Airfix Curtiss 81-A-2 Hawk AVG 3 Squadron 'Hells Angels' build blog (Day 9)

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Airfix Curtiss 81-A-2 Hawk AVG 3 Squadron 'Hells Angels' build blog (Day 9)

New Airfix Hawk now more or less finished on day 9. One or two small decals to go. Airfix have included an array of stencils which are so miniscule they are frankly not worth bothering with. Completely messed up my first attempt at getting the camo scheme looking suitably distressed and went for a complete respray. As to the kit, I think it looks like an early Hawk ..but only from certain angles. I can't quite put my finger on where it doesn't, perhaps around the canopy which seems to be a little too large and the windshield is a little too rounded. Otherwise a lovely neat little kit, and the decals worked excellently. I'm going to do a few more certainly, using either the Xtradecal Tomahawk sheet or the new AVG/112 Sq release from Kitsworld. (below).

As for the debate about Hawk colours alluded to by Tony in his Airfix Model World article, Airfix do indeed recommend Humbrol 28 (Light Grey) for the lower surfaces. For more discussion on this I've added links to Nick Millman's blog and to the relevant discussion on britmodeller below..

http://amair4raf.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=76155

Terrill Clements writing in his Osprey AVG book ;

".. The lower surface camouflage of the AVG's Tomahawks is even more interesting. While British contracting officers would likely have specified the complex greenish colour known as Sky at the time these aircraft were ordered, the best colour photographs and film of AVG Tomahawks indicate that their lower surfaces were in fact painted light grey. It appears that other American manufacturers had themselves employed a range of light blues, greys and greens when first coming to grips with the new requirement for Sky undersurfaces in mid-1940 ..".