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Help with T-38 Talon blue/white scheme


quangster

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Hello gents,

 

I’m researching a colour scheme for my next build, a T-38 Talon in 1/48 scale.

It’s the white and insignia blue scheme that USAF used on their training a/c in 1986-1987.

2262-BBE9-157-A-4800-9-E9-E-62-C43-E45-A

 

Photos of this particular scheme are rare on the internet.

I’m especially looking for views from above and of the underside. Some sources say the entire underside was blue. Others state that only the fuselage was blue, wings and stabs were left white. Perhaps there were variations on the same scheme.

 

I need your help and expertise in that matter.

Thank you in advance,

 

Cheers,

Quang

 

Edited by quangster
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You can tell by the main landing gear doors that the underside of the wings (or at least a significant portion thereof) are finished in blue. Caracal Decals did this scheme in 1/48 and their color guides show all-blue lower surfaces. I trust Kursad's research enough to go with that 

 

https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/decals/caracal/decal_caracal_48057.shtml

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Indeed Caracal did the scheme with the all-blue underside.

Yet a recent research leads me to believe that the wing had its leading edge painted white on the underside.

447-BFD33-31-F0-4-A80-BDFA-76-C9-E2657-A

 

Furthermore, Wolfpack Design who also did the same scheme shows that on October 1987, only the fuselage was blue. Wings and stabs were all-white.

A9-C3074-B-59-F9-4557-8228-7-F31-A10689-

 

Who to believe?

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19 hours ago, quangster said:

Who to believe?

Well since you have a photo that clearly shows blue wings with white leading edges, I'd say that's definitive as "a" correct scheme, if not necessarily "the only" valid option. Unless you really have your heart set on all blue or all white, I'd say go with what the photo shows.

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Just came back from vacation in London and saw this thread: you are free to believe whatever drawing you may like, but the underside of the aircraft 's wings and horizontal stabs in this scheme were blue, period. I stand by the accuracy of the drawings in the Caracal Models decal instructions.

Edited by CaracalModels
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I would trust Caracal over Wolfpack on accuracy.

 

The outer surfaces of speed brakes and gear doors are all blue on the first picture above, where it would be weird to have underside of the wing white when all these are blue. Second photo is self-explanatory, the wings and horizontal stabs are definitely blue and Caracal seems to be right and Wolfpack wrong.

 

On the other hand photos above show clearly a white leading edge both upside and under the wing, but mind you, the aircraft is RA 13209. Caracal's drawings, which say all underside is blue including leading edges, belong to 68-8112 of Randolph AFB or 69-7073 of Sheppard AFB, of which I'm sure they have a visual evidence to support what they've drawn.

Edited by SpeedyGonzales
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Thank you Caracal Models and SpeedyGonzales for your input.

The only photo of the underside of the T-38 I got shows the bottom of the wings blue with white leading edge. The serial is definitely NOT 13209.

 

I have no reason not to trust any of your suggestions. I’m just asking for visual evidence for either version. It’d be greatly appreciated if you have any to share.

 

Best regards,

Quang

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