Yellow Wing 1/32 P-39D Airacobra 31st Pursuit Group
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
The impressive Special Hobby 1/32 P-39 kit cries out for neat markings, so it is great to see Yellow Wing Decals provide one of the more color options in their decal range.
The Decals
This decal sheet provides markings for one aircraft, from the 31st Pursuit Group headquarters. As this is a headquarters aircraft, it incorporates the colors from all three squadrons of the 31st PG: red from the 39th PS, yellow from the 40th PS, and white from the 41st PS. This aircraft has those colors wrapped around the spinner, and carries the 31st PG emblem on the cockpit door.
What makes this aircraft really interesting comes in the form of the special markings. In the pre-war period, the USAAC routinely held wargames, in which opposing forces carried clear markings to denote which side they were on. To referee these wargames, some aircraft were painted up as umpire aircraft. This is one of those aircraft, as noted by the large UMP markings on the fuselage and wings. In addition to this marking, the tail of the aircraft was painted yellow, to increase visibility. The decal sheet also includes a green band around the rear fuselage, where the national insignia is. Overall, this makes for a very colorful aircraft.
Going a bit deeper, though, there are some issues with this sheet. Having researched this aircraft a bit a few years back, I examined several copies of the photo that is included in the instructions (which I believe is the only photo of this aircraft out there). First the good: the multi-color spinner is pretty much spot on, as is the unit emblem and the individual aircraft markings. The UMP markings are rather odd, though, being printed in a gray with rounded edges. A close examination of the photo shows that these letters should be block style, not rounded, with square edges. Their color is also suspect, and the tonality of the letters matches that of the tail and spinner, which suggests yellow for their color. This would make more sense, as the light gray wouldn't really stand out on the wing underside much, reducing its effectiveness.
For the green fuselage band, I have seen several interpretations of this area, but this is the first time I have seen it interpreted as a green band. What it most likely is, though, is just a darker olive drab. The aircraft is fairly well worn, as can be seen on the nose with its blotchy appearance. Prior to painting the yellow on the tail, the rear fuselage was undoubtedly cleaned up, and this is probably representative of that. While the green band would add some extra color, it does not seem likely.
Conclusion
While there are some issues with this decal sheet, they can be overcome by leaving the green band off and simply masking the UMP letters and painting them at the same time you paint the tail. The rest of the markings, including the national insignia, are nicely done and worth the price of the sheet. My thanks to Yellow Wings Decals for the review sample.