Don’t give me a P-39, with the engine mounted behind. It will tumble and roll, and dig a big hole, don’t give me a P-39. So we gave them to the Russians.
Another pair of Bob Stevens cartoons. The first shows a P-39 in a flat spin, for which it was apparently notorious. The cynical pilot is saying, “Twenty years from now they’ll call this a Frisbee.”
The counterpoint to that cartoon shows a Russian P-39 blowing apart of Panzer. The dialog balloon is in Russian, but the footnote says the pilot is saying, “Man, what a can opener!”
FWIW, Chuck Yeager liked the P-39…'course he never flew it in combat.
I’m not qualified to compare the two, since my experience extends only to 45 minutes in a P-51. But I can say that it’s a great plane to fly - superb handling and balance and (of course) gobs of power. It sure is hot and noisy, but would anyone want it not to be?
(I know a guy with over 6000 [!] hours in a P-51.)
I dare you to use that in another context 
sig line perhaps?