Fiat G-55 sottoserie 0

[warhawk]

What were the interiour colours of this fiat G-55 (cockpit, wheel wells and wheel covers).
It is the second prototype

[Rick]

If they were in compliance with the Tavola 10 prescriptions, Grigio Azzurro chiaro; in fact this was the colour foreseen for the internal surfaces; you can read this in the application notes concerning each colour
Riccardo

[warhawk]

Thanks

[Editor]

agreed with Riccardo, GAC1 was intended to be used as an internal color as per Tavola X.

The G.55 at Vigna di Valle has an anti-corrosion yellow chromate interior, including the cockpit area and is similar to the yellow chromate used on US planes. GAC1 would be painted over the anti-corrosion color.

http://www.stormomagazine.com/Reference ... Valle.html

url updated Oct 12/2007

[warhawk]

Is there any possibility that the interiour colors remained Verde Anticorrosione? this is early 1942.

[Editor]

RA units began receiving the G.55 in August 1943. The anti-corrosion colors were not always painted over.

[warhawk]

good, because i am building a model of the plane pictured above and i have already painted all interiour surfaces verde anticorosione. Thank ya

[Alex T.]

afaik the Vigna di Valle G.55 (actually a "retrofitted" G.59 fuselage) had the cockpit painted in this way because of both reminescences of builders of the time and because a recovered wreckage showed this color on the inside. Bear in mind though that I might remember wrong
Btw one really important thing that most of us undervalue is that especially after 1943 the urge for spare parts and combat ready airplanes led to interesting customizations. Some days ago I was talking to a friend of mine who told me there are references and pictures of Macchi 205s used by the ANR which sported REVI gunsights instead of the S. Giorgio OMI standard issue. The absolute certainty about details like the interior paints etc.. will always be mutuated by field modifications.
Let's make an example: macchi 205s were made by both macchi and breda, and a typical difference was the interiors color, one in verde anticorrosione and the other in black. Let's say a breda exemplar received some battle damage and needed a spare canopy, the ground chiefs might have used the macchi one and you would have had the cockpit in one color and the inner canopy frame in another!
I do believe that sometimes accuracy should leave some room for imagination and "artistic sense", even with model kits

Cheers!

Alex

[Editor]

Excellent post and I agree with all the above. The G.55 at Vigna started out life as a G.59 and the interior yellow chromate was based on a sample from a piece of wreckage.

Very interesting point regarding the interior colors of Macchis. I recently seen a cockpit interior shot of a Macchi C.200/202 whose front windshield was finished in black (a link from Riccardo as I recall), evidently from a Breda built machine.

[warhawk]

This is really some interesing stuff. I have never heard of black colour being used by italians as an interior colour. Fascinating...

[warhawk]

I read that early G-55s had German VDM propellers, and some even had Bf-109G spinners. Is this a Fiat, or Bf-109 spinner on the photo? The propeller blades are VDM, I think...

[Rick]

There was an article by Ferdinando D'Amico, supported by photocolors on the site www.150gct.it that showed that Breda C200/202 (I am not sure Breda has built C205, surely not I° and III° series) had the internal part of the canopy in Verde anticorrosione while Macchi, for the same detail used black. My opinion is that the prototypes were painted according the rules, because it was on their tests that the acceptance of the airplane was performed, later on the serires it was more probable some negligence.
In my information only the second Fiat G55 prototype had the VDM propeller, but I should need some time to verify my sorces
Ciao
Riccardo

[massimo]

Hi Rick, knows if the wing of the sottoserie0 maintained the Wings panels of the series 1 related to the guns or it was completely unprovided of it?
I have not succeeded in finding explanatory sketches of the wing of the sottoserie0 for which still have this doubt.
Regards.
Massimo.

[Alex T.]

massimo, I will see on my papers if I have more details about the wing panels, as per the propellers of the G.55 in Vigna di Valle, according to the GAVS special issue that I have somewhere, they were machined from an aluminium cast following original drawings, so they're not original.

Cheers

Alex