylate will not pull on the joint as it dries, thereby
adding dihedral.
Fuselage: Build the fuselage using the time-tested half-shell
August 2004 31
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:48 am Page 31
method. Construct each former in halves, separated along the
vertical midline. Lay the top and bottom longerons directly on the
plans. Glue the formers into place starting at the rear of the
fuselage.
You should use a small metal triangle or square with a true
right angle to make certain that each former is glued in at right
angles to the building board. Never trust this alignment to the
eye! If the former halves are properly aligned with the longerons,
everything else will fall into place.
Once the formers have dried, systematically add the remaining
stringers to create a complete fuselage half. When this assembly
is dry, remove the fuselage half from the building board and add
the complementary former halves and stringers on the other side
to complete the structure.
The canopy-area construction is unusual. For the sake of
appearance, the canopy brace is formed from two laminations of
basswood. Balsa should also work here. The clear canopy aft of
the canopy brace is a simple acetate sheet. (The pattern is
included on the plans.) You must vacuum-form or plunge-form
the more complex clear canopy to the front of the brace, which
requires that you fashion a mold.
The accompanying framework photos show that I filled
several stringer bays at the front of the fuselage with 1⁄16 balsa
scrap. This technique strengthens and smoothes the nose contours
and adds nose weight, which is usually needed anyway. It also
makes it easier to make the indentations for the two fuselagemounted
machine-gun muzzles.
Make sure you sand this sheeted area smooth and paint it with
two coats of sanding sealer before you apply the tissue.
Finishing: Carve the scoop behind the canopy from balsa or foam.
Refer to pictures of the full-scale aircraft to get an accurate idea of the
contours.
Most Kingcobras were painted standard-issue olive drab on the
upper surfaces and gray below—even the Soviet airplanes. Stateside
P-63s and postwar French versions were often left with a bare metal
finish.
For ease of construction, and because FAC rules permit it, I
covered my model with dark green and gray Japanese tissue. I
simulated the control surfaces and landing gear with a Sharpie
permanent fine-tip marker. I created the red star insignia on the
computer.
Flying: Power to the 7-inch plastic propeller is supplied by two loops
of 3⁄32-inch FAI Tan rubber that are approximately 24 inches in length.
My model required no nose weight and few adjustments which
included a bit of downthrust and right thrust to the propeller.
The model is extremely stable in the power and glide portions of
flight and will consistently put in times in excess of a minute; twominute
flights are common.
The elegant Kingcobra gives the enthusiast yet another choice of
subject—one that has perhaps been neglected for too long. MA
Mark Fineman
1244 Wolf Hill Rd.
Cheshire CT 06410
The fuselage is built using the time-tested half-shell method.
Is there anything more elegant than a well-built FF Scale
structure? All the pieces are ready to go together.
32 MODEL AVIATION
Type: FF Scale
Wingspan: 22 inches
Power: FAI Tan rubber
Flying weight: 11⁄8 ounces without
rubber
Construction: Built-up balsa
Covering/finish: Dark green and
gray Japanese tissue
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:50 am Page 32
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/08
Page Numbers: 30,31,32,33
BELL AIRCRAFT Corporation’s P-63 Kingcobra has
always suffered from something of an identity crisis. Because
of its midengine design, car-door-style cockpit, and bullet
shape, it has been repeatedly misidentified as a P-39
Airacobra.
Carefully examining the two World War II aircraft reveals
that their resemblance is only skin-deep; the P-63 had few
parts in common with the smaller P-39. (Among the shared
components were the so-called “car doors.”) The Kingcobra
was quite a different aircraft, featuring a two-stage
supercharger, a laminar-flow wing, and flying surfaces of
totally new design compared with the Airacobra.
The P-63 never served in combat with the US military, but
the Soviet Air Force used lend-lease aircraft in defense of
Moscow and on the Eastern Front after the Soviet Union
declared war on Japan late in the conflict. Following World
War II, the fledgling French Air Force employed P-63s in,
among other places, French Indochina, later to be Vietnam.
The Kingcobra’s excellent moments and lightly tapered
wing make it an obvious subject for a flying Scale model, yet
few rubber-powered plans for this aircraft were ever
by Mark Fineman
Looking at the bottom of the P-63, you can see the simulated
retracted landing gear. This is legal for FAC competition.
30 MODEL AVIATION
Often overlooked warbird makes great
FAC WW II Mass Launch design
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:46 am Page 30
Check out the P-63’s cockpit area; the long, sleek nose that fairs
into the spinner; and the simulated exhaust stacks!
This gives you a better look at the simulated retracted landing
gear. Mark drew the details with a fine-point Sharpie.
Mark Fineman looks proud of his new craft at the field. This is a
great first low-wing Free Flight Scale project.
The author’s original P-63 required few adjustments other than a
bit of downthrust and right thrust to propeller.
published. To the best of my knowledge, there were no P-63
kits either.
The 22-inch version featured here was intended primarily
for the Flying Aces Club (FAC) WW II Mass Launch event.
FAC mass-launch rules permit retractable gear to be modeled
in the “up” position, but fidelity to scale must be maintained.
The full-scale P-63 featured a hub-firing 37mm cannon and
four 50-caliber machine guns, two of which were mounted in
gondolas beneath the wings. Photos show that the latter were
sometimes removed from Soviet Kingcobras, and I carried out
that practice on my model. The wing guns are shown on the
plans for anyone who would like to include the gondolas on
his or her model.
CONSTRUCTION
The P-63 model’s design should be familiar to anyone who
has ever built a World War II model designed by Earl Stahl,
Comet, and many others.
Flying Surfaces: The curved wingtips and the rudder tip are
formed from three laminations of 1⁄32 x 1⁄16 balsa. A good way
to make the laminations is to glue copies of the curved areas
of the plans onto illustration board, cut them to their inside
dimensions, and apply wax to their edges (candle wax works
well). Pin the forms firmly to your building board.
Soak the lengths of balsa in extremely hot water for a few
minutes, and then carefully bend three laminations to the
outside of a form, applying slightly diluted white glue
between layers. Use straight pins to hold the balsa “sandwich”
to the building board while it dries—probably overnight.
Carefully remove the dried laminations from the forms, and
trim them for assembly into the flying surfaces.
The wing spars are on the top surface of the wing. Build
the wing halves separate, and then block up each wingtip 11⁄2
inches. Sand the ends of the spars, the LEs, and the TEs so
they will form a tight joint when the wing halves are
connected.
When the halves are joined correctly, glue them together
with a few drops of cyanoacrylate. The instant glue is better
for this operation than ordinary model-airplane glue because
the cyanoacrylate will not pull on the joint as it dries, thereby
adding dihedral.
Fuselage: Build the fuselage using the time-tested half-shell
August 2004 31
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:48 am Page 31
method. Construct each former in halves, separated along the
vertical midline. Lay the top and bottom longerons directly on the
plans. Glue the formers into place starting at the rear of the
fuselage.
You should use a small metal triangle or square with a true
right angle to make certain that each former is glued in at right
angles to the building board. Never trust this alignment to the
eye! If the former halves are properly aligned with the longerons,
everything else will fall into place.
Once the formers have dried, systematically add the remaining
stringers to create a complete fuselage half. When this assembly
is dry, remove the fuselage half from the building board and add
the complementary former halves and stringers on the other side
to complete the structure.
The canopy-area construction is unusual. For the sake of
appearance, the canopy brace is formed from two laminations of
basswood. Balsa should also work here. The clear canopy aft of
the canopy brace is a simple acetate sheet. (The pattern is
included on the plans.) You must vacuum-form or plunge-form
the more complex clear canopy to the front of the brace, which
requires that you fashion a mold.
The accompanying framework photos show that I filled
several stringer bays at the front of the fuselage with 1⁄16 balsa
scrap. This technique strengthens and smoothes the nose contours
and adds nose weight, which is usually needed anyway. It also
makes it easier to make the indentations for the two fuselagemounted
machine-gun muzzles.
Make sure you sand this sheeted area smooth and paint it with
two coats of sanding sealer before you apply the tissue.
Finishing: Carve the scoop behind the canopy from balsa or foam.
Refer to pictures of the full-scale aircraft to get an accurate idea of the
contours.
Most Kingcobras were painted standard-issue olive drab on the
upper surfaces and gray below—even the Soviet airplanes. Stateside
P-63s and postwar French versions were often left with a bare metal
finish.
For ease of construction, and because FAC rules permit it, I
covered my model with dark green and gray Japanese tissue. I
simulated the control surfaces and landing gear with a Sharpie
permanent fine-tip marker. I created the red star insignia on the
computer.
Flying: Power to the 7-inch plastic propeller is supplied by two loops
of 3⁄32-inch FAI Tan rubber that are approximately 24 inches in length.
My model required no nose weight and few adjustments which
included a bit of downthrust and right thrust to the propeller.
The model is extremely stable in the power and glide portions of
flight and will consistently put in times in excess of a minute; twominute
flights are common.
The elegant Kingcobra gives the enthusiast yet another choice of
subject—one that has perhaps been neglected for too long. MA
Mark Fineman
1244 Wolf Hill Rd.
Cheshire CT 06410
The fuselage is built using the time-tested half-shell method.
Is there anything more elegant than a well-built FF Scale
structure? All the pieces are ready to go together.
32 MODEL AVIATION
Type: FF Scale
Wingspan: 22 inches
Power: FAI Tan rubber
Flying weight: 11⁄8 ounces without
rubber
Construction: Built-up balsa
Covering/finish: Dark green and
gray Japanese tissue
08sig1.QXD 5/24/04 10:50 am Page 32
