**** DONE: GB-36 1/48 Fiat CR 42 - Axis Manufactured Aircraft of WWII

[le_steph40]

I agree Kirby, this plane serial MM5688 (same construction block as MM5701 => MM5510-5701 delivered between March and August 1940) was sent to Belgium via Germany in October 1940, she was from 18° Gruppo, 3° Stormo.
The "doubt" about camo scheme here: A Re-Evaluation of Regia Aeronautica Camouflage 1940 by Steven "Modeldad" Eisenman
The base locations here: Håkans Aviation page - Fiat CR.42 in Regia Aeronautica service

 

[turbo]

Very interesting! The picture of the crashed aircraft looks as though it could be 3-tone on the fuselage (definitely 2-tone on the wings) but the author postulates it could be varying densities of 2-tone! I guess it's your call Steph...

 

[fubar57]

I myself like the night fighter

 

[Crimea_River]

The only way you will disappoint us Steph is if you DON'T build it. Glad you've settled on a scheme and, as always, well researched.

 

[Wayne Little]

Bring it on..!

 

[le_steph40]

Oups, oups, oups...!!! I'm late
I would like to finish my Hurricanes before to start this model. Some work to do. I still have some work: I just finished the decals...
But I began some researches about CR.42 cockpit color and I thought it was "verde anticorrosione" or gray but I found a "vernice per interni #18" in "Colori Ufficiali avi ita 1916 1943". Maybe is the same color with 2 different denominations. It looks like a bright (or light) RLM02. It seems that the cockpit we can see in the little manual delivered by Italeri (Thanx Geo) is in that color in interior with light gray structure cockpit

There is an article on IPMS Stockholm where the cockpit seems to be all grey (maybe Grigio Azzurro Chiaro, cockpit color for CR.42 from 1941)
Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail - Part 3: Cockpit

I think to paint mine like photos above...

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

I know nothing about the Italian interior colours and hope to learn through your work Steph.

 

[destrozas]

indeed, the cockpit was painted in light gray, it was a color similar to the British gray barley, according to stormo's page the color is similar to fs 36307 Gunze h334 barley gray, because of the researches that I have been able to make as indicated in the book of the aeronautical regia, "Colori e Schemi Mimetici Regia Aeronautica 1935-1943_CMPR" and in " GMT - Colori e schemi mimetici della Regia Aeronautica part 1 e 2 (prima edizione) "on page 27 defines it this way,

 

[Airframes]

Don't know if this will help with your colour scheme choice Steph, but this is the actual aircraft shown in your 'crashed' photo, now in the RAF Museum, in original colour scheme.

 

[parsifal]

That dirty sand yellow is more tricky than it seems IMO

 

[Wurger]

These pics taken during the RAF tests reveal that there was the third colour on the top wing though..

 

[Airframes]

If I can find them, I have some 35mm transparencies I took in the late 1980's, which show the top wing. They've been 'missing' for some time, but I'll have a search for them.

 

[Wurger]

And here the known shots of the crashed kite showing the starboard and port side ...

 

[Crimea_River]

Here are my shots of the Hendon specimen FWIW.

 

[Crimea_River]

Oh, and a top shot:

 

[le_steph40]

It confirms that it tells in "A Re-evaluation of Regia Aeronautica Camouflage 1940" => this aircraft MM5701 was originally in 2 tone " The report describes this CR 42 as being muddy brown with green blotches." and when the RAF restaured this aircraft, they applied a third color (probably dark earth)

 

[Wurger]

It is stated at the Hyperscale right?

 

[le_steph40]

right ! The same here: STORMO! A Re-evaluation of Regia Aeronautica Camouflage 1940

 

[Wurger]

I have read that too. But I can agree with that prtially only . I would like to make a focus on the marked areas If the RAF would introduced the third colour why the same traces still can be noticed in both pics? IMHO the RAF camo modification of the plane included only: the repainted rudder in order to remove the Italian white marking, the same was done to the fuselage sides The fin doesn't seem to be repainted just the flash was added. The RAF roundels were applied at the same locations the Italian ones and were of exactly the same diameter. The top wing camo layout wasn't changed.