The Kingcobras didn't last long, and were replaced in short order with ex-US Navy Hellcats (the embargo was lifted by the USA when the Viet Minh got the upper hand in Vietnam. Can't have the Commies winning; don't you know there's a cold war on
). The P-63s moved out of Tan Son Nhut and these rather used aircraft replaced them. Although well past their operating prime, they were popular with crew for their robustness and sound carrying capabilities. They stayed with the NN for the rest of the war in Indochina.
There are very few photos of these aircraft in operation, so the scheme is a bit tentative. Certainly not all of them (in fact a tiny minority) carried the Normandie Shield, in an attempt to conceal numbers from Viet Minh intelligence gathering. The one thing the sources did make clear though, was the tremendous weathering to the paintwork these old birds had undergone.
I did my best to simulate the patchy and worn Midnight Blue with successive coats of lightened Midnight Blue paint. I'm still not sure how well it came out, but at worst it's a basis to build on. Decals came from the spares box, almost as usual with this build, and the kit was the veteran Heller Hellcat, molded in very bright blue plastic. While not the best on the market these days, it is far from the worst too and has aged quite well.
Don't know what I'll be building next, but I should be able to squeeze another model onto the bench before New Year.
A very happy Christmas to all UAMF members.
