Kittyhawks in the Desert: Camouflage under the aft windows?

[Doc72]

Hi,

I have almost finished my 1/72 Legato/AZ P-40 Kittyhawk. When I demasked the canopy I realized that the Interior Green visible behind the latertal rear part (or aft windows) of the canopy just does not look right. I think I read somewhere that this part should be camouflaged like the rest of the aircraft. With some luck I actually succeeded in removing the clear parts without breaking anything but now I am wondering how to repaint this recessed area behind the cockpit (how do you call this trade mark-sign of the P-40 anyway?).

The aircraft I am building is (not a very original choice!) a 112 Sqn Kittyhawk I finished in Middle Stone and Dark Earth. The aircraft was obviously delivered in the TLS because you can still see the serial on a Dark Green (or at least dark) patch that was spared out when the DG was overpainted with Middle Stone. Now what is the colour behind these lateral aft windows? Still Dark Green (and Dark Earth) or did somebody bother to remove the aft windows to repaint this part in Middle Stone?

All pictures I have looked at are unclear in this aspect. Sometimes this area looks darker than the rest of the fuselage sides and sometimes not. What is your opinion (or proven knowledge) on this matter?

Thanks in advance,

Ole

[mhaselden]

I think it most likely that the repaint was done without removing the aft windows, so the interiors would be whatever was painted at the factory. Here's an example illustrating the darker appearance but I don't know enough about P-40s to know whether the original practice of painting in the upper-surface camouflage was still going by this stage (I suspect it was but others will likely know better):

[Graham Boak]

Looking at the serial, I'd suggest that the fuselage under the windows was in Dark Green. We do know that the area was painted Olive Drab on USAAF aircraft, to match the exterior, and any lighter appearance is due to the effects of the glass/perspex.

[bentwaters81tfw]

I completed mine with Middle Stone behind the glazing. That was the instructions, and looking at other contemporary pictures, it looks right to me.

[Graham Boak]

If you were modelling one of the later ones painted in the factory in the Desert Scheme, that's what would be expected. But this early aircraft was delivered in the Temperate Land scheme of Dark Green and Dark Earth, as shown by the darker area around the serial.

[LDSModeller]

Hi,

I have almost finished my 1/72 Legato/AZ P-40 Kittyhawk. When I demasked the canopy I realized that the Interior Green visible behind the latertal rear part (or aft windows) of the canopy just does not look right. I think I read somewhere that this part should be camouflaged like the rest of the aircraft. With some luck I actually succeeded in removing the clear parts without breaking anything but now I am wondering how to repaint this recessed area behind the cockpit (how do you call this trade mark-sign of the P-40 anyway?).

The aircraft I am building is (not a very original choice!) a 112 Sqn Kittyhawk I finished in Middle Stone and Dark Earth. The aircraft was obviously delivered in the TLS because you can still see the serial on a Dark Green (or at least dark) patch that was spared out when the DG was overpainted with Middle Stone. Now what is the colour behind these lateral aft windows? Still Dark Green (and Dark Earth) or did somebody bother to remove the aft windows to repaint this part in Middle Stone?

All pictures I have looked at are unclear in this aspect. Sometimes this area looks darker than the rest of the fuselage sides and sometimes not. What is your opinion (or proven knowledge) on this matter?

Thanks in advance,

Ole

This photo link is of an ex RNZAF P 40E-1 delivered in TLS.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/DaveHomewood/IMG901aa.jpg

You can see that the rear quarter panel is Dark Earth camouflage (quarter panel both sides would be Dark Earth). As a FYI the hole in the quarter panel was for the undercarriage warning horn.

Regards

Alan

[Finn]

Here is the one found in the desert, although most of the paint has been sandblasted off after decades out in the open, the paint behind the canopy is still there:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5c/17/41/5c1741b3340476ccaf4bb9442da41393.jpg

Jari

[Doc72]

Thank you guys. You are great.

The Kittyhawk I am working on is GA-Y (I don't know the serial at the moment and I don't want to go down in the basement to check, but it is one of the options included in the kit). The aircraft is by every means and purposes similar to GA-V depicted in the post above (serial on a dark background, overspray on the roundel). So most likely TLS with the DG oversprayed with Middle Stone.

I think I will go with Dark Earth for the area under the aft windows. The Alan's photos of the RNZAF P-40 has been most helpful.

BTW: Does that mean that Curtiss first painted the fuselage DE, than fitted the windows and finally added the DG?

Ole

[LDSModeller]

BTW: Does that mean that Curtiss first painted the fuselage DE, than fitted the windows and finally added the DG?

Ole

In all the photos of RNZAF P40E's I have or access to, the rear quarter window frames are DE painted.

In looking at P 40 production photos (P 40B) the rear quarter frames are painted along with the airframe prior to addition of rear glazing panels.

Given that I would say that the DG was painted prior to the panels being added.

HTH

Alan