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I`m building a CR42AS 387-9 in Tavola 10 colors in "lizard scheme" and I have some questions regarding this a/c. The Squadron CR32/42 In Action book page 38 shows this a/c. My questions are:
1. Are the interplane struts camoflage color like the uppersurfaces? I would say they are GAC and not uppersurface colors.
2. Does the white fuselage recognition band wrap all the way around including the undersurface? I would say no.
3. Is the propeller black with yellow tips with green spinner? If the photo on the same page beneath that is of the same a/c I would say no. It would be the earlier style light blue front/black back with white spinner.
4. Was this a/c equipped with a radio?
I ask these questions because color profiles and decal instructions that I have are conflicting.

Thanks in advance for any help,
Jeff

Hi Jeff
1) GAC1. There are cases where the wing struts were camouflaged as the upper surfaces such as CR.42AS 21-1 at El Adem in September 1942 (this one carried a radio btw) or on CR.42CNs, the struts were blacked out.
2) The white fuselage band first appeared in North Africa in October 1940 as a "national" recognition symbol and was soon adopted in Sicily and then everywhere else. Aside from the tiny fuselage fasces ahead of the cockpit there was no other recognition symbol on the sides of Italian ac at the beginning of the war like the US star-and-bars, the 900mm German Balkenkreuz or the British roundel. The band wrapped around the entire rear fuselage sides, top and bottom and was used for flak recognition purposes, as well as an air-to-air recognition symbol and probably was influenced by the Balbo incident at the end of June 1940. There are cases where the band was either partially or completely painted over on night fighters and bombers, but that's the only instance I know of where the fuselage band was not complete or not present at all.
3) Fiat almost always finished their props with a light blue FS 35466 front-facing props, rear-facing in black with Fiat-Hamilton prop logos on the front of each blade. In the Squadron photo on p.38 the prop appears to be a typical Fiat-Hamilton prop with no traces of yellow tips (its not a very good quality photo). Again, there are photos of CR.42AS with all black props and yellow tips such as aircraft from 15o Stormo, but not 387-9. Beginning about mid to late 1942 into 1943 Fiat painted its props all black with yellow tips, e.g., G.55.
4) 387-9 was not equipped with a radio.

Thank you!