Fiat CR42, 97a Squadriglia

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:16 pm

Ciao tutti,
So I have finally got round to starting my Italeri (with Eduard detail kit) Fiat CR 42. Here is the progress so far.

More later, cheers, Dave.

Post by **Editor** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:15 pm

Nice work so far.

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:50 am

Thanks Vince. Interior colours always seem doubtful, but I have gone with a mix of light grey and a pale verde anticorrosione.
Cheers Dave.

Aeroal · Post by **Aeroal** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 8:05 am

Dave,

There is no uncertainty as to the interior of the CR42. Verde anticorrosione doesn't come into it. It is matt light grey - grigio opaco. Humbrol 64 is not too far off it. Have a look inside the one at Hendon from the upper viewing gallery and you will see it clearly.

Regards,

Aeroal.

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:30 am

Hi Aeroal, I certainly don't trust the CR 42 at Hendon as it was 'restored' before being put on display there. If you look at the R.A.F. museum's web site, after being captured the aircraft was used in test flights including mock dogfights to assess enemy aircraft and tactics. It was then stored for quite a while before being 'restored'. This was done some time ago and if it was re-done now I think it would be done with more regard to 'original' condition. I looked on the web for photo reference and found some pictures of the example at Vigna de Valle. That's probably not any more 'original',but it seemed to suggest mostly light grey, but with some of the metalwork in a light shade of verde anticorrosione. Anyway that's what I have gone with, most of the cockpit interior in grey, but the metalwork of the framing in pale green. The outside is the next problem! Colour photos are not helpful as the colour film of the time can't be regarded as reliable. I have several references I am working with, so I am hoping to get somewhere near!
Cheers, Dave.

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 6:23 am

Hi, more progress.

Thinking about cockpit colours, I think all metalwork was painted with verde anticorrosione and on some aircraft types just left so, but on others it was over-sprayed with another colour. I painted the cockpit sides and floor, headrest panel and other parts light grey (which the kit instructions say also), but left the framing in a light green. On the photos you can see it looks all light grey, so perhaps it is the same with the original aircraft. They don't let you get really close to examine aircraft cockpits in museums! However, I did manage to actually touch the CR 42 in the R.A.F. museum at Hendon!
Cheers, Dave.

Aeroal · Post by **Aeroal** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:24 am

Dave,

Whether or not Salvadori's machine at Hendon was restored internally or not, Fiat cockpits were painted matt grey, grigio opaco, similar to grigio azzuro chiaro.

Regards,

Aeroal.

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:09 am

Hi Aeroal, I think you are probably right about the grey colour. I think in the Color Guide section of this site, it talks about all metal work being treated with Verde Anticorrosione, but then some manufacturers using their own colours over that. The situation is clouded by aircraft being made by other manufacturers, under contract, due to there not being enough capacity in the original factory. They all seem to have had their own versions of 'standard' colours. Anyway, I have painted most of the interior in light grey, the framing not showing that much, so I hope it will look right.
Cheers, Dave.

Post by **Editor** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:00 am

Riccardo found a little while ago, in an article published in an Aerofan magazine a description of the G.50 interior which indicated the use of an anti-corrosion gray. We could apply this statement across all Fiat aircraft, but that doesn't mean all aircraft were actually finished this way. There were other anti-corrosion colors available and FIAT did use a number of different paint suppliers. Also keep in mind, there's always new information and artifacts discovered that challenge existing beliefs. Unless you have a color photo(s) or information that explicitly sets out the colors accurately, of the subject in question, I think you're free to choose what looks right, based on existing information. I understand the value of trying to interpret colors accurately, however there is some wiggle room on this subject.

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:21 pm

Thanks for that Vince. I Googled for images before starting the model and one of them was a restoration project. They are using the remains of one of the planes sold to Sweden as a base. Both light grey and pale green are evident as well as a darker green on the framework and engine cowling, which is as far as they have got yet. I was thinking that, if the light grey was quite opaque the effect of overpainting the verde anticorrosione would be a sort of grey/pale green shade maybe?
By the way, as well as the interior, was Verde Anticorrosione used on the outer skin panels of Italian aircraft?
Cheers, Dave.

Post by **Editor** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:56 pm

To the best of my knowledge, exterior surfaces were not left unfinished (from factory) in an anticrossion green (expect for prototypes e.g., C.202) although this color is often confused with the camo color Verde Mimetico 53192 - both do look quiet similar.

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:06 am

Ciao tutti, here is more progress to the forward part of aircraft, as yet unfinished.
Engine, cowling parts, exhausts and propeller. By the way thanks to a previous post by Aleksandar Andric, I knew to check the propeller on this kit. Checking with some source photos, I can confirm that the propeller is the wrong way round. I corrected this by cutting off the boss and stem and swapping them round.

Cheers, Dave.

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:17 pm

Here is the latest progress, the fuselage section. Camouflage is the C.1A type, or my very poor attempt at it.

Cheers, Dave.

Dave Bayliss · Post by **Dave Bayliss** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 3:10 pm

Well, here are some pics of the completed model. This was the 1/72nd Italeri kit with Eduard bits. I made some alterations to the AS version of the kit to represent an earlier model, notably the air intake. My references , mostly from 'Desert Prelude' by Hakan Gustavsson and Ludovico Slongo indicated the C1A version of camouflage, that is with shapes and squiggles rather than the simpler colour splodges effect. I hope that I haven't made too bad a job of this kit.
Cheers, Dave.

GAJouette · Post by **GAJouette** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 9:20 am

Dave,
Poor attempt at C1a my eye. Sure looks great from here my friend.Excellent project from start to finish.Looking forward to seeing more of your works.
Regards,
Gregory Jouette

Fiat CR42, 97a Squadriglia

Fiat CR42, 97a Squadriglia

Fiat CR42 Interior Colour.

Fiat CR42 Cockpit Colour.