Curtiss P-40 Warhawk of US Army Air Force 8th Pursuit Group, stationed at Mitchel Field - New York, circa 1940. Model built straight from the box, its upper and lower surfaces painted with aerosol can (top with Testor Olive Drab, bottom with Testor Flat Gull Grey), with demarcation layers masked off with hardware masking tape.

Major caveat in painting with aerosol cans is to keep one's distance from the model to allow a fine mist to sprinkled down onto model. Otherwise if distance is too close, aerosol can pressure would deliver too much paint in one locale, ruining surface detail. Remaining areas painted with hand brush (ex. cockpit, pilot, exhaust nozzles, wheels, guns). Curtiss P-40 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-40

Before 1947 US defense reorganization act, respective air arms were part of either the Army or Navy. Hence, US 8th Pursuit Group was part of US Army Air Corps. Plane marking "4-8P" indicates 4th plane of 8th Pursuit Group. Pursuit (P) was a prewar designation given to fighter and ground attack aircraft, this title was refined during WW2 with Fighter (F) and Attack (A) prefixes. The National Security Act of 1947 - www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1977/nov-dec/trager.html

By WW2 end, Pursuit title was no longer used, Fighter title was retained and is still used today. Attack title was also retired, but was brought back during mid-1960s Vietnam War era when old C-47 transports were converted to aerial gunships, thus allotted title F/C-47. But US fighter pilots bitterly complained against this designation given to slow lumbering transports no matter how much firepower they packed. Thus, alleviating controversy the Attack title was reactivated, thus changing gunship title to A/C-47. AC-47 Spooky - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC-47

• AC-47 Spooky or Puff (The Magic Dragon) - www.1stcavmedic.com/glossary-files/ac-47-puff.htm

• AC-47D Spooky - www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/ac47.asp

Inset 1 : Prewar state-side P-40C with "21-18P" on tailfin, indicating 21st plane of 18th Pursuit Group. Photo probably taken circa 1940 since tailfin no longer carried Red-White stripes. US national insignia roundel is blue disc - white star - red dot, used from May 1917 - Feb 1918, then reactivated from Aug 1919 - Aug 1942. Photo quality does not show twin US roundels on left-right upper wings, but presume it is there since it was official practice until early-1942.

Rollover : Warhawk top view, 6 US national roundels positioned on model. This standard was altered by Aug 1942 after US entry into WW2. Combat reports showed that red dot (since it had longer visual wavelength) was usually detected first before other details came into range, hence mistaken to be Imperial Japan's Hinomaru insignia (white outlined red circle, based on Japan's flag), WW2 US servicemen called it the "Meatball". Given inexperience of US crews, tendency was to shoot first and ask identity later. In addition, only one roundel was assigned for upper and lower surface, this was to prevent dual roundels being used as defacto aiming points for enemy gunners. Flag of Japan - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinomaru

Roundel #1 : US national aircraft insignia underwent evolutionary series in first half 20th-century, one was not formally adopted until expansion of Army and Navy air arms during WW1 entry. All national roundels encompass basic color of related national flag. First roundel May 1917 - Feb 1918 was blue disc + white star + red center dot to encompass the red-white-blue of US flag. Aircraft tailfin rudder also marked with triple blue-white-red vertical stripes (for ground identification to avoid friendly-fire when planes forced landed in combat zone since its tailfin will be first section protruding over horizon). U.S. Naval Aircraft Marking - http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq2-1.htm

Roundel #2 : US entry into WW1 modified 1917 design, for the white star from a distance resembled German WW1 Iron Cross insignia. Hence conforming with British + French roundels, design altered to concentric red-blue-white circles from Feb 1918 - Aug 1919. Tailfin color also altered red-white-blue stripes. 1917 German Fokker DR-1 - artfiles.art.com/images/-/Fokker-DR-1-1917---Red-Baron-Print-C10028221.jpeg

Roundel #3 : US reverted back to its Disc + Star design after WW1 end. Myriad of insignia regulations on lettering and numerals were instituted, some officially from Army and Navy governance boards, others were ad-hoc field actions. Standards were geared to identify flying vehicle by land-base aircraft, seaplane, dirigible (aka airship or blimps). The Era of the Dirigible - www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Lighter_than_air/dirigibles/LTA9.htm

Airship Operations | Note that US operated combat airships throughout WW2, primarily for anti-submarine patrol off US coastline. They were forbidden to directly attack enemy submarines since the lighter-than-air ship was extremely vulnerable to even light caliber fire. There was a 1943 Gulf of Mexico incident when US airship commander elected to ignore standing orders and attack a German submarine on the surface recharging its batteries. Resulting battle with depth charges crippled the submarine, but enemy fire forced American airship to crash land into the sea. Thus, airship commander was court-martial for dereliction of duty. Anti-submarine warfare - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-submarine_warfare

However, WW2 end revealed that German sub ballast tanks were punctured during airship attack, hence unable to re-submerge. Submarine was later located by Allied air patrol and subsequently sunk. Thus, US commander court-martial conviction was rescinded since his action contributed directly to destruction of enemy submarine. Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War - worldlibrary.net/eBooks/WorldeBookLibrary.com/aadow.htm

Another interesting WW2 US airship story is the Goodyear blimp "Resolute". It was given a "Letter of Marque" by US government (only US craft to operated by this authority since War of 1812) as anti-sub privateer from Dec 1941 to Spring 1942. It was flown by a civilian crew armed with radio, binoculars, and a single rifle. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WINGFOOT LAKE AIRSHIP BASE - www.goodyearblimp.com/history/wingfoot.html

• Airship - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airship

Roundel #4 : US entry into WW2 revealed that during heat of battle in Pacific theater (and combat inexperience of American crews), red dot was often mistaken for Imperial Japan Hinomaru insignia (since red color has longer wavelength, hence had more visual prominence). Thus, red dot was removed to alleviate friendly-fire incidents. Japan A6M5 Zero/Zeke fighter with Hinomaru insignia - www.air-and-space.com/20040516%20Chino%20flying%205.htm

Markings aside, one should note friendly fire can also occur in fluid battle situations, one infamous incident was April 2002 killing of 4 and wounding another 8 Canadian soldiers by US F-16 fighter dropping a laser-guided bomb onto suspected Taliban position in Kandahar-Afghanistan. CBC Friendly fire case: the legal saga - http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/friendlyfire/

Roundel #5 : Concern for friendly-fire incidents prompted US to altered insignia for Operation Torch : Nov 1942 invasion of French North Africa. France was only Allied country that surrendered to Germany in June 1940, signed armistice and cooperation pact with Germany, and felt compelled by national honor to defend region against Allied invasion (interesting to note that final days of WW2 Europe, Berlin was fanatically defended to bitter end in-part by SS-Charlemagne French volunteers, and that one of last winners of coveted German Knights Cross for combat bravery was Frenchmen named Eugene Vaulot). 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne_Divisio

Yellow outline encircled US roundel (most were thick for visual prominence). This marking served as defacto insignia by US 15th Air Force operating in North African theater until mid-1943 introduction of "Star and Bars" pattern. The 15th Air Force - www.376hbgva.com/history/15thairforce.html

• Related Model and History : F4F Wildcat and Operation Torch - UweMilitaria.org/3-Aerial/AfricanWildcat/index.html