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Post by smithy on Aug 19, 2010 17:05:47 GMT 12
Hi all,
As I'm waiting for the paint to cure on a Spit I have on the go, I thought that I'd turn my attention to a Hasegawa 1/48 Mustang that I picked up the other day.
I plan on doing this as one of our TAF jobs (probably No. 1 Sqn NZ2413 as I'm a Jafa). I haven't picked up the decals from Ventura yet but thought I might start some work on it and had some questions for the Mustang buffs here. As some here may know I usually build British built aircraft so I'm not terribly up with the play with the yank stuff so any help with the following questions would greatly be appreciated. Here goes:
- I take it the interior is US interior green (FS34151) - I have the Model Master version so hope this suits.
- I want to do NZ2413 when she had the blue and white checkerboards forward and aft of the fuselage roundels so at this stage she was painted entirely in High Speed Silver?
- What colour were the wheel wheels and interior wheel doors - yellow zinc chromate, green zinc chromate, bare metal?
Anything else which anybody can throw into help, please do.
Cheers,
Tim
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Post by 11SQNLDR on Aug 20, 2010 20:44:31 GMT 12
I'm afraid I can't shed much light on the actual colours mate, however I do look forward to some piccies when you've completed the project!
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Post by smithy on Aug 21, 2010 13:15:50 GMT 12
It's a ways off yet but I'll post photos when I start having something to show for it.
And in terms of my original questions, anybody?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 21, 2010 13:24:12 GMT 12
I'm sure Anthony Galbraith had a great thread going a few years back here with the TAF Mustang he was working on that had details just like you're wanting. I did a search and cannot find it though.
Have you tried the book Southern Cross Mustangs?
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Post by hairy on Aug 21, 2010 13:56:13 GMT 12
I think that I have some pics that I will post this evening.
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Post by smithy on Aug 21, 2010 13:58:44 GMT 12
I have heard about it Dave but can't really justify buying the whole book for one model. As you may remember the Battle of Britain is my big thing and because of the 70th anniversary, I've already been tempted to buy about a dozen new books! So another book might be pushing it But I'm really hoping that someone here can help with these questions.
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Post by smithy on Aug 21, 2010 13:59:36 GMT 12
Thanks Hairy, any help would be brilliant.
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Post by Calum on Aug 21, 2010 22:27:18 GMT 12
I'd appreciate the answers as well as I have P-51 to build one day
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 22, 2010 1:32:46 GMT 12
Regarding your queries, hopefully I have this right after referencing David Muir's excellent book Southern Cross Mustangs. Even if you don't intend to buy it I would recommend you try to get a look at it is you're wanting to produce an accurate model of an RNZAF or RAAF Mustang as it is chocka full of facts, diagrams and photos, and has pretty much dissected each individual RBZAF aircraft's schemes through the years. It's a marvellous reference. if you have a look at it, you'll want to a copy I reckon.
- I take it the interior is US interior green (FS34151) - I have the Model Master version so hope this suits.
The RNZAF Mustangs had standard US seat belts. Headrests on RNZAF examples were brown leath, whereas most US ones were black and the drawings actually stated dark green.
The interior paint for our ones would have been Interior Green (which was yellow zinc chromate with a tint of black). The panel was matt black.
- I want to do NZ2413 when she had the blue and white checkerboards forward and aft of the fuselage roundels so at this stage she was painted entirely in High Speed Silver?
David Muir's book Southern Cross Mustangs states some of the Mustangs were painted into Glossy Aluminium (RAF spec D.T.D.772/C specification, as used on the Vampires at the time.) This paint was colloquially known as High Speed Silver. Approval for the use of this paint was given on 13 Jan 1953. NZ2413 was one of these to get the new coat of paint,and it did wear the HSS scheme whilst weaing the Auckland checks.
- What colour were the wheel wheels and interior wheel doors - yellow zinc chromate, green zinc chromate, bare metal?
David's book covers this in depth too with some good coloured photos. It seems that all our Mustangs were painted yellow zinc chromate on all internal surfaces of wing, fuselages and control surfaces during factory assembly. He adds that all internal faces of gear doors were finished in Aluminium laquer.
No. 2 Squadron RNZAF Mustangs were refinished in a colour in the inner surfaces of the gear doors called Ohakea Green, which he describes as a locally produced dark green similar to BS 381c 225 Light Brunswick Green or FS14109. meanwhile NZ2427 had its inner faces of the gear doors painted matt black to match the Harvards it served with at Wigram.
The wheels were standard NAA process of yellow zinc chromate as primer and then a single coat of Aluminium paint.
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Post by smithy on Aug 22, 2010 3:31:00 GMT 12
That is superb info Dave, just what the doctor ordered!
Looks like I'll have to put that order into Ventura this week.
Once again thanks hugely Dave.
Tim
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Post by baz62 on Aug 22, 2010 10:37:33 GMT 12
Wonder why the Harvards had the inner sides of the gear doors painted black? Seems a bit odd.
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Post by agalbraith on Aug 22, 2010 10:52:49 GMT 12
Hi Tim
Sorry for the late reply mate....one thing and another.
Well, glad you picked "13" she was one of my favourites. Each of the 30 Mustangs were slightly different.
2413 was indeed high speed silver at the time of having the large 1sqn chequerboard markings. She also had black (not OD) anti-glare. But as was typical of the repainting, her anti-glare retained the 'upward curved' line as per original. Many of them had them repainted straight.
13 also was slightly different in that her main gear door interiors remained YZC like the rest of the wheel wells. At least our Mustangs had the whole interior of the wells sprayed YZC (Yellow Zinc Chromate) when they arrived here. I have seem the remains of many of our Mustangs and all of them exibit this colour. However many of the inner doors were resprayed during repaints etc. I have seen, Silver, black and dk green.
The coolest thing with 13 however is that she wore the Hamilton Std "cuffed" prop for most of her life in this scheme. Which is unusual as none of our other Mustangs had them. I believe that we obtained many spares from the RAAF at one stage. Perhaps this is where it came from? I have some photos here somewhere of her with this prop fitted. Also there are plenty of photo's at Wigram's archives with her showing it fitted. However you are safe in putting either prop on.
Oh and finally, the cockpits were sprayed US interior green with a rough feathered demarcation to black where the armoured headrest is (this is black also) going back through to the rear of the fueltank (this was also black). Then it is a rough feathered edge to YZC for the rear fuse again, incl the tailwheel well.
Well, I hope this is what you are looking for, feel free to email or ask any more questions.
I absolutely MUST say that David Muirs "Southern Cross Mustangs" is spectacular, and probably one of my most favourite books. I cant recommend it highly enough even for the history and photos ect.
Cheers Anthony
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 22, 2010 12:38:50 GMT 12
David's book states the NZ Mustangs had brown headrests, so was this an oddity of NZ2413 to have a black one, or did they all have black and the brown is an error?
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Post by agalbraith on Aug 22, 2010 15:50:32 GMT 12
The armour plate was black with the leather headrest itself being a brown leather
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 22, 2010 16:10:22 GMT 12
Ah, I see. Thanks.
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Post by smithy on Aug 22, 2010 16:37:47 GMT 12
Thank you Anthony, that is excellent!
And I think Dave and yourself have persuaded me to pick up "Southern Cross Mustangs".
Many thanks guys, this is just the info I needed to get started on the model.
Tim
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Post by smithy on Aug 22, 2010 17:57:08 GMT 12
Oops forgot to ask as well.
Was 2413 carrying rocket rails when she was in this scheme?
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Post by hairy on Aug 22, 2010 21:05:37 GMT 12
I think that I have some pics that I will post this evening. My mistake, I have 2406 at Whenuapai in regular RNZAF colours not TAF.
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Post by agalbraith on Aug 22, 2010 21:33:02 GMT 12
yes she was Tim.
Cheers Anthony
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Post by smithy on Aug 22, 2010 22:52:27 GMT 12
Thanks mate!
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