C-47 #43-48716, "Luck Of the Irish" Restoration Thread

[flightsimer]

This is what i have done so far.
Left Side, minus Supply and tow symbols

Right Side


I havent decided on which color lettering i like better. I want to find out what they actually used, but I am still mixed on what color we will end up using.

[flightsimer]

Also, does anyone know, was their a specific flag that was designed just for the victory of WWII? In our history, we were one of three ships that flew to various airfields on the "Victory Mission" carrying and delivering the "Stars and Stripes, Victory Edition".

I did a search on the web, but didn't find anything.

That would be the August 15, 1945 edition of the Stars and Stripes newspaper.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_and_Stripes_%28newspaper%29

It did this flight on May 8th though.

[shrike]

Ooops, would have been the VE day edition then. European Victory Edition, rather than VJ day

[patelie]

Serial numbers were yellow (I have seen one in red)
Tail letter and squadron code were light grey

[patelie]

Does anyone have a blown up image of the Mission symbols for C-47's?

This one can help you
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchi ... /lightbox/

[Steve Nelson]

Looks good! I agree the serial number should definitely be yellow and squadron code and aircraft letter light gray (I'm not saying they were definitely gray, but that was the norm.) I notice your artwork shows insignias on the bottom of each wing..I'm sure you're aware it should be on the top of the left wing, and the bottom of the right.

One thing to look out for..you're probably already aware of it (and if so just smack me upside the head) but it's a pet peeve of mine on restored warbirds and movie paintjobs: watch the proportions of the national insignia. The correct layout is a white star on a blue circle, with white bars, and the whole thing surrounded by a blue border (which replaced the original red border introduced when the bars were first added in the spring of '43.)



Many times, restorations or movie paint jobs incorrectly render the insignia as just having the bars "tacked on" to the circle, like this:



I know I'm a when it comes to markings, but it's just one of those things that just looks wrong to me. Even the otherwise very accurate C-47 paint jobs in "Band of Brothers" got the insignias wrong, and (to me) it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Cheers!

Steve

[flightsimer]

Looks good! I agree the serial number should definitely be yellow and squadron code and aircraft letter light gray (I'm not saying they were definitely gray, but that was the norm.) I notice your artwork shows insignias on the bottom of each wing..I'm sure you're aware it should be on the top of the left wing, and the bottom of the right.

One thing to look out for..you're probably already aware of it (and if so just smack me upside the head) but it's a pet peeve of mine on restored warbirds and movie paintjobs: watch the proportions of the national insignia. The correct layout is a white star on a blue circle, with white bars, and the whole thing surrounded by a blue border (which replaced the original red border introduced when the bars were first added in the spring of '43.)



Many times, restorations or movie paint jobs incorrectly render the insignia as just having the bars "tacked on" to the circle, like this:



I know I'm a when it comes to markings, but it's just one of those things that just looks wrong to me. Even the otherwise very accurate C-47 paint jobs in "Band of Brothers" got the insignias wrong, and (to me) it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Cheers!

Steve

No problem on saying anything, it never hurts... However i did know most of what you said.

The side view itself I used was from the same guy (Tom_w on wix) that did J8 43-15211. His was of the right side but I wanted to do both sides. I couldnt find a good blank one on the web, so I just used his and painted over everything he had. I left the insignia on the wing from the right side when I flipped it simply because i was just doing a quick sketch and it was already 1AM lol. Plus you might not have noticed, there are no doors for the left side, though I did take the time to delete the 7th window and move the Front Nav window to its correct(ish) spot. However, I didn't think to mention this when i posted the pics.

As for the insignia itself, II also was able to get proper instructions on making them from the same thread Tom posted his side view in. It actually has the instructions on converting the insignia starting with the one introduced in 1917. On my, it is properly done, but its not really to scale, so you can't really see the detail you spoke of. I also did the star by hand so, its not perfect.

Thanks Pat, I wasnt sure if that was actually how it was done, or if it was just how they decided to do it with J8 as I have seen some plane (or at least I think I have) with all Yellow or all Grey.

[flightsimer]

Patrick, quick question for you. I seem to remember reading somewhere that there was also a symbol for a parapack drop. I think it was just a crate with a parachute. Have you heard or seen anything along these lines?

[Pathfinder]

The red tail numbers mentioned by Patrick are generally found on a/c with PFF equipment installed. I have color pics and movies of PF #1 42-93098 on the ramp on June 4 with stripes and red tail numbers. In most PF pics the tail numbers photograph BLACK which is the way red comes up in b/w film.

Also Gray photographs white....and Yellow photographs gray....and the camera did not differentiate between light/medium gray and light blue...

And WHEN you paint the underside stripes DON'T tape the edges....eyeball it and slosh it on with a roofing tar brush!

[Chappie]

We plan on restoring her back to a condition she would have been in at the end of the war and returning home to the USA.

My personal goal for the plane is to see it put back into the most Authentic appearance possible, but I know some things will not specifically be original.

I"m just starting this thread, but does the above mean her Operation Varisty markings?

Chappie

[mustangdriver]

Call the guys at Dover. They have done one of the most beautiful C-47 restorations.
http://amcmuseum.org/exhibits_and_planes/c-47.php

They have all the paint codes, material info and everything you will need.

[flightsimer]

We plan on restoring her back to a condition she would have been in at the end of the war and returning home to the USA.

My personal goal for the plane is to see it put back into the most Authentic appearance possible, but I know some things will not specifically be original.

I"m just starting this thread, but does the above mean her Operation Varisty markings?

Chappie

The last date of detailed history we have of her flying a mission was May 28th, 1945 when she evacuated POWs from her base in Franace back to England. This flight could have also been the first leg of her journey back stateside.

So the mission symbols painted on her willbe for everything up through May 28th.

I'm still not convinced about her Ever wearing any form of invasion stripes due to the fact that I believe the order to have them completely removed was given before she even was delivered to Europe, but I will do some checking on that. I can ask Mr. Frome also in my next letter as well.

Edit: I didn't mention, but if it's not known, Varsity took place in March of 1945.

[flightsimer]

Does anyone have a blown up image of the Mission symbols for C-47's?

This one can help you
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchi ... /lightbox/

Do you have any more photos? Ideally, something not on an aircraft as I would like to use them for on my side views and to make larger stencils for on the real plane. Or if they are on a plane, something thats almost dead straight on?

[flightsimer]

Ok, here are some updated side views. The symbols are rough, but being this small, they work...

Right Side

Left Side. Im not sure which way I like better for arranging the the symbols. What do you guys think?

[patelie]

Patrick, quick question for you. I seem to remember reading somewhere that there was also a symbol for a parapack drop. I think it was just a crate with a parachute. Have you heard or seen anything along these lines?

I have seen this symbol for the resupply mission. there is one on pictures of the set linked before but I don't take care of these symbols because our plane is in d-day markings and the symbols were not applied by this time