There is a big spread on Airfix's new 1/72nd Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2 in Issue 12 (November 2011) of the Airfix Modelworld magazine. The kit offers only a single markings option for an aircraft of the famous Flying Tigers (American Volunteer Group or AVG). A previous post here revealed that the under surface colour suggested in the Airfix kit is Humbrol Matt 28 Camouflage Grey. This has now been confirmed by examination of this excellent kit. The magazine goes further in providing a splendid multi-view profile of the subject aircraft calling out the Humbrol and FS 595B colours - 116 Matt US Dark Green (No FS), 117 Matt US Light Earth (FS 30219) and 28 Matt Camouflage Grey (FS 36622). These are all called out as approximate equivalents to the correct Du Pont paint designations 71-013, 71-009 and 71-021. Unfortunately they are not. The Du Pont paints were darker and had a higher chromatic intensity (being more saturated) than the MAP paint colours and there is some doubt whether 71-009 or 71-035 (or both) were applied to the AVG Tomahawks. The closest FS match to the very dark Du Pont green is 14056 which is nothing like Humbrol's 116 even allowing for oxidising, chalking and fading of the paint surface. However, the box artist Adam Tooby has done a good job of representing the colours in his dramatic image.
A build article is included in the magazine where the author Tony O'Toole uses Humbrol equivalents for RAF Dark Earth, Dark Green and Sky to represent the colours on the AVG aircraft. This is arguably a more representative choice than the colours suggested by Airfix and, dare I say it, makes his superb model "look right". He refers to Sky as a "worthy alternative" for the under surface colour.
The plot thickens just a little. Humbrol 28 is reported to be a match for FS 36622 whereas there is no match in the Humbrol range for the FS equivalent of Du Pont's 71-021 Sky Type S Grey which is 35622. The colour value 36622 arose in a discussion at Hyperscale and was reported here but I still don't know whether this was in error for 35622 (a typo) or based on an interpretation of colour photography or on something else. Having said that it might not be such a bad choice to represent the heavily oxidised and chalked appearance of the paint colour on an AVG model. It is certainly a preferable choice to US Aircraft Grey/ANA 512/FS 36473/Tamiya Sky Gray but ironically, it is the suggested upper surface colours that are probably more contentious!
A certain expert, well respected by me, has given Humbrol 23 as a good match for FS 35622 @1.5 where <2.0 = a close match. See: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=39289&st=50 scroll down to post #67. :-)
ReplyDeleteJan
No, you are misreading the post. The difference calculation of 1.50 refers to Munsell 10 GY 8/1 vs FS 25622. Then, 10 GY 8/1 is closer to FS 25622 and Humbrol 23 than FS 34424!
ReplyDeleteNick
Yes, okay, I was perhaps over interpreting. But if I understood correctly, Du Pont 71-021 Sky Type S Grey is similar to Munsell 10 GY 8/1, which is a close match to FS 25622. @ 1.5, right? And with my near sighted Mk.I eye balls I can't make any noteworthy difference between the chip of FS 25622 and a paint sample from my (rather old) tin of Humbrol 23. Ergo Humbrol 23 would make a presentable equivalent to Du Pont 71-01, which is similar to 10 GY 6/1. At least from my old tin. No? Am I mixing up things again? :-)
ReplyDeleteTalking about the new Airfix Hawk 81-A-2 kit, the topic of present post, I have a couple of points. Firstly, there's one panel line missing in the port side of the fuselage, running from the rear part of the canopy rail by the topmost line of radio hatch to the leading edge of the elevator. Easy to fix.
Another thing, I wonder if Curtiss 81 shared the common American style wing tip. I.e. when viewed from the front, top of the wing tip should follow the line of the wing upper suface whereas the lower surface of the tip would rise up in a steeper angle than rest of the wing underside. If so, the kit wing tip is wrong, although still easily corrected.
Last point that I've noticed is that the chord of the horizontal tail surfaces seems to be too much At least when compared to drawings in the Kagero monograph and another set of drawings in a Polish book whose name escapes me now. If it is too wide, it would also be easily fixed by sawing fin just in front of the mass balance and removing required amount of plastic by sanding. And then cementing the parts together.
Anyway, great little kit at a very affordable price that I probably wouldn't have bought, were it not for this most interesting blog of yours. So, a big thank you.
Jan
Yes, I agree that "old" Humbrol 23 Duck Egg Blue would be a reasonable match. I also found that old tins of Humbrol 23 were close to Du Pont 71-021 but the reason I hesitate to recommend using it now is because more recent tins seem to be closer to Sky in appearance - less blue, more green.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips about correcting the kit and the kind comment about the blog.