One of the guys at work was building the Hasegawa 1/32 P-26 and was grousing about what paint scheme to do it in. By the time I got finished talking, this is what he wound up deciding to make:
Backstory:
Overrun and on the run, American forces in the Philippines were in chaos. The Japanese offensive caught them only partially prepared, and planes like the P-26 Peashooter were not up to the task of defending Philippine airspace. In the chaos, one lone P-26 appears to have made it out, somehow loaded as cargo on an outgoing freighter. Somehow, against all odds, it made it to Burma, itself under attack from Japan, and soon was grounded due to landing gear damage. It was there that an enterprising Marine mechanic spied a set of floats from a Tiger Moth, and set about attaching them to the Peashooter.
The next few weeks is unclear, and nobody has been able to find out how the little Boeing fighter made it's way to Darwin, in Australia. However, on the morning of February 28th, a small single engined floatplane was spotted approaching Darwin. After an initial fear of it being part of an attacking force, ground spotters identified it as a P-26 and it was soon impressed into RAAF use.
Sporting an American Intermediate Blue over Grey paint scheme, RAAF markings and floats, the Peashooter (Or Seashooter as it became known) became a valued asset for Australian forces around Port Moresby. Scouting and small interdiction was a role it excelled in, as it was easy to conceal, nimble, and reasonably fast. It had been upgunned to two .50 cal guns, and carried 2 100 pound bombs, or 5 31 pound anti-personnel bombs. A Pratt and Whitney Hornet engine, along with a three bladed prop had also been "found" and adapted to the P-26. This helped counteract the higher all up weight the plane had grown to with the addition of the floats. It became a favourite plane amongst the Coast Watchers, as it was hard to spot from the air when pulled into the growth along the shores, and on more than one occasion was used to evacuate wounded personnel, who had to endure a terrifying flight strapped to the wing!
Thanks to "Mark 2" for his plane. Floats came from a Matchbox 1/32 Tiger Moth, decals from his spares bin. The insanity was apparently contagious!
Alvis 3.1
