Author Topic: Bouncing More Ideas Around (Read 1054 times)

Kev367th · « **Reply #15 on:** February 03, 2006, 01:36:05 PM »

Default schemes -

RAF Europe
Battle of France - Dark Green/Dark Earth uppers, white/black lowers
Battle of Britain - Dark Green/Dark Earth uppers, Sky lowers
Mid 1941 onwards - Dark Green/Ocean Grey uppers, Medium Sea Grey lowers.
1944 - As 1941 but with invasion stripes, gradually being removed in stages after D-Day.

RAF SEAC
Early - Dark Green/Dark Earth uppers, Medium Sea Grey lowers
Late - As RAF 1941 onwards
Both having recognition white bands on the wings, stabs and tail. If natural metal finish bands were either RAF Dark Blue or Black.

RAF Mediterranean
Dark Earth/Mid Stone uppers, Azure Blue lowers.

Of course there were individual aircraft or sometimes squadrons that "did their own thing.
1) 249 sqn in Malta are now by the latest thinking perhaps used Dark Earth/Extra Dark Sea Grey uppers.
2) The blue Malta Spits
3) 16sqns 'Pink' FR IX's
4) Some Czech sqn planes in the Desert Camo 'may' have used Meditteranean blue instead of Azure blue.
etc etc

Its the unusual ones we are trying to find.

Unfortuneately the RAF really frowned on 'individuality', it being limited to sqn CO's and above being allowed to use their initials instead of the sqn code. Hence D*B - Douglas Bader, RS*T - Stamford Tuck etc.
Suppose the greatest chance of unusual schemes would be found far from the reach of RAF Fighter Command in the UK.

Kev367th · « **Reply #16 on:** February 03, 2006, 02:00:35 PM »

Dan -
Be interested in your thoughts on the 73 sqn IX.

Obviously the fuselage roundel yellow outline has been over painted with RAF Blue.
What color do you reckon the arrow is?
Not RAF Blue, but close to black (spinner color).

Kazaa · « **Reply #17 on:** February 03, 2006, 02:00:43 PM »

Thanks for posting the information Kev!

Guppy35 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 03, 2006, 02:48:47 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Kev367th
Dan -
Be interested in your thoughts on the 73 sqn IX.

Obviously the fuselage roundel yellow outline has been over painted with RAF Blue.
What color do you reckon the arrow is?
Not RAF Blue, but close to black (spinner color).

What I found says that originally the arrow was Yellow and Blue on the Hurricanes, but the center part of the arrow was repainted blue with the thin yellow lines to seperate it from the outer parts.

This was carried over to the Spits.

Problem is the center cention looks lighter to me, so if the outer sections are the same as the roundel blue, then the center section is a lighter blue of some kind.

Another image of a combat 73 Squadron Spit with the

Image of a 73 Hurricane after they got rid of the yellow. The center part still looks lighter, much the same as the Spit.

Profile of the earlier version of the 73 arrow on a Hurricane

Gonna keep looking

Guppy35 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 03, 2006, 02:52:32 PM »

Go here Kev:

http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/h73.html

Note the flash on the Vampire. I think that's it. With the thin yellow lines between the blues.

Kev367th · « **Reply #20 on:** February 03, 2006, 04:36:13 PM »

Only problem Dan -
The 1st pic - The arrow is MUCH darker than the roundel blue. The roundel blue appears to be the same as used on tail flash.

Krusty · « **Reply #21 on:** February 03, 2006, 06:14:22 PM »

Those were around on Gladiators, as well. I think if you overpainted yellow with blue, you're going to get a different shade, simply because you're covering yellow. It's like painting over white, you know?

I'd try a layer of roundel blue and then drop it to 80% and put some yellow under it, see how it looks. Maybe 90% instead of 80%.

Kev367th · « **Reply #22 on:** February 03, 2006, 06:24:13 PM »

Quick test, yes I know its on an VIII, only one I have with grey/green at the moment.

So I guess something like this. for the arrow blues I used SEAC roundel ones.

Guppy35 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 03, 2006, 06:45:18 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Kev367th
Only problem Dan -
The 1st pic - The arrow is MUCH darker than the roundel blue. The roundel blue appears to be the same as used on tail flash.

The more I look at it, the more I wonder if that photo was taken with the Ortho film that made the yellow look dark, etc.

You can see where there is a smaller band around the fuselage roundel. And I wonder about the color of the nose. Wondering if it should be the MTO red that was standard on fighters for the most part.

The red on the fuselage roundal dot looks very dark compared to what it should be too.

I like the look of what you tested on the VIII though

Bullethead · « **Reply #24 on:** February 03, 2006, 07:24:40 PM »

FWIW, there were also some bare-metal Seafires late in the war. In the Far East, they had black ID bands on the wings and tail instead of the normal white on the camo planes.