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Camouflage & Markings: Bell P-39 Airacobra

September 27, 2024 · in Reference · · 12 · 124

The Bell 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.

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12 responses

  1. I was recently reminded of a large collection of unpublished aircraft profiles from Mr.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?

  2. 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.

  3. 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...

  4. Those are wonderful profiles, Martin @editor
    Definitely a great addition for iModeler.

  5. 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

  6. I'm always up for a go-to reference section!

  7. Looking forward to more

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