HBBates

For what it's worth this is a photo I took of a "squareback" (export) seats, top mounting bracket, from an H81A2 Tomahawk recovered from Russia.. So you can see the orginal cockpit color of and export RAF H81 Tomahawk vs the US P40 or the later H87/P40 https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/dd135/humebates/.highres/20151106_165315_zpsnf6gh5el.jpg

Not correct ...the AVG aircraft stared from a Britain contract....the one cockpit photo I have is Factory lable as "H-81A2 (China)"....also found on line once a copy a Document signed by Churchill releasing the 100 air frames for China....The Original RAF series numbers for the AVG aircraft is well documented... and just the features of the AVG airframes also are unquie to the RAF contract aircraft vs the US P40 contract ( The camo paint job ...the square back seat... the pitot tube...other various things).... I always recommend the Dupont RAF equivalent colors for the AVG aircraft including the interior.

I will add again that having see and taken samples of a Tomahawk skin recovered from Russia. The underside appears to a match to Dupont chart showing 71-021. And does have a green cast

I know this question comes up all the time about the Dupont colors ... For me I have personally seen and collected skin samples from Tomahawk's recovered from Russia and they clearly appeared to be in the Dupont RAF equivalent colors including the cockpit... Hell I was in a Tractor trailer full of recovered Tomahawk parts and I've had the oxidized paint rubbed all over my clothes from the large skin panel. For me there is no debate that at least for Curtis aircraft and RAF contract Curtiss painted them in the Dupont RAF equivalent colors In fact That would be my natural default for any overseas ordered aircraft from a US maker until at least middle of 42

For the British type fishtail exhaust for an Allison engine Tomahawks Airircobras and Mustang are close to same While you can try modifications to the fishtail stacks to the type in the photo the seem unique to the Tomahawks and never see them made in a kit or aftermarket.. I've asked but no one's ever made them https://www.scalemates.com/kits/rexx-72023-bell-p-39-airacobra-fishtail-exhaust-pipes--1107789

That ultra cast seat is for a Tomahawk not a Kitty hawk ..very diffrent

So for the RAF/AVG Tomahawk (not a US P40) I have one color photo at the Curtiss factory showing the square back seat before install sitting on the wing of a Tomahawk .. and the seat is a mid dark green close to the camo dark green.. yes that seems strange but that what it showed.....in my research on the square backseat the same seat seem was use in other aircraft (Harvard's for one) and ive found photos in war bird forums of the same seat pull for restoration..in that same dark green color...not saying you could not have other colors (natural medal) ... but the dark green seem to be legit My RAF/AVG Tomahawk cockpit colors choices based on my interpretations of Curtiss factory colors photos is . Main cockpit Dupont 71-036 "cockpit ligh green" Seat ..dark green Headrest black leather (not the brown on the P40) Other may have other opinions and evidence (evidence is always good)

Im not sure how much this will help but a photo of some skin samples I was able to collect from one of the Tomahawks recover from Russian ...fyi the sky in person did have a green tinted that does not show the the photo

While not directly antenna related I did do some details notes about spine detail http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd135/humebates/SpinedetailCurtissH81TomahawkRAFAVGChinaversions.jpg

If doing a P40cu from a P40B/C the main problem is the rear left glass doed not have the two round opening for gas and oil fill that the P40B/C has.....you can't fill you have to create a new glass piece .. you then have to scribe the new fuel, oil and hydraulic fill doors on the fuselage Notes the on P36vs P40cu vs P40B/C If kit makers would just do the rear glass with the frame then the could do glass inserts for the P40cu and P40B/C.. and then have the P40cu fuselage fuel door as a"fill" in if doing a P40B/C.. could get whole other version out of it

The wing root fairing was replaceable so. doesn't necessarily correspond as a given that an early product aircraft would have it entire life The early product aircraft that may of left the factory with the smaller original root fairing could (and would) have the later larger fairing fitted... The larger fairing was a needed aerodynamic fix If you at photod of early cu you will see some retrofitted with the larger one than you can see it by the mismatch panels Dana Bell saw the smaller fairing in photos of the early cu and then did the research to find the documentation. .. If I recall it was a fix for a stall issue So the serial number is not a predictor of seeing the smaller versus larger fairing...it's the time of the photo.

Hello all A few years back I got know one of the major P40 /Tomahawks rebuilder and got to go through his recovered parts pile.(Two cargo containers worth of recovered parts and skins. Photos above are some of the parts that we pulled out into the sunlight so I could photograph) So I did get to see in person the skins of one of the Tomahawks, recovered from Russia some years back. It was in the Curtiss applied "RAF paint". I also got small samples of the skins in the Dark Earth, Dark Green and, Sky ... Bottom line.. in person ...to me.. the underside color on a large surface clearly looks like the du pont sky color with the green tinge to it ( That's allowing for the sky color was quite oxidize so much so that it was rubbing off on my jeans and I came home with du pont sky all over my pants...so from first hand knowledge including trying to wash that paint out of my pants ...it not straight gray it does have a green to it

To my knowledge the early Tomahawks I did not use the roundback seat..its possable but i would have to see a photo The point of the "square back seat" seem was to be genric seat that would accommodate Brit seatpack parachute and French backpack parachutes..(the flat square seatback fits a backpack parachute better then a round curved seat back..that the point of a flat square seatback...also note that the squareback seat ..seatpan is also unique with and indentation in the bottom and bump out on the left with leather lining to meet British requirements for their seat pack parachutes...) You see the square back seat used on Tomahawk, Mustang, Buffalo, Harvard and Yale ..its actually a very common seat..they are still around on today on warbirds today (Harvard and Yale trainers, the EAA XP51 Mustang ) Now before the square back seat... on Hawk 75's sold to France you do see the US type round back seats... modify a bit for the French..so I would not be really surprised to see it in early Tomahawks from the French order..but I can not recall seeing one I've always suspected the square back seat originated with the Anglo-French Purchasing Board Set up in North America in 39 for the British and French to coordinate common buying of war material in north america .. Hence a common aircraft seat that fit both British and French requirements