Atsugi C-45F

Anybody have pics of the C-45Fs used at Atsugi? Have the photo of all white 51248. (in Iliad’s decal sheet) but I seem to remember seeing one with orange markings. Caracal has one from Iwakuni but that sheet is as rare as Muslim swineherds. Would like to do one with some color, if I can justify it. What time frame was the orange used , or for what reason? (Most photos I see do have orange or red , but not sure the dates. Also remember reading there was a switch from red to orange in the early 60s(?) Navy F-104s in 60/61 used orange visibility markings. )

c45

Found this which matches what I recall.
http://www.theworldwars.net/resources/file.php?r=camo_usn

From 15 August 1956 (BuAer letter Aer-AE-421/214), aircraft based in the continental United States were allowed to carry a special high-visibility scheme that was previously applied to aircraft operating in the Arctic. This consisted of a certain proportion of the rear surfaces of the aircraft (fuselage, wings, and stabilizers) being painted in International Orange FS 12197 , which is more of a red than an orange. Unlike the Arctic scheme, this was to be applied using a temporary paint which was to be removed in the event that the aircraft was relocated outside the continental US. These guidelines were rescinded on 16 February 1964 after which only aircraft employed in training, target control, and SAR duties (which previously used Fluorescent Red-Orange FS 28913 but which also switched to International Orange thereafter).

HTH

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Here’s the reference site I was remembering. Damn! That hurt!! U.S. Navy and Marine Corps liaison aircraft Beechcraft UC-45J 1965~1970 (hikokikumo.net)

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And JMSDF’s use of he type. Maritime Self-Defense Force Beechcraft JRB-4 (hikokikumo.net)

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Hello!
I love your avatar! I’ve always thought at that KITD/FOHS motto working my first job… :slight_smile: Recently Tommy wrote a nice article on red/orange, it can be found here:

Now as for the decals - I have some experience with tweaking the factory decal sets and printing my own (actually letting print them) - that’s how I made my whale, for example:

I used some of Hasegawa’s decals, and made others my own to show an aircraft from a Vietnam cruise.

So if you just need some markings for your colorful C-45, then I could draw them up for you, and then you have to print them yourself or find somebody to do it. For example you could use the stars&bars you have, and get other modex and BuNo from me. It’s helpful to have a scan of the original decals for that and as many photos as you can get, to get things right.

Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

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Thanks for the site. Just got to remember which engine the kit has and if it matches those Marine photos for my build. I think I have to go WW2 for my build.

Belcher’s bits makes a post war conversion set. Got mine on order … sorta. (they are closed for vacation for a couple weeks.) :: Belchers Bits Homepage :: (belcherbits.com)

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Nice work on the Whale. ( My first Girlfriend’s dad was crew chief on Hughes’ test bed at NAS Point Mugu in the late 70s. Had a bunch of A-3s at Mugu, between test birds and VAQ-34, when I lived in the area.) Have a lead on the Caracal Iwakuni decals , but the guy is on vacation. Iliad has the Atsugi bird. I did find a photo of an Atsugi based one with the orange, soooo…
His-Mil-UC45J-23841-Atsugi-Ueda

Thanks. I was thinking of doing Vandergraft’s plane which according to the Belcher decals is an early bird so no mods but the later scheme in ‘65 matches close to your photo is a late and requires the mod. I guess I will have to wait for them to open up again after vacation to order.

From what I read the long nacelles and wing root were post war rebuilds. The JMSDF ones were JRB-4s (mostly USAAF C-45s diverted to USN. USA serials were 44-****, so were war time constuction. ) The big name shake up in 62 (?) everybody became C-45s

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