An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

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The Great Auk
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Re: An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

Post by The Great Auk »

After Norway was over-run by the Germans, the RoNAF was forced to relocate training to Canada, moving personnel and equipment to a base that would become known as Little Norway. Norwegian Curtiss Hawk 75s soon became a common sight in the skies over Ontario.

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The Norwegian air men would bring more than just their skill and bravery across the Atlantic. They also brought a little taste of home, that famous Norwegian delicacy known as Lutefisk.

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For those who are fortunately unaware of this Scandinavian food stock, Lutefisk is dried/salted fish treated with lye that often has a gelatinous consistency which is favored by Norwegian bachelor farmers.

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Lutefisk provided the Norwegian air men with the nutrients necessary for intensive training and was also a morale boost that reminded them what they were fighting for.

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Oddly enough, this Norwegian national dish proved popular with the locals, perhaps due to limited dietary options caused by wartime rationing.

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Over the course of the war, the popularity of Lutefisk would grow until it eventually led to the post-war Lutefisk craze that would consume Canada and bordering parts of the northern United States...

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...with predictably disastrous results.

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Fortunately for North American taste buds, the Lutefisk craze would be short-lived even though it would out-last the Norwegian Curtiss Hawk 75s.

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However, for one brief moment that small, brave detachment of Norwegians would have an out-sized cultural influence far greater than one might think possible.

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The Great Auk
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Re: An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

Post by The Great Auk »

Well despite a lot of paint touch-ups, this bird (not a Norwegian Blue) finally got finished.

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The old hairy stick and acrylic paints were used on the finish, Polly Scale Italian Gray mostly.

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The canopy was tinted on the inside with Model Masters Insignia Blue.

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Model Masters Semi-Gloss White Primer, Insignia Red and Polly Scale Prussian Blue were used on the markings with Testor's Royal Blue being substituted on the inner rudder stripe.

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Since my wings are less than steady, multiple paint touch-ups were needed. So many in fact that I built another Norwegian Hawk 75 waiting for things to dry using a spare Revell canopy and the decals I'd set aside as a back-up.

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I imagined that one of the Norwegian Hawk 75s was left behind to serve as a squadron hack through November 1944 hence the updated markings.

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This second Hawk 75 was painted with the old hairy stick and the closest shade I could find to that elusive Little Norway Apple Green, a Polly Scale railroad color called Weyerhauser Green.

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The decals are mostly swiped from an Italeri F-84 but those unique rudder markings were pieced together from four standard RAF fin flashes trimmed to fit.

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I hope I'll be forgiven for posting a bit of a what-if but I thought you might like to see it anyway.

I hope you enjoyed my Norway Hawk 75 and I'd like to thank all of you for inspiring me in this GB!

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Kitaholic
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Re: An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

Post by Kitaholic »

Nicely done, looks gorgeous in those markings, and thanks for that interesting bit of history, one meal to avoid
Regards

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Re: An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

Post by ShaunW »

Looks great, Auk, as indeed does the whiffer version although markings wise I prefer the more distinctive looking stripes to the later Norwegian roundels. A fine pair of Hawks though, nevertheless.
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TimJ
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Re: An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

Post by TimJ »

That turned out well. Nice work on the stripes.
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Re: An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

Post by Spaceowl »

That looks fantastic, GA - it's nice to see the smaller powers in WW2 modelled and you've done a great job. Were other RoNAF aircraft painted apple green? I know from my own experience how tricky it is to need a colour no one makes.

I had a terrible experience with lutkefis myself (eating it). The horror stays with me to this day.
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The Great Auk
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Re: An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

Post by The Great Auk »

Thanks for the comments, gents. You may see a more P-36s in the future from me.

The second green one was built purely as a lark since I had the time while waiting and the decals were already sorted out. The color of those Little Norway Hawks could vary. From the only color photos I could find it looks like they varied from natural metal to apple green to gray.

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This matches some of the art profiles I've come across, but those can be quite imaginative.

This next pic is so Crash can see what a 1/72 Revell Hawk 75/P-36 looks like built up. The only modifications were swapping out the kit canopy for one from a P-35 and adding a pointy spinner on the prop.

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I don't think the rivets look to bad under paint, especially given the kit's age but you be the judge. The advantage the Revell kit has over the Monogram one is that it can be built gear up or down whereas you have to find new wheels to finish the Monogram P-36 as "in-flight" mode.

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planecrazyman61
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Re: An Awk-ward Bird from Norway - the Curtiss Hawk 75

Post by planecrazyman61 »

lovely hawk 75,s Auk your builds have shown that the older P36/Hawk75 kits make into very presentable models which you have adorned in very fetching and unusual schemes
cheers craig
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