1/48 P-39 Collection

Gallery Article by Fabrizio Frassica on Sept 1 2011

 

Here we are again!

This is my last summer project: three aircobras 1/48, 2 Italian cobelligerant air force and a Soviet one. The Aircobra is one of my favourite airplanes of WWII.

I don't want tell more about Italian armistice of 8th September. Anyway a part of Regia Aeronautica joined Allied forces in south Italy to free the mainland to liberate Italy from German and fascist troops. The Aircobra was the most important airplane given by Allies to the Italian cobelligerent air force.

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The first is a P39-N used as trainer aircraft by Italian airforce during 1944. This Aircobra shows a very interesting coexistance of Italian and American insignia, yellow theater stripes and us serial numbers. This aircraft belonged to 97th squadoron (squadriglia), 9th group (gruppo), 4th wing (stormo)

The second is a P-39-Q , used as fighter bomber for tactical support for Italian and Yugoslavian people liberation army in Balkan area, against German troops. Interesting is the pin up on the 37mm gun cowl. This diver girl was an US pilot inheritance. For this airplane US white bars are covered probably with an hand of new olive drab paint ( or Italian verde scuro paint) as for the serial number. This Aircobra belonged to 10th group (gruppo), 4th wing (stormo)

The last is a Soviet P-39 used by soviet ace captain Ivan Babak, 100 GIAP, in Germany during 1945. Babak scored 33 victories plus 4 shared. Babak was shot down and caught in the last days of war; anyway he survived the war. For this reason he never received the most important Soviet medal: the hero Soviet hero.  As is possible read in Osprey book “P-39 aces of WWII”, the inscription beneath the cockpit reads “from children of Mariupol, disregarding the fact that all P-39 sent to USSR were paid by the US government.

All Aaircobras are painted in olive drab over neutral grey applied after a pre shadow painting. All panels are faded with original colours mixed with white. For panel lines I used black ink.

All kits are by Eduard; decals are by Eduard except for the Italian “Q” version, where I applied 3 guys replicas decals sheet.


Bibliography:

  • P-39 aces in WWII- Osprey publication

  • Dimensione cielo, immagini D3, caccia assalto- edizioni dell'ateneo & Bizzarri

  • Bell P-39 Aircobra in Italian service, by Marco Mattioli-ibn editore

Fabrizio Frassica

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Photos and text © by Fabrizio Frassica