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Curtiss Condor T 32 - military use photos


JWM

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Hi,

Ardpol had released recently a 1/72 resin kit of Curtiss Wright Condor (T32). There are many boxes in range including Japan and Chineese, but I am searching for something not from the box...I tried to google photos of military T 32, and found only few. I have found  a picture of a British one http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?98107-more-vintage-airliners

It looks a bit strange - a mix of WWII time scheme and 1930 style rudder. Perhaps it is an artistic vision only. Are there any photos available? At least two T 32 were captured in Hong-Kong by Japaneese. Were they Chineese or British before?   Any info on Chineese (or British from Far-East) T 32 will be welcome and apprecieted...

Regards

Jerzy-Wojtek

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Hi, Jerzy-Wojtek

According to the article MilneBay mentioned, one Condor, captured in Hong-Kong, was the sole survival of six China national aviation corporation machines, caught on the ground during December 1941 Japanese attack, although there is no mentioning of the second captured Condor. Information about Chinese BT-32, employed as a personal transport of Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek are also given, along with its colour profile. There is also plenty colour profiles of other Condors, both military and civilian, but unfortunately only one photo of airborne US Navy R4C-1. Cheers

Jure

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Many thanks for so far help! In net I have found Air Enthusiast short article with profiles, it is here:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-scale-aircraft-169/9563191-curtiss-condor-laddie-mikulasko.html

So there are some interesting painting shemes. In particular I am searching for other Chineese than that one personal of Chang-Kai-Shek, since it is described as 1934 and I would like to do it from a later period, for instance 1937-41.

Cheers

J-W

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Yes, profiles on flying models forum are the same as those in RAF flying review magazine. The profile of Chang-Kai-Shek's plane also appears in several other publications, photo of that aircraft as a company demonstrator is also known to exist, but hardly anything else about Chinese Condor's could be found. Give me an hour or so, with a bit of luck I will dig something out. Cheers

Jure

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  • 3 weeks later...

The China National Airways Corporation (CNAC)  Curtiss Condor biplane transports at Kai Tak, Hong Kong were three of five former American Airways T-32s and AT-32Ds sold to the Chinese government by Charles H Babb in 1939 and allocated to CNAC in 1940. They had been stored in Mexico after detention during an attempted sale to the Spanish Republic and went to California in 1939 to be re-built as freighters. They were delivered to China in December 1940 and leased to CNAC by the Chinese Ministry of Finance. The CNAC plan was to use them for freight duties between Lashio or Hanoi and Kunming but they ended up transporting tungsten ore and tin from Namyung (aka Nanshiung or Namyang) to Hong Kong (200 miles) with imported Red Cross supplies freighted on the return trips. That service began in March 1941 with initially ten round trips a month increasing to 105 by July. The Condors carried white alpha-numeric codes on their tails F2, F3 and F5 ('F' for freight), with only those three aircraft reported in operation by CNAC at the time of the attack. The other two Condors are variously reported as having been broken down for spares or issued to the airline Eurasia which never used them. Condor F-3 was later captured intact by the Japanese and re-painted with Japanese Hinomaru and a white senchi hiyoshiki fuselage band (the so-called 'combat stripe') but retained its original CNAC tail code 'F-3'.

 

This above is from my blog entry 'The Attack on Hong Kong ~ Ki-27 Aces Extra 2' of November 2014.

 

Nick 

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Many thanks Nick for this input. In Net one can found photo of this captured by Japaneese Condor - 

http://arawasi-wildeagles.blogspot.com/2015_07_01_archive.html

She has there hinomarus and white strip, but no sign of "F3" number on tail as you can notice - perhaps it (the number) was overpainted aftrer some time of use? Or whole airplane was re-painted after some time?

BTW - The same painting scheme is in one box of a new model of Ardpol in 1:72 

http://www.findmodelkit.com/content/curtiss-wright-t-32-condor-japanese-army

on profile on this Ardpol kit's  box the painter did not noticed what is seen (for me) on the photo, that the dark colour - a green? - seems to go differently below hinomaru and white stripe on fuselage - what looks like overpainted side-bottom windows?...

Cheers

Jerzy-Wojtek

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43 minutes ago, JWM said:

Many thanks Nick for this input. In Net one can found photo of this captured by Japaneese Condor - 

http://arawasi-wildeagles.blogspot.com/2015_07_01_archive.html

She has there hinomarus and white strip, but no sign of "F3" number on tail as you can notice - perhaps it (the number) was overpainted aftrer some time of use? Or whole airplane was re-painted after some time?

BTW - The same painting scheme is in one box of a new model of Ardpol in 1:72 

http://www.findmodelkit.com/content/curtiss-wright-t-32-condor-japanese-army

on profile on this Ardpol kit's  box the painter did not noticed what is seen (for me) on the photo, that the dark colour - a green? - seems to go differently below hinomaru and white stripe on fuselage - what looks like overpainted side-bottom windows?...

Cheers

Jerzy-Wojtek

 

I have another photo showing the aircraft with F3 number on the tail and the Japanese markings, probably soon after capture. That number was meaningless to the Japanese so was probably removed in due course. The green and brown camouflage was darker than Ardpol show it. The brown (containing red pigment) appears the darker colour in many photos but is usually presumed to be the green! The green paint was similar to RAL 6020 - no equivalent FS - and is available in some paint ranges as "Nakajima Green". The brown was approximately similar to FS 30097. There is another close FS 10080 but it is darker and more reddish, the gloss adding to that impression.  

 

The CNAC Condors were already configured for freight but might have contained some passenger seats. The photos of them in CNAC service show the passenger windows which are not overpainted.

Nick 

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Nick, thanks!  

When I was writting about overpainted windows I was thinking on windows which are only in military versions (Chineese - the Chang Kai Shek one or the Colombian ones) - it is on the sides of rear of fuselage close to tail. Apparently those newer Chineese Condors from Hong-Kong - the transport (not bomber) machines were ex-passengers, so they should not have those windows - though some dark area is seen in this area  on the photo of Japan one...

Regards

Jerzy-Wojtek

 

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.. while these don't show the specific Chinese example you're after, I thought you might be interested nevertheless:

 

https://airandspace.si.edu/collections/search/Curtiss condor?filter[set_name]=Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records&page=0

 

I saw them in passing only yesterday when trawling for images of Curtiss CR / RC racers.

 

g.

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  • 4 months later...

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