Quarter light areas

[Hal Marshman Sr]

Whether you call them "Look back areas, quarter windows, quarter lights", or whatever, p-40s, Birdcage Corsairs, and Razorback Thunderbolts all feature glass covered areas directly behind the cockpit, to allow the pilot to at least get a glimpse of what may be behind him. Those areas were not considered interior areas, and were painted at the factory in whatever color the general exterior was. They were not Interior Green, or Yellow Zinc Chromate. In the case of some camouflaged P-40s, the demarcation line between the 2 top colors ran right through that area. In the case of field/depot repaints, those areas usually stayed in their original color, as it was labor intensive to remove the glass, and the repaints were being done to a timetable. The planes were need for operations, and as little time as possible was allotted to paint .

I see so many very well done models, with all kinds of expensive after market stuff, special decals, well applied paintwork, nicely applied weathering, well researched paint schemes and markings, and then am disappointed to see quarter light areas wrongly painted.

I will admit, that at one time in my modeling "career", I also was applying the logic that anything under the glass should be considered an interior, and painted as such, until I started really looking at the color photos that have been brought to light over the past few years. It doesn't help that some model companies print spurious info in their painting call outs.

[Jennings]

I painted (with a little plastic brush) the area behind the canopy olive drab (from the little 19 cent square Pactra bottle) on my Monogram box scale P-40N waaaaaaaay back in about 1970 :)

[Slartibartfast]

Zeno's Warbirds site has a color movie from 1944 with a n00b fighter pilot being introduced to a P-40 at Curtiss. "Quarter window" window area was same desert "yellow" as the rest of the desert-camouflaged fuselage.

http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/P-40.html

Edited July 25, 2014 by Slartibartfast

[Hal Marshman Sr]

Probable that that's a factory paint job, using DuPont equivelancy colors. Similar to, but not a total match for the RAF shades. Thanks for the link. Of note are the excellent interior shots, I note that the interior Green is a more olivey shade than some. Also of note is the very close overspray demarcation between the exterior colors. Almost, but not quite hard edged.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Hal Marshman Sr

[dnl42]

"We recommend use of these shoulder straps". Now of course, that's obvious to the most casual of observers. But any sort of harness, let alone shoulder harnesses, only came along after learning the consequences first-hand...

[Slartibartfast]

Second-hand was the case more often than not in the early days.

[dnl42]

Second-hand was the case more often than not in the early days.

Now that you point it out, that's obviously correct!

[ross blackford]

:D, I have seen a few (very few) photos of 3 and 450 Sqn RAAF Kittyhawks with what are obviously an interior colour in the quarter light areas. My father had a mate who was an engine fitter with 3 Sqn and when I asked him about this he said most had this area the same colour as the exterior but some aircraft had the plexiglass removed at major servicings and those areas were repainted with the interior colours because of a concern about running out of the exterior colours, although this never happened the contingincy steps were taken to make sure it didn't.

,

Ross.

[Hal Marshman Sr]

Ah Ross, the exception that proves the rule. Obscure enough that it's never come to my own attention, although I must admit, RAF aircraft are not my forte. Be nice if some pix were unearthed.