I’m finishing up a Revell P-40B that’s been sitting around for a few years, and I decided to go with something plain for the paint scheme. I wanted to do a Pearl Harbor bird, and decided to do George Welch’s P-40 “160”. I have the Airfix kit and will borrow the decals for that, but the question I have run into is how the underside neutral gray is painted under the horizontal stalilizers for this aircraft.
Now, as shown in this link (and on Airfix box art) the neutral gray underside curves up under the horizontal tail surfaces.
I would say the second one. I have never seen P40’s with that “Curve” The lithograph in the second photo is probably more accurate due to the fact that the pilot probably signed off on it. just my cents
These “Life” magazine photos would tend to support that, but you never can tell what variations in painting may have taken place out in the field. We’ll see if anyone can come up with photgraphic evidence.
Go,with the straight line. P-40Bs & Cs we’re produced in OD/NG or RAF camo depending upon intended end user. There would not have been repainting in the field like on P-35s and P-36s from NMF to OD/NG in late 1941.
Thanks, Stik! The colors aren’t in question, just that minor discrepancy in the neutral gray. I will note that I checked the Airfix instructions for the paint scheme and found they (unlike the box art) shows the OD under the horizontal stabilizers. Guess the artist was taking some liberties, though I do wonder about why they showed it that way. Oh, well!
I hear ya. I was not making my reply so much about the colors used, as to one of the replies that mentioned field applied paint jobs. The P-36s in Hawaii were in the process of being painted in OD/NG from NMF at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. The P-40s arrived factory painted, fresh off the assembly line, so they would have no need for locally applied paint jobs. They were comparatively new aircraft, having just entered service.
Well, never say “never”! I found a couple of images that show the curved NG bottoms for the P-40s.
The blurb on the last page actually says that the early P-40s had the “curved” neutral gray scheme, but it doesn’t say when they changed over. So, what did the 47th Pursuit Squadron have? Need to do a little research on Welch’s P-40 and when it was produced.
Only the P-40-CU’s and re-winged P-40G’s had the NG upsweep as they were painted before the new paint specs were released. The P-40B/C’s had the lower NG. This is per Dana Bell’s book, #5 P-40 Warhawk. Only B’s and C’s were in Hawaii with only 12 C’s there. The B/C’s are identified by having the fuel and oil fills located behind the left rear glass.
And don’t forget to replace the cranked British pitot tube of the R/M P-40 with a Curtiss straight arrow one. Also make sure the US Army markings under the wing are dark blue, not black.
No one can match the exact colors.Its to long in time past.The art of modeling is to get as close as you can to the finish.Also in the detail department.Have fun building and painting.Museum WW2 aircraft are repainted with a beginners touch.Sharp lines an heavy glosses.
