Best Nose Art

Oh boy, this'll get me goin'...

'The Dragon' was from WWII, the ship flew with the 64th Bomb Sqn, 43rd BG.

As to faves, it's really impossible to pick one. I'm a total cheesecake nut and I love most every piece of nose art I've seen, although I can say that I hate stuff that's badly done...

If I HAD to pick though, I'd go with 'Cocktail Hour', a B-24 from the same unit as 'The Dragon'.

As to types of aircraft, the B-24 is pretty hard to beat for canvas size and carried alotta quality artwork in it's day, although there were alotta B-29's with some real good work as well. Hell, they all had good art on 'em...

Someday I plan on building a website dedicated to nothing but nose art.

As well as one on P-40's and one on...


Fade to Black...

Here's some of what the A-10 calls "nose art" it's really painted on the boarding ladder door but cool none the less....

http://www.warthogpen.com/doorart.html

Great topic! I think that's one of the driving factors as to why I love to build US WW2 aircraft. You just don't find stuff like that on any other nation's plane. Only in the USA, right? Oh well.

But some of my favorite works of art were those found on B-29s during both WW2 and Korea. Also, many P-61 squadrons were just downright works of art! I think that's why I've got eight Black Widows on my shelves. Each one is more ornate than the next. They were sure bold and creative back then weren't they?

Have a great day everyone!

Eric

People are bold and creative today as well; lookit all the special schemes you find on almost any aircraft type you can imagine these days. (Tiger Meet schemes, unit anniversary schemes etc..)

Only, it seems that the roles have changed. Back in the day we Americans were the bold and brassy lot, especially when it came to puttin' scantily or non-clad gals on our airplanes. Other nationalities did it too, but not to the same extent. These days it's the rest of the world that goes nuts, only it's usually just with bright colors and snarling fearsome-lookin' creatures! A tiger ripping it's way out of an F-104 ain't quite the same as a classy chassis, but I'll take it.

So again I'd say that we're still bold and creative, but it's the powers that be which have restricted the creativity, unfortunately. If you do see a special scheme on a USAF jet it's usually gone in a few days or weeks.

We're just too damn PC these days...


Fade to Black...

My favorite has always been "The Impatient Virgin" on the WW2 PB4Y-1 as seen in my signiture. Here is a link to a larger view (caution, this is a nude) http://www.swannysmodels.com/images/PB4Y1pics/virgincloseup.jpg

This is the best nose art , I really like it...

great topic, i agree with you quagmyre, the 24 really had some nice art. some p-61's did also. but for a favorite i would have to say "eating kittie". there is a story behind it also.

I agree that the B-24s had the most elaborate nose art but for my favorite as in Q1 it's the B-17 and Q2 A Bit O' Lace. This is my first bomber and it kinda stuck with me.

One of my favorites...

"The Good Widow Mrs. Jones"



Mrs. Jones adorned the "nose" of a UH-1C Gunship of the 121st AHC in Vietnam, flown by Capt.White. He repainted it from a photograph of his late Father's B-24, so he too, could carry her into Battle!

Frank

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dice Here's some of what the A-10 calls "nose art" it's really painted on the boarding ladder door but cool none the less.... http://www.warthogpen.com/doorart.html

That looks like a Hajime Sorayama painting.

Mike

I am a pin-up fan myself and love the artwork of Alberto Vargas, Gil Elvgren and George Petty.
I have always liked the P-61 Black Widow "Lady in the Dark" as it had great artwork too.

Mike

MY B29 didnt have a sexy girl on it.It was a skunk with a cloths pin on its nose with the letters "UNINVITED underneath I believe the skunk was the Disney Petunia one Wish someone out there could make me some decals for my three b29s 1/48 1/72 and 1/144

Scantily laced ladies sure do look good.

The more cartoony nose art is also classic. My B-29 has Thumper on the side of it and for my B-17 I went with Chowhound (Pluto).

I believe the Germans had a good ammount of nose art too when it came to this genre. I think I remember seeing Mickey Mouse (beloved by all Germans at the time) on a number of Nazi planes. So does that mean they've got David Hasselhoff on the sides of their fighters today?

I would have to agree w/ Blackwolf, Cheese Cake, Cheese Cake, and more Cheese Cake.
Its just something to see cheese cake on the side of an a/c. It does not really matter what type of aircraft it is either.
BUT I am also for the names that these pilots give their ships as well.







And YES Lt Weaver's a/c

Flaps up, Mike

hahhaha is it best nose art or
Best Porno Art?
seriously folks I'm a fan of cheese cake too!
great topic!

It's entirely based on aircraft...

P-51 would have to be Big Beautiful Doll, although the checkers were actually squadron markings...still the prettiest P-51 ever painted.

Fw-190s, would have to be cowl eagles of JG2.

B-17, Outhouse Mouse.

B-29 is either Thumper or Dauntless Dotty. I lean toward Dotty.

B-24 is most definitely Dragon and his Tail.

B-25 is basically anything from the Air Apaches.

But the most famous nose art of all time has to be the AVG sharkmouth.

My two bits,

Jeff

For totally obnoxious how about TAR HEEL HAL P-47D and Big ****** Bird
THe B-26 Big Hairy Bird was out there too
The 80th FG in India The Twin Tailled Dragons P-38's
The Desert Snake Stuka's

How about just baout any CAG aircraft from the 50's and 60's these planes had outlandish colors They were great. JOHN

I always liked the Hairless Joe Jug.... as far as the heavies go-- I always liked "Sentimental Journey"....nothing beats Betty Grable

QUOTE: Originally posted by BlackWolf3945 We're just too damn PC these days...

Too PC. No doubt. Friend of mine formerly in Army MI informed me that Hummers are no longer referred to as Hummers. My fiance had no idea why. So I explained. Ironic that in an effort to become more PC for the sake of censorship or protection (whatever), they actually end up doing the opposite. It's the military acknowledging the "alternative" connotations of the name Hummer in sanctioning the use of the name Hummer, not otherwise. Just let the Beavis and Buttheads laugh and snicker and let the rest of the world grow up. My & .

Although it still cracks me up that the Brits call erasers rubbers. Of course, anyone with the name Randy will be severely laughed at over there. I gotta grow up.

Don't grow up!! It's not worth it...

More PCBS: The 174th FW (NYANG) used to be called "The Boys From Syracuse", 'used to' being the key phrase there.

The unit's patches naturally carried the 'BFS' name as well as a number of mottos such as 'Go Ugly Early' and 'In The Grass CAS', both from the unit's days with the A-10, and 'Fastass CAS' which was adopted after the unit converted to F-16's.

After the PCBS name change was forced upon them the patches read: 'The Airpersons From Syracuse' and 'PC CAS'; kind of a subtle flippin'-the-bird to the powers that be, so to speak. Cheers to them for that. Too bad more people don't have the guts to tell so-called 'authority figures' (read: self-righteous and/or bleeding-heart CYA artists) where to go. Unfortunately, in the military that would fall under the realm of 'insubordination'. Oh well, the world is full of stupid people, and many of them are in charge...


Fade to Black...

I'm with you blackwolf. Way too PC. did they forget that in the end thier job is to kill people? What's PC about that?

But, I guess there are a lot of young women that are willing to die for the United States too. There's no easy answer.

In the end, I think the old days were better. Some of the vintage nose art is just so beautiful. And when you stop to think about what it meant to the boys who flew those birds, it really sinks in what it's all about.

The artist, Bartigan. The location, Ie Shima. The aircraft, B-24J-161-CO, 44-40429. The art, MICHIGAN. This acft was assigned to the 43rd Bomb Group. This artist also did COCKTAIL HOUR, IT AIN'T SO FUNNY, LAST HORIZON, MABEL'S LABELS and as stated previously, THE DRAGON AND HIS TAIL. You know I don't think MSU has ever been immortalized in nose art (thank goodness). M GO BLUE!

Check-out the histroy of one A-10 ladder door art named "Miss behavin" I've been able to research, it's roots date back to W.W.II

http://www.warthogpen.com/doorart2.html