BoB spitfire colours?

[Ryanjames17]

What are the correct colours for a Battle of Britain spitfire, MKI and MKII?

Ie what model paints should be used?

 

[Airframes]

Dark Green, Dark Earth and 'Sky' were the standard colours, although very early in the Battle, the earlier black/white/ silver undersides might still have been seen on some aircraft, before being re-painted - you'd need to check references for your chosen subject. Most model paints ranges have these colours included.
Pics below of my still unfinished Tamiya 1/48th scale kit show what they look like - paints used were Humbrol and Model Master enamels.

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[Wurger]

Yep.. additionally most of firms that offer colours for modellers have full sets of the RAF paints in their commercial offer. Tamiya , Hataka, Vallejo and also Gunze ( Mr.Hobby) , Testors or LifeColur. You may find there both the acrulic paints and enamels.Just use the Google.

The examples..

LifeColor :
Dark Earth - UA092
Dark Green - UA091
Sky S ( Duck Egg Blue ) - UA095

Hataka:
Dark Earth - HTK A009
Dark Green - HTK A016
Sky S - HTK A026

Gunze H series
Dark Earth - H73
Dark Green - H73
Sky S - H74

 

[Crimea_River]

Contrary to the Day Fighter Scheme colours, Tamiya doesn't offer premixed versions of the Temparate Land Scheme colours described above. You need to mix other colours to get close.

 

[KennyK]

I've read that during July (1940) the undersides were repainted as and when possible. I've also read that a couple of squadrons ended up with pale, light blue undersides. Light grey also popped up a couple of times, but that is usually connected to Hurricanes.

During the repainting, the underwing roundels were standardised in location and size.... but it seems that not all of the work was done in one go. Same applies to underwing stencils.

Some planes had the underwing ammo panels in a dark colour. (attached is a pic, which also shows an alternative underwing roundel placement)

So... it's possible that there were (briefly) Spitfires with freshly painted, unmarked undersides. Though probably still with assorted leak trails from the engine

Attached is a pic where a Spit has clearly been repainted, but the wheel hub hadn't been done.




Just re-read thread and i've gone off on a tangent. Don't mind if this gets deleted for being irrelevant to thread


Pics via Google image search. No idea of original source, sorry.

 

[Ryanjames17]

Thank you guys!

 

[Airframes]

Re Post #5 - the gun access panels below the wings were not a 'dark colour'. In the pics shown, they appear to have been removed, showing the interior.
On aircraft R6712, YT - N, it is probable that the port wing underside is still black.
The 'Sky' underside colour (of which there were various shades in the 'early' days, due to local mixing differences) was introduced on existing, in service aircraft, on June 6th 1940, and on June 11th on the production line.
The underwing roundels were standarised at 50 inches, effective from August 11th, but, as noted, there were initially variations when the order first reached units in the field.

 

[Wurger]

I agree with you Terry entirely. Just a note though...

The first shot shows the gun bay access panels removed. These can be noticed laying on the ground under the wing next to the ammo boxes..

While the second second shots presents them attached. However these access panles are just dirty and show evedence of wipping out of the sooty traces from the guns and the case ejection slots. What is more it seems that there could have been applied the stencils on them and being printed of the black paint, could reinforce the effect of being darker.

The same effect of the dirty gun panels can be seen in the pic below although no stencils there..

 

[KennyK]

Another pic.

Ok, maybe not painted. Those particular panels have been deliberately discoloured one way or another. The colour difference follows the panel lines too "neatly"


Why would the wing of YT-N still be black when the fuselage has been done?

 

[KennyK]

P.S.

The 'Sky' underside colour (of which there were various shades in the 'early' days, due to local mixing differences) was introduced on existing, in service aircraft, on June 6th 1940, and on June 11th on the production line.
The underwing roundels were standarised at 50 inches, effective from August 11th

Thankyou for that info, Airframes- I didn't have dates for the standardisation

 

[Airframes]

As Wojtek mentioned, the gun access panels were very probably wiped down, when removed, to clean the gun smoke deposits, resulting in the panels becoming overall grimy, with a thin layer discolouring the panels. (gun smoke deposits were corrosive, so, whenever time allowed, the affected areas were cleaned to at least remove the majority of the staining, and were often rubbed over with a rage dampened with petrol.)
Not sure what you mean by the 'fuselage being done' on YT - N - it may well be that it is just the undercart leg and wheel hub still being black, or it may be that the port wing underside is still black, with the remaining undersides still in silver, or, as was seen for a short period of 'tranisition' around the time of Dunkirk, black port wing and 'Sky' undersides - hard to be certain. Of course, it could also be just the effect of the lighting.

 

[KennyK]

Not sure what you mean by the 'fuselage being done' on YT - N

Well, the bottom of the fuselage and lower cowling is definitely not black.... and I am very confident in saying that it's not the lighting. Lighting also *suggests* that it's not silver. There is no "gleam/glint/shine" from the lighter colour. The upper cowling has a shine to it.

There is at least one caption for this picture stating that it was taken at Hornchurch in August 1940.

 

[Wurger]

Another pic...
Ok, maybe not painted. Those particular panels have been deliberately discoloured one way or another. The colour difference follows the panel lines too "neatly"

Here is enlarged part of the pic you posted above. It may be clearly seen that the gun panels haven't been re-painted but just dirty with traces of cleaning. The paint of the undersides is showed through the dark deposit there. If these would be re-painted there was an even coat on them.

And here is an enlarged shot of the Spitfire Mk.I R6712 of a better quality. The Pitot tube seems to be of the light colour what may indicate the undersides of the Sky S colour. The silver colour also could be because the kind of paint gets the greyish tone in time and doesn't shine with the metalic glint Below, there is a pic of captured Spitfire in France , 1940 with the black port wing. The Pitot tube is of the black as well. Also the bottom of the engine cowling and the rear bottom part of the fuselage don't shine ( comparing to the peeled off front engine cowling ) and seem to be of the greyish silver.
Back to the YT-N Spitfire... the port landing leg and the wheel hub really indicate the Night-White-Aluminium at the undersides. But the light Pitot tube rather doesn't. However the starboard wheel bay door looks like being painted with the white or with the just applied Sky S colour. Bearing in mind the fact that the Sky was introduced on undersides on 6th June 1940 it is possible the plane could get them re-painted. But the black leg and hub were left of the black. The second enlarged image reveals that the oil radiator was of the light colour too. And therefore I would say that the plane got the undersides repainted with the Sky S colour but the remains of the NBS painting can be stiil there..

The pic source: Spitfire pilots and aircraft database-

the pic source: the Internet.

 

[KennyK]

Here is enlarged part of the pic you posted above. It may be clearly seen that the gun panels haven't been re-painted but just dirty with traces of cleaning. The paint of the undersides is showed through the dark deposit there. If these would be re-painted there was an even coat on them.

Why take the time to rub the whole panel with *some* effort to "staying in the lines?"

 

[Wurger]

Not sure what you mean. But the hurry could be the reason for . For the cleaning the maintenance crews could have used a thinner or just gasoline and a rag soaked.

 

[KennyK]

theory in the opposite direction...

previous painted black.
painted Sky in a hurry.
Possibly rubbed with gasoline on multiple occasions...

...could it be the original paint showing through?

 

[Wurger]

theory in the opposite direction...

previous painted black.
painted Sky in a hurry.
Possibly rubbed with gasoline on multiple occasions...

...could it be the original paint showing through?

1. previous painted black.. so why the effect can be noticed on the starboard wing while it wasn't painted black at all. Or even on later Spits too.

2. painted Sky in a hurry... rather no. The Spitfire wing always got a lot of gun smokes at the areas. Even if it was quite clean

3. possibly rubbed with gasoline on multiple occasions ... that's the almost certain reason..

4.

...could it be the original paint showing through?

.. of course that's the paint used for undersides showing through. All the dark apearance of that panels and the smudges there are the effect of cleaning and nothing more.

 

[KennyK]

1. previous painted black.. so why the effect can be noticed on the starboard wing while it wasn't painted black at all. Or on later Spits too.

I should have caught that before posting. Ok, so it really is/was neatly distributed grime

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

Never noticed the gun panels being darker before, good stuff gents. Filed in what's left of my mind for future reference