Gotta tell you. Sometimes, even back in the “Good Old Days”, Folks musta had they’re heads up you know where! Why do I even say such an insensitive thing? Well, here’s a case in Point. Remember the MONOGRAM Cessna180 Sport plane with Floats.
I just recently acquired another one to build to replicate the one I actually owned and flew. I was admiring the teensy tiny rivets and smooth silver( Dull) that it was molded in. Then My eyes fell upon the teensy Decal sheet. registration numbers for the tail and wings. Guess what though?
If you look at the paint pattern on the box and the picture closely, You can just barely make out Cessna180 on the door, in white. Now back to the kit decals. If you paint the plane the colors on the box, you will NEVER see the name! Why? Well there’s a black stripe in that area! And of all colors, The decals are Black too!
On my actual aircraft those letters were made by painting with a mask, letting the natural metal show through. Now I am sure that wasn’t done at the factory. I think sometime in her life “Caroline”( My daughters named Her) had been stripped and re-painted. Never could find out though.
Although I repainted in the same pattern three shades of Green and a thin White stripe. The aircraft paint shop followed the original patterns and Boy, did She look awesome.
Can you show us any photos of your full scale aircraft? I used to fly, but all of my experience was in land based tail draggers: Piper J3 Cub, Piper Vagabond, and a Stoltz Starduster built by my Uncle and Grandpa. The Starduster is down in the Carolinas now N16RS. Richard Seagrave was my Uncle, hence the Romeo Sierra designator.
You Fellas and Ladies ask for photos. Do you know what an F-5 Tornado is? Well on December 3rd 1982 one of those changed my life’s direction with Bitter lessons. No photos existed after that.
I am one of those “used to fly” people too. Our numbers are legion. I served on our local airport commission until the field was closed down. Now I understand the economics of airports- sad. Only thing I could fly now would be a trailerable homebuilt, but at my age I am not sure would survive long after build time.
That is one airplane I saw a lot of growing up. I always thought, ( In little boy think), Betchya someday our cars will be like that. I always had and still do have a soft spot for multi tailed aircraft! I guess that’s why a B-25 when I was “in the clover” so to speak.