Book Review of Single No. 01, Bell P-39Q Airacobra
Authors: Dariusz Karnas & Artur Juszczak
Mushroom Model Publications Books (MMP)
ISBN: 978-63-85958-58-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $11.99
ISBN: 978-63-85958-58-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $11.99
HISTORY:
The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II.
The P-39 was used by the Soviet Air Force, and enabled individual Soviet pilots to collect the highest number of kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type flown by any air force in any conflict.
Other major users of the type included the Free French, the Royal Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.
Designed by Bell Aircraft, it had an innovative layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot, and driving a tractor propeller with a long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage.
Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, preventing it from performing high-altitude work.
For this reason it was rejected by the RAF for use over western Europe but adopted by the USSR where most air combat took place at medium and lower altitudes.
Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, the P-39 was one of the most successful fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Bell Aircraft
First flight: 6 April 1938
Introduction to service: 1941
Status: Retired
Primary users: U.S. Army Air Forces, Soviet Air Force, Royal Air Force
Produced: 1940 – May 1944
Number built: 9,588
Unit cost: U.S. $50,666 (1944)
Variants: Bell XFL Airabonita, Bell P-63 Kingcobra
THE BOOK:
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed in Poland by Stratus in English.
Stratus also publishers their own line of books in both English and Polish.
This book is soft cover of 24 pages in 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" page format.
The front and rear cover is bright yellow. The cover art has a top view of the P-39Q in Russian markings. Its left wing is wrapped around onto the back cover.
It is shown as it was with the Soviet 19 GIAP at the end of 1943. It is the personal aircraft of Captain Ravel Kutashov (41 victories).
This top view is repeated at the back of the book as a 3. It is olive-drab over a light-blue under-carriage. It has a large number "10" on the sides of the rudder and red panels on each side of the nose.
There is 7-view line drawings of the P-30Q in 1/72nd scale with illustrations of each of the bulkheads inside the fuselage and a 5-view line drawing of the P-39Q in 1/48th scale, also showing each of the bulkheads again.
There are line drawings of the exterior of the cockpit. the pilot seat, foot pedals, instruments and dashboard.
There are 6 black and white photos of the instruments and dashboard, cutaway line drawings of the fuselage inner structure, cockpit exterior and interior.
Included also is 9 black and white wartime photos of the P-39Q and a black and white left and right side view of the engine, 19 black and white walk around type photos of a Russian P-39Q in a Russian museum and a further 8 color walk around type photos of it.
There are 2 photos of the bottom of the wings of a U.S. marked P-39Q in a museum
The last 2 pages have a 4-view color profile illustrations of the cover art scheme (already described above).
This is one neat book. Highly recommended.
I want to thank Casemate publishers, who sent me this review sample and Dr. Roger Wallsgrove head-editor of MMP for this book sample.
Casemate is the N.American distributor for MMP books and they sent me this sample.
All MMP titles can be seen on Casemates website at:
The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II.
The P-39 was used by the Soviet Air Force, and enabled individual Soviet pilots to collect the highest number of kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type flown by any air force in any conflict.
Other major users of the type included the Free French, the Royal Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.
Designed by Bell Aircraft, it had an innovative layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot, and driving a tractor propeller with a long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage.
Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, preventing it from performing high-altitude work.
For this reason it was rejected by the RAF for use over western Europe but adopted by the USSR where most air combat took place at medium and lower altitudes.
Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, the P-39 was one of the most successful fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Bell Aircraft
First flight: 6 April 1938
Introduction to service: 1941
Status: Retired
Primary users: U.S. Army Air Forces, Soviet Air Force, Royal Air Force
Produced: 1940 – May 1944
Number built: 9,588
Unit cost: U.S. $50,666 (1944)
Variants: Bell XFL Airabonita, Bell P-63 Kingcobra
THE BOOK:
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed in Poland by Stratus in English.
Stratus also publishers their own line of books in both English and Polish.
This book is soft cover of 24 pages in 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" page format.
The front and rear cover is bright yellow. The cover art has a top view of the P-39Q in Russian markings. Its left wing is wrapped around onto the back cover.
It is shown as it was with the Soviet 19 GIAP at the end of 1943. It is the personal aircraft of Captain Ravel Kutashov (41 victories).
This top view is repeated at the back of the book as a 3. It is olive-drab over a light-blue under-carriage. It has a large number "10" on the sides of the rudder and red panels on each side of the nose.
There is 7-view line drawings of the P-30Q in 1/72nd scale with illustrations of each of the bulkheads inside the fuselage and a 5-view line drawing of the P-39Q in 1/48th scale, also showing each of the bulkheads again.
There are line drawings of the exterior of the cockpit. the pilot seat, foot pedals, instruments and dashboard.
There are 6 black and white photos of the instruments and dashboard, cutaway line drawings of the fuselage inner structure, cockpit exterior and interior.
Included also is 9 black and white wartime photos of the P-39Q and a black and white left and right side view of the engine, 19 black and white walk around type photos of a Russian P-39Q in a Russian museum and a further 8 color walk around type photos of it.
There are 2 photos of the bottom of the wings of a U.S. marked P-39Q in a museum
The last 2 pages have a 4-view color profile illustrations of the cover art scheme (already described above).
This is one neat book. Highly recommended.
I want to thank Casemate publishers, who sent me this review sample and Dr. Roger Wallsgrove head-editor of MMP for this book sample.
Casemate is the N.American distributor for MMP books and they sent me this sample.
All MMP titles can be seen on Casemates website at: