Dewoitine D.520 Green 4
652 yato, 2/6 orlyak, Bulgarian VnVV

The RSModels 1/72 Dewoitine D.520 completed as Green 4 from 652 yato, 2/6 orlyak of the Royal Bulgarian Air Force (VnVV), flown by poruchik (lieutenant) Hristo Petrov in October 1943.

Based on the photos and colour profile in MPM "Bulgarian Fighter Colours 1919 - 1947, Vol.II". Green 4 capsized on its nose during a landing accident shortly after entering service but received only light damage and was returned to service in a few days, strongly suggesting it saw heavy combat with 2/6 orlyak between October 1943 - January 1944 in the defense of Sofia from the strategic bombing campaign of the 15th USAAF.

Bulgaria received 100 D.520s in late Spring - Summer 1943 to bolster its air defences. These were mostly newly built machines, so I opted for a French camo pattern with additional mottles using the standard mid-war Luftwaffe colors RLM74/75/76, and went easy on the weathering. Prop spinner in RLM70 Black Green and Axis quick identification markings in RLM04 Yellow. The mottling was done in RLM74 and 75 using a 0.2mm nozzle, very diluted paint mixture and very low pressure on my airbrush. I don't have an compressor so I am not sure about the exact PSI.

The Bulgarian St. Andrew's Cross national markings and plane registration codes (small white triangle on the vertical stabilizer) came from the kit decals. I created masks and sprayed Green 4 using my own mix (a somewhat teal tinted green similar to the colour on the Bulgarian national flag), then outlined in white by hand using a 000 size brush. Weathered with custom mixed dark gray and brownish oil washes,

This was mostly an out-of-the box build. Added some additional detail to the cockpit, such as seatbelts from Tamiya tape and levers, and replaced the antenna mast and pitot tube with thin steel and brass tubes.

The RSModels kit is nicely detailed, with a very fine panel line engraving, and appears to be very accurate based on my research but it doesn't have alignment pins and is somewhat difficult to assemble properly as to minimize using putty for gaps and seams. Avoiding heavy sanding is a must to preserve the panel line engraving. The biggest downside for me were the very thick and basic main landing gear struts and cover doors.

Overall, it was a pleasant build but one I can recommend to more advanced modeller.