1/72 Revell P.39Q Airacobra

Gallery Article by Paolo De Sanctis on Feb 17 2010

 

THE AIRCRAFT: The Bell P. 39 was one of the very first modern American monoplane. Bell engineers' aim was to provide their country with the best, advanced and modern plane available at that time.  A number of things were not all right and the P.39 was unsuitable for interceptor role, as its performance was quite disappointing. But this aircraft was subsequently developed into a very good ground-attack role machine and was widely used both USAAF and USSR-VVS during the WWII. 

A number of surplus examples (c.a. 170) were delivered to the loyal It. AF that fought alongside the Allies during the last year of the war. They were used by so-called Italian Co-Belligerent AF (Regia Aeronautica) with good results. 

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THE MODEL: This is yet another of my older models, being built back in 1989.  It is the old but quite good Revell boxing from the '70s era, basic and with very few details.  Interiors are reasonable scratch-built completed, although virtually invisible.

The colours were Dark Green H.149 and Slight Grey Humbrol 64.  But the green shade I've used is wrong, being the real planes were painted in Olive Drab: I should have painted it in Humbrol 155 instead!  Please, forgive me, modeller friends!  This model represents a machine of 9° Gruppo, 4° Stormo "Francesco Baracca" of the It. Co-Belligerent AF (Balkan A.F.) based at Canne and Termoli, Spring 1945. 

Paolo De Sanctis

Photos and text © by Paolo De Sanctis