Camouflage & Markings – Bell P-39 Airacobra
The Bell P-39 Airacobra was intended to be one of the principal fighters of the United States Army Air Corps in the early 1940s. As with many of Bell's designs, it featured a highly innovative layout, unlike any other fighter of its era, with the engine mounted in the central fuselage, a brutally massive cannon in the nose and a tricycle landing gear.
However, the manufacturer's plan to equip it with a turbo-supercharger was overruled by the Air Corps bureaucrats. The omission eradicated the airplane's high-altitude potential, effectively preventing it from fulfilling the role of an interceptor, and eventually relegating it to a second-tier fighter. For this reason, the RAF tried it in 1941 but quickly rejected it for operations over western Europe. In contrast, the P-39 was adopted in large numbers by the Soviet Union, where it excelled as a frontline fighter for lower-altitude operations. In this environment, it became a highly effective "ace-maker," with several Soviet pilots achieving the highest number of kills attributed to any U.S.-built fighter used by any air force in any conflict. With the USAAF, the Airacobra soldiered on throughout the war - particularly in the Pacific theatre, North African and Italian campaigns. It was also widely deployed in aircrew training in the United States. Other significant users of the P-39 included the Free French, the Royal Air Force, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.
The profiles in this article were researched and drawn by Mr. Rick Kent, a former librarian and curator at the RAF Museum in Hendon, and are used here with the author's kind permission.
I was recently reminded of a large collection of unpublished aircraft profiles from Mr. Rick Kent that I have in my posession, and I thought that it would be a good idea to continue sharing them at iModeler. Although the graphics may seem a bit dated by today's standards, they are all meticulously researched and a real "labor of love" by Mr. Kent. Similar articles from the past remain a popular "evergreen" content, and the profiles could a welcome addition to our forthcoming reference section.
What do you think?
I think the profiles look fine and would be a great addition to iModeler. The profiles give us the info we need to get a good start on the camo and markings on a model. Similar to many profiles we find online, they only show the markings on one side. A little more research would be necessary to determine the markings on the top and bottom of the aircraft. As they are, they also serve as a great source of ideas for models. Cheers.
Thank you, George @gblair. Appreciate the feedback
Martin, I look forward to the forthcoming reference section in iModeler. The profile views have always been a source of information and inspiration for me going back to the early In Action and Arco Aircam titles. I hope the profiles in the reference section will include captions for color considerations and other details where particular information is known. Most modelers who have been at it for a while will likely know that “Hells Bells” would have been painted in DuPont equivalent colors. I would have to check references to know whether 601 Squadron UF@O was painted with “mixed” gray rather than Ocean Gray. On the other hand, the absence of captions will likely lead to enthusiastic discussions among those interested in such matters.
@russjurco Thank you, yes I think that color profiles, walkarounds etc. could get a prominent place at the site and also, that we could use the collective power of this community to provide a wealth and breadth of a reference material.
Stay tuned...
Those are wonderful profiles, Martin @editor
Definitely a great addition for iModeler.
Glad to hear that!
agree with the others that it would be a valuable edition to the site. Looking forward to the reference section! The community on this site is the one I trust the most and adding a reference section will be a welcome addition
These are fine words! Thank you