I’m currently working on Hasegawa’s 1/48 F-8E Crusader. I would like to display it with the wings in the elevated position. Does anyone know what color the underside of the wing should be ( that is, the region of the elevated wing that is directly above the fuselage)?
I’ve looked at photo after photo of Crusaders but can’t tell what colors are in there!!
Red in the front with white undersides, near as I can tell…
Don’t forget…if the wing is raised…the flaps/slats are down.
Red! Dang… bright, red!
I used to see them (1975-76) totally white underneath w/ a red front…some totally red, some I believe were totally white. [%-)]
Not being an Airdale, I thought nothing of it!
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s five thousand words:
First post in a while…
Excellent photos, Ishmael. Hot pink it is!
Ah, question answered. Excellent photos. It looks like Hasegawa’s instructions are wrong regarding the fuselage interior color. They say it’s Interior Green (which is what I used), but no info was given regarding the underside of the wing, so I’m gonna’ go with white. Who knows? Maybe some Crusaders did have interior green as the color?? One thing I’ve discovered in this hobby is never to trust the kit’s painting guide, especially Italeri’s!!!
Luckily, I’ve read reviews of this kit so I knew ahead of time about the fit problems associated with the wing in the raised position…
I think the “Interior Green” refers to the COCKPIT, not the wing underside. You would not be correct to paint the cockpit white.
I believe the Crusader was mainly built after the cockpit color switchover to Dark Gull Gray. I believe the Green cockpits ended during the Korean War era or mid 50s at the latest.
All the references I have indicate gull grey cockpits with black panels, white under the wing and in gear gear wells and on doors. Definitely white on the wing center section under surface, I have some color photos of that. Don’t know about the top of the fuselage in that area, no photos there but the earlier photos in this thread are probably right, just a little suspect as it doesn’t look like an in-service airplane. Good enough.
I only have one reference photo… But I can say safely that the cockpit in “202” was overall dark gray on the inside of the canopy and walls, floor, and pedals. The paint was almost gone from wear & tear on the floor in between the pedals and seat, showing a lot of bare aluminum… The instrument panel and side panels were all black.
I say that because:
(That’s me)
[:D]
Hans von Hammer - that is one heck of a picture! Thanks for sharing
Jeaton, that particular aircraft is an RF-8G at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas, TX. That aircraft was patially restored by the Vought Aircraft Retirees Club. Why is that significant? If I recall, there were two or three individuals that actually worked on the tail end of the F-8 production/rebuild run, since the Vought factory is in Dallas. I’ve got several F-8 refs in my library as well, & the wing undersurface & underwing area was always white. Now the internal bays, like the camera & gun bays were zinc chromate green of various shades.
It would appear you have taken my comment as critical of the work that has been done on that RF-8G. Not so, I am a crew chief on the F-101B at McClellan, and help on several other airplanes there. We just don’t always have the resources we need for everything, in fact it is the same question usually for “restorers” as it is for modelers, and if period photos are available, well they are the safest guide. I’m very glad that someone has cared to mother that F-8. When we are out of F-8’s, we’re out of fighters! I suspect the underwing area was white, I just don’t myself have a nice color photo from the area and time to prove it. I’ll be painting mine white there, but I’ll probably get the wrong shade of white![8D]