1/48 Dewoitine D.520 in Italian Service

[D520]

Lubos you have done a great paint job on your D520. As a matter of fact flaps were never in the down position on this aircraft and as you did it, the shape of the inner flap is not correct; also, on the top of the front fuselage, just behind the spinner , you could add a small tube which is plainly visible on pictures. This will add autenticity to an other wise excellent model. In such a case, I mean a French aircraft, please feel free to contact me should you need plans or infos, best regards from France, jean.

[Lubos Pavel]

Lubos you have done a great paint job on your D520. As a matter of fact flaps were never in the down position on this aircraft and as you did it, the shape of the inner flap is not correct; also, on the top of the front fuselage, just behind the spinner , you could add a small tube which is plainly visible on pictures. This will add autenticity to an other wise excellent model. In such a case, I mean a French aircraft, please feel free to contact me should you need plans or infos, best regards from France, jean.

Hello Jean, this build should have been only OOB so I prefered to study the colors used by France during WWII. I didn't notice the smal tube on the cowling behind the spinner and I will add it. With the color and position of flaps it would be worst because I glued them very well and I don't want to destroyed the wings during their removing. Which color had the shape of the inner flap? The same as interior or natural metal?

[D520]

Now you know it for the next one! Your colors are very good indeed, and live the plane like it is. What i did mention is the only weak point of the Tamiya model. Have a great day, jean.

[Editor]

Riccardo sent in the following pic with some interesting information:

"I send you this image to insert it in the post of D520; the quality is poor because the image is small, but you can see that the first D520 has the lower part of the nose in yellow; surely this directive was not applied to all RA D520, but in my opinion the ones that were acquired by the RA after the Vichy aviation dissolution had this marking, that for istance were widely used for the Me109s of RA (perhaps the directive had a German origin?)."

[Rick]

I inserted the photo only for the purpose of discussion;
It seems to confirm what reported by the French communication cited above,that is an official French document, but it seems also no one is interested in historical research, so I should ask Vince to remove it.
Thanks
Riccardo

[Lubos Pavel]

Very interested photo but too late for my kit Has someone some superior photos confirmed yellow nose of the dewotines? Or this is only one where we can guess if there is yellow colour or not. Your photo is in poor quality and I'am not sure that it's yellow. If the dewoitines' noses were really in yellow colour than should exist more photos and superior than this, don't you think?

[Mirek Riha]

Riccardo sent in the following pic with some interesting information:

"I send you this image to insert it in the post of D520; the quality is poor because the image is small, but you can see that the first D520 has the lower part of the nose in yellow; surely this directive was not applied to all RA D520, but in my opinion the ones that were acquired by the RA after the Vichy aviation dissolution had this marking, that for istance were widely used for the Me109s of RA (perhaps the directive had a German origin?)."

Hi Vince this photo is from back-cover Ali Straniere No5. In my opinion is this lower part bright, maybe yellow. This 520 has red spinner, first D-520 has yellow. IMHO D-520 by Lubos is right in 99% ...(no yellow lower part)

Mirek

[Editor]

Hi Mirek,
This is the beauty of the forum, having these types of discussions. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information that supports the yellow undercowling expect for a one-off possibility.

[Mirek Riha]

Hi Mirek,
This is the beauty of the forum, having these types of discussions. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information that supports the yellow undercowling expect for a one-off possibility.

Yes that is right, but old D-520 had red/yellow stripes on cowling and only yellow lower part is very "strange" for me. New D-520 (probably with yellow lover part) built for germans has "splinter style" camo...D-520 by Lubos is from the same GC like very known "14" and "20" (without yellow part).

[Lubos Pavel]

Hi Mirek,
This is the beauty of the forum, having these types of discussions. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information that supports the yellow undercowling expect for a one-off possibility.

Yes that is right, but old D-520 had red/yellow stripes on cowling and only yellow lower part is very "strange" for me. New D-520 (probably with yellow lover part) built for germans has "splinter style" camo...D-520 by Lubos is from the same GC like very known "14" and "20" (without yellow part).

Děkuji náčelníku, že jsi se mě zastal. Tak hezky bych to asi nevysvětlil

[Editor]

Hi Mirek,
This is the beauty of the forum, having these types of discussions. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information that supports the yellow undercowling expect for a one-off possibility.

Yes that is right, but old D-520 had red/yellow stripes on cowling and only yellow lower part is very "strange" for me. New D-520 (probably with yellow lover part) built for germans has "splinter style" camo...D-520 by Lubos is from the same GC like very known "14" and "20" (without yellow part).

Agreed.

[Rick]

Not agreed; it is sufficient to know the history of the French markings of that period to know that the red and yellow strips were introduced with the instruction n°418-C/DAT dated 24 June 1941 and were abolished by the note dated 9 February 1942; as I have reported before the instruction 549 - C/DAT dated 14 November 1942, after Vichy aviation dissolution and the occupation of the whole French territory by Germans and Italians, stated that only the aircrafts wearing a 0.50 meters white band on the wings and on the fuselage and the lower part of the nose in yellow were authorized (by Germans and Italians) to fly on French territory. This is the documentation: if you are able to provide different documentation I shall be happy to examine it, otherwise I don't like to proceed basing on supposition when there is real documentation, even if, I can admit, it is not well known.The b/w photos of the D520 coded 20 and 2 show a light grey color of the lower part of the nose, but they are in b/w, there is no information which can connect that light grey to some color
Riccardo

[Editor]

Very good, thank you Riccardo, this is a very interesting post!

[Mirek Riha]

Not agreed; it is sufficient to know the history of the French markings of that period to know that the red and yellow strips were introduced with the instruction n°418-C/DAT dated 24 June 1941 and were abolished by the note dated 9 February 1942; as I have reported before the instruction 549 - C/DAT dated 14 November 1942, after Vichy aviation dissolution and the occupation of the whole French territory by Germans and Italians, stated that only the aircrafts wearing a 0.50 meters white band on the wings and on the fuselage and the lower part of the nose in yellow were authorized (by Germans and Italians) to fly on French territory. This is the documentation: if you are able to provide different documentation I shall be happy to examine it, otherwise I don't like to proceed basing on supposition when there is real documentation, even if, I can admit, it is not well known.The b/w photos of the D520 coded 20 and 2 show a light grey color of the lower part of the nose, but they are in b/w, there is no information which can connect that light grey to some color
Riccardo

Hi Rick I saw many photos of captured D-520. Vichys D-520 has yellow part in 1941 (for example naval AC1 unit or GCIII/6 in Syria). Have you seen Ali Straniere no5 (I think- yes ) IMHO no yellow part was painted on any airplane.
In back cover photo AS5 are three D520. No2 has bright lower, part No3 has dark lower part and No1 is under canvas...In2008 is very dificult to determinate colour on B/W photos ...D-520 by lubos is captured GCII/1 airplane. I saw D-520 No 2, 6, 14 and 20. No one photo with "yellow" ...

[Mirek Riha]

And one small qestion (to end)..Spinners D-520 are red and yellow. This is rest of Vichy marking (agree?). What color was used to yellow lover part french or german - RLM04. (italian is possible to, but not much).

German RLM04 is darker (next to orange) then french yellow used on Vichy stripes...