Hey Oboe! Lynch's P38G needs a fix...

[Guppy35]

Just got a copy of a 39th FS history.  Osprey got the profile wrong.

the sharkmouths started on the 39th FS P39s, and were their 'trademark'

The 38 shark mouths are described as red with gleaming white teeth, along with the blue spinners.

It makes sense after looking at the photos too.  It's solid color behind the teeth, not the OD/Gray camo.

I suppose the Osprey profile guy thought that they wouldn't have used red because of the Japanese markings in red.

BUT!  It sure will make that sharkmouth stand out with a red background to those white teeth

Two images from the 39th history.  First also appears to show a black(?) outline to the sharks mouth

Second is Captain Bob Faurot, who scored the first P38 kill in New Guinia when he knocked down a Zero with a 500 pound bomb dropped on the runway as the Zeke was taking off.  Doggone dweeb 38 drivers vulching again

The solid color behind the teeth seems evident in that photo as well

edited to add a color image showing the spinner blue.  Clearly they had solid blue spinners at some point.

Dan/CorkyJr

[oboe]

Nice, thanks for finding that!   I'll get on the fix to the sharkmouths - I agree it'll stand out better.

Do you know if Lynch's plane really had a yellow outline around the sharkmouth, as in the Osprey profile?

[Guppy35]

Here's an image showing Lynch and some of his pilots in front of his 38.

If I was a betting man, I'd say its a black outline just inside the white of the teeth with the red background to the teeth.  The color on both sides of the line appears the same.

Dan/CorkyJr