Aldo Buvoli
Aldo Buvoli
Hi to everyone. I am in a bit of a pickle and could do with some advice. I am building a Secter 1/48 Fiat G.50bis for a client, and have been given the excellent aces decal sheet made by Stormo! on which is featured Aldo Buvoli's Fiat in which he shot down down 4 Blenheim bombers in a single action. I have checked the reference cited on the decal sheet, but to no avail - what I am looking for is any information on the camouflage pattern carried on the starboard fuselage and upper wing surfaces. With broad stripes on the port fuselage, you can always make a guess, but I wonder if anyone has any information out there - if not on Buvoli's aircraft, then perhaps on similarly marked Fiat G.50s from the same squadron or other squadrons. Even educated guesses would be better than my own! Many thanks for any help you can give, Robin.
A. Buvoli's Fiat G.50 - Stefano Lazzaro
As you can see from the photo below (the pilot was Buvoli himself), and as can be seen there was no a 'sand and spinach'- type camo on this aircraft (and it was also rather dangerous to fly over North Africa with a such British-style camo, in July 1941, with a lot of Messerschmitts around, it isn't?). Simply, 155° Gruppo found that the Giallo Mim 3/Verde Mim 3/Marrone Mim 2 were unsuitable for the desert theatre, and as a result oversprayed the three tone camo with an irregular overcoat of a lighter camo yellow, most probably Giallo Mim 1. The darker patches were actually transparencies of the former camo. Other units previously did the same, as 50° Stormo in 1940 for its CR.32s and BA.65s. Also, note that the cowling was yellow FS 33655 and the wingtips white, accordingly with the theatre Axis markings for the period. The wing fasci had white background also roughly oversprayed with camo yellow. The front face of propeller blades were not aluminium as commonly believed, but of a light blue very similar to FS 35526. The spinner could have been yellow as for official indications, but often G.50s kept the original Squadriglia colour (green, white, red, yellow, blue or light blue as above), I have to research on this.
As a sidenote, this aircraft scored again on 23 November 1941, when Ten. Martinelli claimed a P-40 shot down, and a week later, when Ten. Galbiati damaged another P-40.
Best Wishes
Stefano
As a sidenote, this aircraft scored again on 23 November 1941, when Ten. Martinelli claimed a P-40 shot down, and a week later, when Ten. Galbiati damaged another P-40.
Best Wishes
Stefano
A. Buvoli's Fiat G.50 - Lubos Pavel
Hello Stefano,
Thank's a lot for your adding informations concerning on camouflage of Buvoli's machine. They are very interesting and for me as for beginner in italian airforce especially. I loaded your photo into the Photoshop and played a bit with him and the result you can see below. It's a pity the photos of Buvoli's machine are in the poor quality and low resolution. But you were right with the transparencies of the former camo.It's brightly seen on your photo.
Best regards.
Lubos
Thank's a lot for your adding informations concerning on camouflage of Buvoli's machine. They are very interesting and for me as for beginner in italian airforce especially. I loaded your photo into the Photoshop and played a bit with him and the result you can see below. It's a pity the photos of Buvoli's machine are in the poor quality and low resolution. But you were right with the transparencies of the former camo.It's brightly seen on your photo.
Best regards.
Lubos
- Chris Busbridge
- Generale di Brigata Aerea
- Posts: 213
- Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:41 am
- Location: Kent, UK
Although I tend to agree with the scheme shown on kit diagram (whatever the kit it may be)... the scheme is mirrored, more or less, on the fuselage and definitely on the wings. Would this be correct? The only scheme I know of that IS mirrored in this way is the so called 'herringbone' scheme as seen on the ANR G-55's.
"mirrored" camouflage schemes
How about "banded" upper-surface camouflage on, for instance, 46 Stormo S.79's? An overhead shot in ALI D'ITALIA 28 (p. 64) nicely illustrates one such 254a Squadriglia pattern. I wonder: are "mirrored" Regia Aeronautica schemes more common than we thought?Chris Busbridge wrote:Although I tend to agree with the scheme shown on kit diagram (whatever the kit it may be)... the scheme is mirrored, more or less, on the fuselage and definitely on the wings. Would this be correct? The only scheme I know of that IS mirrored in this way is the so called 'herringbone' scheme as seen on the ANR G-55's.
David L. Veres