Another P-51 Gear Bay Question

[marcus4hire]

As you guys and gals may know already from my incessant threads and questions I am working on an Academy 1:72 P-51B.

I have successfully made it to the gear and gear bays and, at the risk of sounding cocky, I am very pleased with the work I have done so far.

On the clam shell inner gear doors there is a strip of metal running across the middle. It is my understanding that this is for the gear rubbing across the doors as it is retracted.

Reference photos of restored planes show it in several colors. The strip in bare metal and the door in interior green, the strip in green and the door in bare metal, etc.

On the dozens of reference photos of period planes (a lot in color) I don't even see this strip.

My question is, what color is this supposed to be?? I understand the doors should be bare metal (NOT interior green) but should the strip be the same, or painted green??

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Airframes]

I've seen a couple of shots, in colour, from WW2, where this strip, which may be a reinforcing panel, added post-production, was in yellow zinc chromate, with the door surface in clear laquered aluminium. I've also seen it in 'bare' metal. However, these doors were normally closed, opening only when the gear cycled. The doors may droop slightly as hydraulic pressure bled off, and sometimes they were fully open, but this was not the norm. On preserved aircraft, they tend to be open on the ground, presumably due to de-pressuring the system, possibly for modern-day safety reasons.

 

[marcus4hire]

.....and there's Terry. Thanks, mate! I realize I should probably save these up for all at once but I keep thinking I have the answers or don't realize the question!

See if there is anymore....... Oh, does anybody know the color of the inside of the radiator door? Again, restored planes show it painted while reference photos show it in bare metal. Ah, what the heck, bare metal for the rear wheel door as well??

 

[Airframes]

Normally bare metal, but could depend on the unit and whether the airframe was re-painted at some stage. Inside of the tail wheel doors was normally yellow zinc chromate.

 

[Crimea_River]

I'm with Terry on those colours. Many pics have the gear doors in varying positions from fully closed to fully open, and some in between. Depends how long the plane sat on the ground with the bleed occurring. I've made these doors bare aluminum inside with the reinforcing strip done in a darker steel-type colour. Mix a bit of black into the silver and you're pretty close.

 

[marcus4hire]

That's great info! Especially on the reinforcing strip, was just sitting here thinking about it. Black and silver, got it.

Much thanks, fellas. The technique may end up being questionable but the colors will not!