Shark Mouth Group Build Proposal

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Okay a friend at work asked me this question about the P-40's and the shark mouth.

It had been my understanding that the AVG was the first to put the shark mouth on their aircraft to scare the japanese, who for some reason feared the toothy fish.
So he pointed me to a wikipedia article saying that the British Desert Air Force got the first export of P-40's in the summer of 1941, and one of their squadron had painted the shark mouth on their aircraft. So when some mechanic in the AVG saw a magazine picture of these P-40's, he copied the idea. Wiki says that the AVG wasn't deployed until 12 days after Pearl Harbor.. but I could have sworn they were in China by atleast 1940.

Is this true? Or is it revisionist wikieditors? I figured someone here would know.

It is true that the AVG did not start combat operations until after Pearl Harbor.
Here is an exert from the web that supports the British made them toothy first.  "but by early December 1941 the A.V.G., with ferocious looking shark's jaws painted on their P-40's (an idea copied from the RAF's No. 112 squadron), was ready for action."

It is true that the AVG did not start combat operations until after Pearl Harbor.
Here is an exert from the web that supports the British made them toothy first. "but by early December 1941 the A.V.G., with ferocious looking shark's jaws painted on their P-40's (an idea copied from the RAF's No. 112 squadron), was ready for action."

Funny, here is a photo of a very early Bf-109 with shark mouth.  Was that version of the Bf-109 still in service by 1941?  Some Bf-110s had them applied during the invasion of Denmark and Norway in 1940.

Edit: googling the subject a bit, it seems the shark mouth first appeared on SE.5s, Sopwith Dolphins and German Albatros fighters during WWI.

A model of the albatros
A CGI of the Bf-110 in 1941
This Fokker Dr.1 sorta has a shark mouth

I have a book about mercenary pilots which has a section on the AVG, and it claims that the first of their sharkmouths was painted by a pilot called Eric Shilling, inspired by a newspaper photo of the Luftwaffe Bf.110s.

Ive read someware that the germans got there first as well

The RAF Middle East squadron that had sharkmouths was 112 Squadron.

They had teeth on their Tomahawk Is '..in 1941..' according to most references. They carried on using the teeth even postwar on their Vampires in RAF Germany, and there's a good Modeldecal sheet of one of them available.

Their last 'aircraft' was the Bloodhound missile but history doesn't relate if they carried teeth as well.......

So how about a group build where your entry has to have a shark mouth.  Eyes are optional.  This could be a boat, plane, missile, blimp, science fiction subject, etc.  Just so long as it is sporting a shark mouth.

[ChernayaAkula]

Way cool! I'd be up for that!

[Daryl J.]

Very cool.   



Daryl J.

[Mossie]

I guess we've already got an inspiration thread!
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,25862.0.html

Like this idea, not sure what I'd do for it though....

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

For the first-ever IPMS(UK) Nationals that the Merseyside branch attended (waaaaayyy-back-when ), we chose 'Sharks Teeth' as our theme. Personally I've never stopped building them, Never done a ship or a Sci-Fi, but I've done a 'Real World' M47 and countless Phantoms' P-40's, F-86's, P-51's etc, etc over the intervening years. I'd love to be included in a What If 'Jaws' GB. Just tell me when and I'll be there !

Ian

[elmayerle]

So how about a group build where your entry has to have a shark mouth.  Eyes are optional.  This could be a boat, plane, missile, blimp, science fiction subject, etc.  Just so long as it is sporting a shark mouth.

Maybe it's just my twisted sense of humor, but I can just see someone doing a bionically-augmented and enhanced shark as a SF entry.

[lancer]

Seeing as I also love the sharks mouth on anything. - I was going to get one of those top boxes for the car and paint a sharks mouth on that- consider me in for this little shinddig.

[Mossie]

Would any kind of 'mouth' be elligible, such as tigers, hogs, snakes, dragons etc???

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Would any kind of 'mouth' be elligible, such as tigers, hogs, snakes, dragons etc???

There ya go, asking all of the wrong questions. 

I see no reason to not include other types of mouths in which case the group build might have to be renamed to encompass all of the other styles and stereotype mouths, with and without teeth, lips, tongue, and eyes. 

[Mossie]

Great stuff Jeff!  You could keep the Shark Mouth title, just write into the rules than any related styles were welcome.  I guess it could give folks with a bit of skill the chance to pull of something of their own.

[ysi_maniac]

Would any kind of 'mouth' be elligible, such as tigers, hogs, snakes, dragons etc???

There ya go, asking all of the wrong questions. 

I see no reason to not include other types of mouths in which case the group build might have to be renamed to encompass all of the other styles and stereotype mouths, with and without teeth, lips, tongue, and eyes. 

Feminine sexy lips too?
(strictly mouth )

[frank2056]

I made some shark (or generic toothy predator) mouth and eyes decal for my Iskra build.
The decals are in 4 color separations, plus white - ideal if you have an ALPS printer. I can combine them into a full color decal that can be printed on clear or white decal paper. If there's interest I'll post both versions (CMYK + white and full color).

Frank

[Brian da Basher]

This is a winner of a GB idea! Now I know what to do with all those shark's mouth decals I accumulated whiffing P-40s. If this GB gets off the ground, count me in!

Brian da Basher

[noxioux]

Must do it!  I have a couple sets of teeth around here someplace. . .

[PanzerWulff]

Here's a Sci Fi classic that sported teeth the Babylon 5 Thunderbolt Starfury


It also had a Beak


"Panzer"