Valom 1/72 Airacuda

This was a candidate for a mission that never materialized, built in small numbers by Bell Aircraft before the P-39.  The designation was FM for fighter multiplace, but like the Me-110 and others it was too heavy and not maneuverable enough to be useful as a fighter.  The Valom kit is not the best for fit, the best part is oddly the clear parts.  The basic plastic has finely done surface detail but is soft and uneven in thickness.  Glad to have a a YFM-1B in my display case, but I could have spent a couple months instead of a couple of weeks building it.  It is one of those kits that you probably should build two of, one to learn how and the second to get the best result.

 The exhaust was corrected, the kit had identical piping on both sides but it should have had just collectors on the inside with a crossover inside the cowl and an outlet only on the outside.  The collectors should be tapered, not constant diameter from front to back.

 Lots of melted sprue and various fillers were sacrificed to this one.

I just noticed I forgot the pitot tubes on each wing tip.  I'll fix it with music wire.  The Airfix 1/72 Mustang was finished along side it, a nice little kit though the landing gear needed straightening and careful attaching.