Red Army of China Air Force

[justplanecrazy]

I have the Blue Rider decal sheet but cannot find any of the refs printed with the instructions. Has can anyone help?

 

[rossm]

The Insignia magazine is available as a pdf here http://www.insigniamag.com/05_publications.html It is Vol3 no11 code INPDF-011 part way down the page.

 

Thanks for posting this, I had been looking for references for the Ki43 and, not having found any, was going with the scheme described on the PrintScale sheet which said green pattern over natural metal. Having already sprayed the silver I'm now going to order the pdf before I decide whether to strip it based on the description in your post which says green over light grey. So only two and a half cheers for your post!

[Nick Millman]

3 hours ago, rossm said:

The Insignia magazine is available as a pdf here http://www.insigniamag.com/05_publications.html It is Vol3 no11 code INPDF-011 part way down the page.

 

Thanks for posting this, I had been looking for references for the Ki43 and, not having found any, was going with the scheme described on the PrintScale sheet which said green pattern over natural metal. Having already sprayed the silver I'm now going to order the pdf before I decide whether to strip it based on the description in your post which says green over light grey. So only two and a half cheers for your post!

 

Oh dear. Not having found any? My reply to your pm seeking information about this topic must have been of no value then. 

 

The Insignia magazine mentioned above contains mainly information about the RAoCAF insignia and does not describe the Ki-43 colours, simply listing the type as in use. The Chinese publication referenced has a painted profile of a Ki-43 which appears to depict a sparse green mottle over natural metal, possibly meant to represent a very worn solid upper surface colour , but the colour scheme is not described in the text. The Blue Rider profile looks more like a proper, intended mottle than the Chinese painting suggests, which is scruffier looking with almost no paint on the upper surface of the rear fuselage and fin. 

 

As stated in my PM the four Ki-43-II came from 26 Rensei Hikotai which had a mix of solid and mottled Oscars - the latter possibly very badly worn original solid finishes. Although depicted as dark green there is a possibility they had been re-painted to match the unit's Ki-79 aircraft which were olive brown (like US OD) as that would have conformed to the Army painting standards at that time.  

 

I doubt that the Oscars were re-painted in Chinese hands other than the insignia being altered due to the improvised conditions at the Northeast Aviation School at Tonghua. The Chinese illustration depicts the Japanese anti-glare panel and yellow leading edge IFF strips still in place. The original 26 Rensei Hikotai tail insignia would have encroached onto the tail fin but whether it was painted over or stripped I couldn't say.  

 

Nick

[rossm]

Just now, Nick Millman said:

 

Oh dear. Not having found any? My reply to your pm seeking information about this must have been of no value then. 

 

Nick

 

I couldn't find any concrete references and took your description of mottle as confirming the decal sheet instructions showing green mottle over silver. Unless you sent me another message that has gone astray?

[rossm]

Having downloaded the Insignia magazine there is no information on Ki43, Ki45 or Ki46 colours in it. The book seems to be available only in a few libraries in the US and China - see this link

 

So I might stick with silver as in the PrintScale sheet and online drawings I have found. But I'll wait a day or two before applying the mottle in case anyone who is able to get to Yale, Harvard, Princeton or the Library of Congress can tell us what is in the book.

[Nick Millman]

3 minutes ago, rossm said:

 

The book seems to be available only in a few libraries in the US and China - see this link

 

 

I have the book and it only has a single profile painting as described above. No photos of Oscars in Communist service, only one of an ex-48 Hiko Sentai Ki-43-III Ko in post-war Nationalist markings in a very badly worn Tachikawa factory scheme.  

 

Nick

[Nick Millman]

2 hours ago, rossm said:

 

I couldn't find any concrete references and took your description of mottle as confirming the decal sheet instructions showing green mottle over silver. Unless you sent me another message that has gone astray?

 

I gave you a "concrete" reference as to where these Oscars came from and their original colour schemes. Much easier for me not to waste my time sharing information which is not even acknowledged and just let you guys trust the decal sheets in future! 

 

Nick

[rossm]

1 minute ago, Nick Millman said:

 

I gave you a "concrete" reference as to where these Oscars came from and their original colour schemes. Much easier for me not to waste my time sharing information which is not even acknowledged and just let you guys trust the decal sheets in future! 

 

Nick

 

I really don't believe I wasted your time and I did acknowledge what you sent - I replied to your PM soon after you sent it saying how I interpreted what you sent me, which didn't include any information on the base colour and even seemed to offer me the choice of a worn solid or mottled finish. I didn't ask again as I didn't want to use up your time with something that seemed to have no definite conclusion. I don't think this is the place to continue this discussion so I've sent you another PM.

[modelldoc]

The book "Military Aircraft in the Chinese Civil War", published in Taiwan 1992, ISBN957-8628-02-1 has all the original drawings. 

You can find they also here:

 

http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/768/196/0#1

 

They copies are all from the book.

 

modelldoc

[justplanecrazy]

Thanks for the info Nick, it is many years now since I traded an SB-2 and some CNAF decals with you. I am now engrossed in the Air War in China myself.

Edited April 19, 2017 by justplanecrazy
Bad grammar.