Curtiss P-40, that's my big "love". Images are never enough. So I add some of them. I would like to point out, above all, the great "damenlandung" P-40E.
" ... Lionoil was a removeable shop coat applied to protect the aluminum sheet from staining during the manufacturing process. The blue came from the addition of Prussian Blue pigment and was added just to make the protective coat more visible during production. In the age of natural metal finishes, Lionpil helped ensure a clean-looking aircraft on delivery.
After the aircraft was assembled, the Lionoil was to be washed off, then the aircraft would be primed and painted. Last week I found an AAF directive that allowed Curtiss to apply camouflage paint directly over the Lionoil without use of a primer. That might explain why some of the P-40 wrecks we've seen show excessive chipping on some parts of the fuselage...