Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA7910 Boeing P-12E ‘B’ Flight Leader’s aircraft, 308th Observation Sqn., Organized Reserve, circa 1939

1/48 scale pre-finished Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic.

Professionally painted.

All markings pad applied for superb results.

Comes with a pilot that can be removed.

Comes with display stand.

In the early 1930s Boeing developed a series of biplanes designated the F4B for the US Navy and US Marine Corps but was a P-12 for the US Army Air Corps. The aircraft were first accepted in 1929 and served as the primary fighter. The P-12 was built in 6 successful variants while the F4B had 4. The P-12 was replaced by the Boeing P-26 in 1934-35 but the F4B carried on with operational duties until the Grumman F2F/F3F series completely replaced them in 1938.

The 308th Observation Squadron was assigned to the 5th Corps Area Reserve base at Port Columbus Airport, Columbus, Ohio. The 5th Corps Area States of responsibility consisted of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia with headquarters Columbus. These Organized Reserve units were usually only “paper” units for officers waiting for assignments. The aircraft of choice in the 1939 period was the Boeing P-12 which first flew in 1931 with the _P-12E being the best known variant.

Specifications for Boeing P-12 / F4B (Model 83/89) Total Produced All Variants - 586 First Flight - June 25, 1928 Role - Fighter Biplane Crew - 1 Powerplant - 1 x Pratt & Whitney R-1340-16 WASP air-cooled 9 cylinder radial engine, 550 hp (410 kW) Performance Speed - 189 mph (164 kts / 304 km/h) Service Ceiling - 26,900 ft (8,199 m) Range - 369 mi (321 nm / 594 km) Weight Empty - 2,355 lb (1,068 kg) Max Takeoff - 3,611 lb (1,638 kg) Dimensions Length - 20.08 ft (6.12 m) Height - 9.32 ft (2.84 m) Wingspan - 29.99 ft (9.14 m)