What color was the DINFIA I.Ae. 38?

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Capt. Vick

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Uni-Craft says orange with a white cockpit, and other models show colors from grey to grey-green. From Google it seems there are no color pictures at least. Thoughts? Any Argentine Modelers out there devoting time to this arcane pursuit?
 
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Uni-Craft says orange with a white cockpit, and other models show colors from grey to grey-green. From Google it seems there are no color pictures at least. Thoughts? Any Argentine Modelers out there devoting time to this arcane pursuit?

I'm pretty sure "arcane" doesn't really cover it. "Manically obsessive" perhaps? :)

I'd never even heard of the DINFIA I.Ae. 38 until I saw your thread title. The sad thing is, part of me said "Wow! Never heard of that. I should look it up." Fortunately, the other half of my schizo-personality screamed "Don't be a sad tosser. Get out more!!!" :)
 
Uni-Craft says orange with a white cockpit, and other models show colors from grey to grey-green. From Google it seems there are no color pictures at least. Thoughts? Any Argentine Modelers out there devoting time to this arcane pursuit?

Obliquely interesting question, Jim. I can't offer an answer, but I can offer a possibility. Firstly, a bit of background. The IAe.38 was based on the design of the Horten H VIII, on which construction was begun before the end of the war. British troops captured Gottingen and discovered components including wing sections and undercarriage units, which they duly photographed. When Horten was interrogated in Britain he offered himself to the British aircraft industry, along with plans to build this aircraft, but he elicited no response from any of Britain's aircraft companies, that I'm aware of. Drawings in English exist of the aircraft and its unique layout that were made based on the existing components and plans that survived at Gottingen.

There is a colour profile of what the Horten H VIII might have looked like in Dan Sharp's magazine Secret Wings of the Third Reich. Its wings are depicted as being natural wood with the fuselage in silver dope.

When Horten went to Argentina he built the IAe.38, but it was four engined, although the Horten H VIII was six engined. The nickname "Naranjero" came from the fact that no practical use could be found for it and so it was used to ferry loads of oranges around the country, a naranjero is literally "orange boy/guy/fella", in this context meaning a carrier of oranges. There's not much out there on this aircraft in English, I happened to stumble on some stuff in Argentina in Spanish, but alas, there were no colour pics.

In a book I bought on the Pulqui fighters built by FMA there is a picture of the Pulqui I in a hangar and at the back is the completed IAe.38. It is in a uniform colour, but it's impossible to tell exactly which one. On the Wiki page there is a good side view in the same hangar, which looks like it could have been natural wood and fabric covering based on the texturing at the time that photo was taken.


I found this of interest, the B&W pics have been colourised.

 
"A.I. 38 Horten Flying wing aircraft for the transport of cargo with four floors of power, popularly known as ORANGE because its design responded to a need for the transport of fruit. construction starts in 1953 (design based on German project HÖRTEN HÖ - VIII of World War II) and with a temporary cancellation 1 and a half years after 1955, he made his first flight on 10 December 1960 piloted by Commander Rogelio Manuel Balled. By 1961 he had completed four flights, for the two last, the ventilation turbines were removed because it was verified that they lost power. Only one unit was built. Manned high-wing monoplane with a semi-monocoque structure bilarguera, made of duralumin with an arrow of 36.5o. The Internal tanks in the wings had a capacity of 1,450 l. ailerons all-metal frize type; Nacelle-type fuselage incorporated into the wing without tail unit; drift with your rudder fully metallic were located at the wing tips; landing gear with oleo-pneumatic shock absorbers composed of four fixed wheels, the bow wheel had a hydraulic retraction system. The command took place in a booth located just over the edge of the 3 wing attack. Wide warehouse of 23 m, the load was introduced by a rear door (it was called a crocodile mouth because the ramp The lower one rested on the ground and the upper one opened upwards to ease loading). Although the design included I.Ae. R-19 EL 740 HP INDIO with license built ROTOL twin-bladed propellers English, for the first series of 10 devices Hörten thought of ROLLS ROYCE DERWENT V with 1,632 Kg of thrust at 14,000 r.p.m. In the first tests on land it was found that the power plants I.Ae. 16-A EL GAUCHO of 450 HP suffered from overheating"
 

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