Would be cool to do. I have all this metallic blue paint for when we thought everything inside a WW2 Japanese aircraft was coated with it I wonder if the wings were done as well and attached as such
Externally the B and C variants didn't differ too much I would say. So we can say that's the B/C version.
Regarding the colour on the horizontal stabs and the aileron .. it doesn't seem to be the Neutral Grey but the Olive Drab. Or it might be a kind of a primer of the olive-brownish tinge, IMHO.
I cannot guarantee it was the case at that time but I have always suspected that the "blue dye" was a thin layer of blue plastic film applied to keep the skins clean and minimize scratching.
You can still buy aircraft alloy sheet with the film but now it is clear. I believe the first photo in post 463 above supports this theory as, to me, that looks like the film has been pealed back to allow the walkway to be applied.
If you really want a copy of
go to
There are only print copies identified so if you want a personal copy you will need to scan or photograph every page. Then you might as well PM them to me so I can produce a pdf and post it here.
I had never heard of the author (not that that means anything) but he was quite prolific
That Canadian magazine caught my eye until I saw the eye watering price. I never knew Canada built Hampdens.
I am jealous. Being a Safety and Quality Manager I have collected a number of safety pubs of that era but I have never seen that one. It is interesting to see what has changed and what is the same - and still causing incidents/accidents.
The biggest change is from blame the pilot/mechanicto find why the pilot/mechanic/loadmaster/whoever made the mistake(s) they did and then try and train/modify procedures/etc to eliminate the hazard.
The blue film on those Warhawks is called Lionoil. It was actually included in Curtiss manuals and apparently was used both as a protective "shop coat" for the Alclad (which would be removed before final paint) and in some cases as an actual primer (with paint applied directly over it). Here's a link to a thread on Hyperscale that has all sorts of links and explanations re: Lionoil, pretty fascinating stuff: HyperScale Forums-WW2 aircraft sheet metal question
Damn
I used Lionoil in the early 60s at work and never picked up on that. The stuff I used was honey coloured but I never put two and two together.
Double damn.