Vought V-141 Foreign Export Evaluation Argentina Yugoslavia Norway Sweden Turkey August 1936 — Painting Guide

Free painting guide — no decals included. This listing provides a painting and markings reference for the Vought V-141 as it was demonstrated to foreign evaluation teams in August 1936, when Chance Vought actively marketed the type for export to Argentina, Yugoslavia, Norway, Sweden, and Turkey.

Following the V-141's unsuccessful bids for U.S. Army and Navy contracts in March and May 1936, Vought turned to the export market — a common strategy for American manufacturers of the period whose designs were passed over by domestic services but remained competitive internationally. The V-141 was demonstrated in its Light Blue No. 23 overall finish with natural metal cowling and wheel spat details, carrying no national markings during the export demonstration phase — a clean, unmarked airframe that could be presented to any prospective buyer.

None of the five nations ultimately placed a production order for the V-141, but the export campaign kept the design alive long enough for Vought to develop the refined V-143 — which was sold to Imperial Japan in 1937 and evaluated as the AXV1, with consequences that would echo through the development of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

Painting guide: Overall Light Blue No. 23 (approximate modern match: FS 35190 or Humbrol 65 Aircraft Blue). Natural metal cowling and wheel spats. No national markings — modelers wishing to depict a specific nation's evaluation may source appropriate 1/72 national insignia from their spares box: Argentine roundel (light blue/white), Yugoslav red star, Norwegian roundel (red/white/blue), Swedish three-crown roundel, or Turkish red star and crescent.

A unique free companion to the Vought V-141 USAAC, Vought V-141 USN, and Vought AXV1 listings — completing the full 1936 evaluation and export campaign of the design that helped shape the Zero.