NZFF

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 4:22 am**

Led over from the announcement section, I think I'd better start a new thread on this one:

Still an early status (tail fin flash and stripes, fuselage stripes adjustment and the usual minor glitches...), but I think this will turn out to be a very nice one...

Any comments and suggestions welcome!

Cheers,
Markus.

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 8:57 am**

Looks great!

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 11:47 am**

Good show Markus!
One of the few Iris models I bought, great to see it as freeware and enjoying a new lease of life.

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 12:51 pm**

Looks Great

, I installed this P-40 may have to check out the one for FSX .

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 1:30 pm**

Wildbillkelso wrote:
QUOTE (Wildbillkelso @ May 3 2010, 04:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Any comments and suggestions welcome!

Ok, so I suggested this paint scheme so I might make some small comments if thats ok?

The big one is that Wairarapa Wildcat was actually a 14 Sqn aircraft, not 15 Sqn....was flown by the RNZAF's leading ace Geoff Fisken. Nothing to do with the paint itself however...

also, not that you've shown us the starboard side, but the photos I've seen indicate that the nose art on the radiator cowling is only on the port side of the aircraft...Also, and this is perhaps a time period thing, the camo scheme as near as I can tell indicates that they were either all green, not a green/brown pattern. Again, not sure how accurate that is, most of the images I've see of the 14 and 15 Sqn birds are early in their history (mid 1943), and are also in black and white, not colour, so I'm happy for someone to tell me I'm wrong!

<edit>
Ok, so I'll prove myself wrong (sort of)!

Found a photo here that shows the OFMC's P40 painted up as Wairarapa Wildcat with the greeg and brown camo...if they were thorough at all in their research, then I'd say thats proof that you're on the right track!

</edit>

Looks great so far tho Markus!

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 2:26 pm**

Mark I believe you are right ...the OFMC aircraft colour scheme was wrong from what I have read as the Waiarapa Wildcat scheme was never on a green/brown aircaft in WW2, but I guess Markus is basing his scheme on the OFMC P-40E as restored. I saw this scheme in RL and I like it despite been historically inaccurate.

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 3:07 pm**

Naki wrote:
QUOTE (Naki @ May 3 2010, 02:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Mark I believe you are right ...the OFMC aircraft colour scheme was wrong from what I have read as the Waiarapa Wildcat scheme was never on a green/brown aircaft in WW2, but I guess Markus is basing his scheme on the OFMC P-40E as restored. I saw this scheme in RL and I like it despite been historically inaccurate.

Yeah, fair enough. I quite agree about the scheme being really nice looking too...I haven't actually seen it in person, I've seen more than a few photos of it recently. And as I said, I'm not 100% myself that it was fully green underneath for its entire lifetime...

Actually Wairarapa Wildcat is still alive somewhere in the US - would be interesting to know what scheme it's got now...

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 9:33 pm**

Looking good Markus.

The original Wairarapa Wildcat was actually a P-40M/ Kittyhawk III NZ3072

NZ3072 served with No 15 Squadron, then 14 Squadron, then 16 Squadron and finally 18 Squadon. It suffered a slight accident and was repaired and then returned to New Zealand.

It was then used as an operational trainer at No. 4 OTU, Ohakea for the rest of the war. Sadly it ended its days at Rukuhia and was cut up for scrap.

It was also involved in a midair with NZ3112 on 6 June 1944 near Ardmore, 3112 impacting the ground killing the pilot, 3072 landing safely.

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2010 10:40 pm**

Fauville wrote:
QUOTE (Fauville @ May 3 2010, 09:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Looking good Markus.

The original Wairarapa Wildcat was actually a P-40M/ Kittyhawk III NZ3072

NZ3072 served with No 15 Squadron, then 14 Squadron, then 16 Squadron and finally 18 Squadon. It suffered a slight accident and was repaired and then returned to New Zealand.

It was then used as an operational trainer at No. 4 OTU, Ohakea for the rest of the war. Sadly it ended its days at Rukuhia and was cut up for scrap.

It was also involved in a midair with NZ3112 on 6 June 1944 near Ardmore, 3112 impacting the ground killing the pilot, 3072 landing safely.

Thanks Fauville...lots more info on the plane and Geoff Fisken, plus photos and colour slides showing paint schemes here. Although I'm pretty sure that 14 Squadron was the first one that operated NZ3072, not 15 Sqn. Geoff Fisken flew it up to the Pacific Theatre with the rest of 14 Squadron, which was the first RNZAF squadron formed after the withdrawl from Singapore, and also the first one to be deployed with NZ-issued aircraft. 15 Squadron actually saw action first, but when they went to Guadalcanal in April 1943, they took over the aircraft of the USAAF's 68th Pursuit Squadron. These aircraft were P40Es and Ks.

This info is taken straight from a book called "Air to Air - the story behind the air-to-air combat claims of the RNZAF", which is a very interesting read. Who know that the first successful RNZAF air to air combat action was made by a 3 Sqn Hudson bomber???

I'm pretty sure that something of NZ3072 escaped the scrapyard too, since I do remember reading that Geoff Fisken was reunited with a partially restored "Wairarapa Wildcat" at Wings over Wairarap 2005. Come to think of it, I'm sure I've got photos of it too...I'll have to dig one up...

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2010 3:47 am**

markll wrote:
QUOTE (markll @ May 3 2010, 02:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
... so I might make some small comments if thats ok?

Of course!
Everybody should feel free to add comments an suggestions!
Thanks to all for joining this process.

QUOTE

Found a photo that shows the OFMC's P40 painted up as Wairarapa Wildcat with the greeg and brown camo...[/quote]
That's where I took the noseart (port side only!) from!
In fact, the rendition shown there seems not to be historically accurate. But I like it.
I think it's absolutely OK to do a repaint basing on an existing variation, even if this template is "inaccurate" - as long as this repaint isn't stated as "historically correct" in a nitpicker's way.
I use to point out this fact in the readme file.

The IRIS Kitty comes with a fine paint kit, but I already created multi-layered master templates (camo chunks, belly colour, markings, roundels etc.), so there will be several repaints done!

First in the row will be NZ3009/ZK-RMH as camoed "Wairarapa Wildcat II" in the 2001 Duxford appearance (white stripes, yellow spinner and Breitling Badge):
http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/pages/01ofmc29.html

Next should be the 1998 Wanaka airshow outfit (overall white tailfin, white spinner):
http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/pages/wanp40e4.html
http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/pages/wanp40e3.html

As these two variants represent restored museum planes, they will receive just some subtle weathering with a minimum of oil and exhaust stains and clean gunports.
Beancounters might assign a modernized panel with useful avionics to it (that's what I'll do!).

Now comes the historical part:
I'd also love to add a war-beaten skin, although the quite specular-shiny model won't fit too well.
Thanks to markII, Fisken's NZ3072 (the 'real' Wairarapa Wild Cat) will be the one! (RAF Dark Green or USAAF Olive Drab?)
An additional candidate might be the Mk. IV, 19 Sq, Guadalcanal 1944, NZ3287 'Esma Lee'...

Still open for suggestions!
Illustrated proposals preferred!

Cheers,
Markus.

NZFF

IRIS Kittyhawk 15 Sq RNZAF