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Post by juanita on Apr 7, 2017 21:27:48 GMT 12
I'm in the process of researching F4U-1D Corsair NZ5469. In the photo in Bryan Cox's book it is apparent the front edge of the cowl is painted a light colour. In the XTradecal decal sheet they specified the colour as yellow.
From the tonal quality of the photo it could easily be white or yellow...however I would have thought yellow would be a little unusual for the Pacific theatre? I'm not as familiar with the RNZAF as I am with the RAAF. The RAAF used white as a theatre marking.
Would appreciate if someone could set me straight about this.
The XTradecal decal instruction sheet also has the aircraft in over all sea blue, but in Cox's photo the UC doors and the bottom of the cowl are light...so I'm guessing it'd be more likely to still be painted in the earlier three tone scheme (sorry I don't have my USN marking book handy, so this is probably not the official scheme name)
The aircraft is also fitted with a huge 170 gal tank that also painted a light colour...I'm guessing white (light grey)
Cheers Juanita
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 7, 2017 21:36:13 GMT 12
There were definitely some with a white front cowl ring, including one of the ones that went to Japan.
Years ago the OFMC had a Corsair in RNZAF colours with a yellow cowl ring, it was team colours but a magazine caption I recall seeing said they'd found proof of some Corsairs with a yellow cowl ring.
Which of his books do you refer to, and which page, for quick reference, please?
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Post by davidd on Apr 8, 2017 7:35:40 GMT 12
25 SU at Bougainville (Piva strip complex) used yellow cowl rings in 1945 to differentiate "their" aircraft from other Corsair units on the same field. White cowl rings were used on some Corsairs in New Zealand, at Ardmore. Corsairs of 31 SU in the forward area had red propeller domes for the same reason. It is not always possible to identify the unit of an RNZAF Corsair as not all units had specific markings, but the style of the markings often differed from unit to unit. However, particularly later in the war, most units' aircraft were really getting some character in their markings. Units at Ardmore used RAF-style two-letter codes for a while, but these had vanished by 1945. David D
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Post by juanita on Apr 8, 2017 8:50:42 GMT 12
Thanks Dave & David The photo is on page 93 of "Pacific Scrapbook 1943-1947". According to the noted history of NZ5469 it was at Bougainville, and belly landed at Piva (Jan 1945) so its in the right place and time to be a candidate for the yellow cowl ring. It the photos published in the forum here, and elsewhere, of NZ5469 at Rukuhia you can just see the edge of the cowl...and it is a darker shade than the white of the other markings. There is a copy of the photo here: smg.photobucket.com/user/the_hairy_dwarf/media/02-08-08-452-1.jpg.htmlThe next fly in the ointment is a faint pale patch just below the cockpit on the port side....looks a bit like artwork....looks like I need to do more study. Juanita
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Post by juanita on Apr 8, 2017 9:05:00 GMT 12
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Post by juanita on Apr 8, 2017 10:57:22 GMT 12
OK, may have worked this out. The markings on this aircraft appear to be a match for NZ5385 of 23 Sqn.
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