DONE: Finished Kittyhawk IV -Curtiss P-40N RAAF 76 Sqn G-SV A29-1140 Group Build

[ozhawk40]

Thanks Rochie, Wayne and Jan.

I've got to look at some more of these builds - there is some great work going on all over the PTO! good night.

Peter

 

[lesofprimus]

Great work on the gear, very nice detail...

 

[javlin]

This keeps up it should come out being a nice build there Sir.Cheers Kevin

 

[A4K]

Beauiful work mate! Love the u/c legs!

 

[ozhawk40]

Thanks guys - fingers crossed it turns out okay. Visited the aviation museum yesterday and got some more photos of 76 squadron kites, which I'm digesting now. <burp!> 8)

 

[Wayne Little]

Visited the aviation museum yesterday and got some more photos of 76 squadron kites, which I'm digesting now. <burp!> 8)

Show us what ya got man!

 

[ozhawk40]

Hi

This first photo is from the Aviation Heritage Museum of Western Australia. I've made annotations to it to show you what I'm considering doing with the final finish of 1140. This aircraft is numerically close, and went through the same process. I have also a photo of A29-1142 and shows identical markings to this, including very clear tail splotches.

Yes, it's not a 76 Squadron bird, but 80 Squadron. Classic shot and I don't think this has appeared in many books. Anyway it shows the general wear and tear and fix ups this aircraft collected in service.

What is apparent is the darker area around the cabin. This is due to the crew keeping a canvas cover over the cockpit while the aircraft is on the ground, and therefore does not fade as severely in this area. 76 was just the same and it appear S.O.P to keep the cockpit dry and cool.

Just contemplating the best way to replicate this feature. Pre-shading? post shading? Hmmmm.

The second shot shows a group of 80 squadron p-40's including 1142. 1142 definitely has the splotches, but interestingly it looks to me like all four aircraft have had the rudder re-sprayed. You can see the splotch pattern on the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer and horizontals, but less or not so on the rudder. This may indicate that the rudder paint faded much quicker and reduced the visibility of the splotching to this area, or they have been "touched up". Conversely, the rear two aircraft have the rudder darker. This photo appears in P-40 Hawks at War (Joe Christy and Jeff Ethell).

Cheers

 

[FlexiBull]

Peter the detail on those u/c legs is soooooooooo much better than the detail on the Italeri kit I did, even before your extra detail .Twin retracting links, the Italeri had one!! And a side brace whereas mine were scratch built.

Forward and Onward !!

Nice work

 

[Catch22]

Great pics!

 

[ozhawk40]

Flexibull

The U/c on the Hasegawa is pretty good considering. I have a couple of the Mauve kits, and while reasonable most places, the U/C and wheels are very bl**dy awful. Why, why, why. To keep the resin business going? Can you get some nice white metal ones anywhere? Otherwise, I believe I'm going to find myself with another skill and have knowledge of 1001 ways how NOT to build a set of u/c legs.

See ya!

 

[ozhawk40]

Ohhh! Forgot to mention that all these aircraft appear to have the gun barrels masked up with tape. Looks like white tape to me. Maybe red perhaps? What does everyone think?

Cheers

 

[muller]

Lovely work so far! 8) I don't know for sure about the tape colour on the guns that the RAAF would've used, but i've seen colour shots of corsairs with the guns taped, the tape is a buff colour with oily fingerprint smudging on them.

 

[Catch22]

Lovely work so far! 8) I don't know for sure about the tape colour on the guns that the RAAF would've used, but i've seen colour shots of corsairs with the guns taped, the tape is a buff colour with oily fingerprint smudging on them.

I've seen Spitfires with red as well.

 

[Airframes]

Nice pics there Peter. I would think the easiest way to replicate the darker shade around the cockpit would be to paint the aircraft overall, and then roughly mask off, leaving the area around the cockpit free, and either spray or brush, varying the weight at the edges slightly, in the 'real' shade of the colour.
Not sure about the gun-muzzle tape colours, but certainly in Europe, this was done using doped fabric patches. The fabric was a sort of brown / buff colour, sealed in place with a red coloured dope, which, when dried, gave a dull, red/brown appearance. This was where the muzzles were inside the wing, with a gun port, as per Spitfire, Hurricane, Beaufighter etc.
Where muzzles protruded, eg Mustang, the cannons on Hurricane IIC etc, AFAIK, the tape was applied over the muzzle and sealed around the edges, and appereared more of a brown colour, like a buff, manilla envelope looks, with a hint of pale red, the latter, I presume, being the streaks of dope. Logic tells me that something like ordinary masking tape might have been used, or the type of tape we now know as 'Duct' tape or 'Tank' tape which, then, was made from a cloth fibre weave, and was similar in colour to modern-day masking tape, perhaps with a slight greyish tinge.

 

[FlexiBull]

Looks very much like the white of the tail area and spinner, I'm just guessing White.

 

[109ROAMING]

Awesome shots! 8)

 

[Wayne Little]

Yeah great shots and info mate!

 

[ozhawk40]

Progress thus far.

 

[109ROAMING]

Real nice work

 

[Airframes]

Very neat, good work mate.