This is the first of a new series of reference books from Mushroom Models Publications. It basically concentrates on a single aircraft and in fact, a single variant. This book is on the P-39Q Airacobra. The Q model was the final full production version of the Airacobra and was widely exported. The Soviets loved it as its 37mm canon was great for ground attack and in air to air combat, was able to take down a German fighter in one or two hits. Sometimes the US canon was replaced by a Soviet one. Many P-39Q aircraft were delivered with underwing gun pods, but those were also removed by a number of units to decrease the weight in the wings and improve handling.

The rest of the series will be in the same basic format. The books are in the large A4 size with several distinct sections. There is no history of the type, but there are superbly done plans in both 1/48 and 1/72 scale. This includes fuselage cross sections that are often missing from other plans. There are also a number of drawings of various sections of the aircraft structure with some of these coming from period technical manuals. A number of large period photos are also included, generally showing details or aircraft stripped down for maintenance.

Then there is a portion of the book that looks at extant airframes. In this case, it looks at the unrestored P-39 held in Finland and one that is undergoing restoration. The book finishes up with large, full page color four views of an in-service example.

It is another great addition to the MMP family of books that offers all that both the modeler and the enthusiast are seeking in a plans/detail book on a specific aircraft without going into a ton of detail. If you want to know the routing of the oxygen lines, then this may not be the book for you. It is a book that I found to be well done and one that I can highly recommend to you.

June 2019

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