Military Model Scene

Title:  Bell P-39Q Airacobra

Author: Dariuz Karnas and Artur Juszczak

Publisher:  MMP

ISBN:  978-83-65958-58-7

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The first in a new series of softcover books from MMP, under the heading of 'Single', and this first one takes on the Bell Airacobra. A 24-page book, it opens with 5 pages of scale plans for the aircraft, in both 1/72 and 1/48 scales. That's followed by a couple of pages with detail sketches taken from the aircraft manual, showing the cockpit, instrument panels and pilot's seat. These are followed with another couple of pages with good clear photos of cockpit details, such as the instrument panels and the cockpit access door. This moves into more drawings from the Technical Manual, showing the fuselage structure along with archive photos showing a P-39 with large sections of the fuselage removed for significant maintenance. Other archive pictures show the aircraft in service during WW2, in the Pacific plus more manual images showing the engine. Next a section of black & white as well as colour, modern images showing detail of preserved examples. That takes us into the final 2 pages, with fine colour artwork of an aircraft in Russian colours and markings.

A neat little package concentrating on the one particular aircraft type and it will be of interest to aviation historians while quite clearly focussed on providing some excellent references for modellers. This is a good start to this new series.

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Thanks to MMP Books, who kindly provided my review copy.

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Robin