RAF spit mk9 interior collour?

[Guest]

Hi all.

Can someone please tell me the cockpit collour of the Spit mk9?(humbrol or tamiya if possable)

I will start a 1/48 ICM Mk9 soon.

Thanx

Theuns

[stona]

It was interior grey/green,much debate about the Humbrol colour as the one originally intended for this later got altered and relabelled for Sky ! That was the OLD Humbrol 90. Tamiya XF 71 is allegedly a very close match for this. I don't think Humbrol do a good match anymore.

Cheers

Steve

[PJP]

Steve

That's a blow. I've just spent a whole £1.49 on a Humbrol cockpit green and now I'll have to bin it!!

Tamiya XF 71, anything that John stocks that'll do it?

Peter

[Guest]

you could use Xtracrylix interior green. however it is the american colour so it is a bit duller (more towards an olive) but I use it on my RAF stuff, it will look better with a small percentage of very light grey in it. I think it is under the FS colours in the forum shop. On my mobile at the mo otherwise I would have a dig arround. have a look at my Mosquito build and compare the cockpit to Stevedore gorqeous Spitfire and you will see the difference.

[stona]

The Xtracrylix cockpit green is way too green and dark for the RAF colour. It's closer to The U.S. bronze green or dull dark green. I used it but tipped a load of RLM76 (blue/grey) into it to lighten and "blue/grey" it considerably.

Some original paint was unearthed on a Spitfire frame recently when a data plate was removed and it really is quite a light colour. I will try to find a photograph of that later tonight or tomorrow morning depending on how work goes.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

I did not mean to call you Stevedore, Steve, I am still trying to get to grips with one of these bloody 'virtual keyboards' on my phone. For some reason it does on occasion think it knows better than me about what I am thinking. Sadly, very often it is right, but not on this occasion lol

I agree that the Xtracrylix is too brown green instead of grey green hence my suggestion that the two were compared. Not sure anyone does a really good RAF interior green.

[Guest]

Thanx for the replies lads. I wonder how critical it would be if I used a Humbrol that is slightly "off" ? I recon also that the eye can be cheated into believing it is correct as the cockpit on a 48 scale spit is rather small.

I assume the mk9 was a spit that had the hastely aplied invation marks on a few days before 6 june??? All the decals of the stripes are very neat and straight ,whereas Steve has shown pix of them being aplied by brush and rather "crude"

This is my idea for a little airfield diorama.

Theuns

PS. would Tamija XF24 or Humbrol extra dark sea grey be OK for a ME 262 cockpit???

[stona]

Hi Theuns,of course you can cheat a bit on a model,I do all the time.

Many MkIX Spitfires were striped for D-Day along with a few MkVs. Did I post the pictures of the badly painted USAAF Spitfires?

A dark grey maybe with a very slightly blue cast is what you want for RLM66,I don't know the Tamiya colour but EDSG will be in the ball park,maybe add a little black to reduce it'd blueness a bit.

As a matter of interest Jerry Crandall showed that the formula for RLM66 (which existed pre-war) changed numerous times but the actual colour varied very little. He identifies only two variations,an early colour which was bluer than the later one. Your Me262 would certainly have the later variation.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Thanx Steve. I see the plans call for Tamiya XF-63 (if all else fails, read the instructions!)

I was just wondering, what do you mean the spits were "striped" for the invation?

I have an idea to do the dio with the paint being aplied "in-field" the night before tipe thing., Bucket of paint and brush on the wing LOL.

Would these mk9's be relatively war weary and weathered by '44 or were thewy still in relativly good nick?

Theuns

[stona]

Hi Theuns ,I just mean that many MkIXs had invasion stripes applied for D-Day. Spitfire IXs were still being produced well into 1944 so the choice is yours,you can do an old warhorse or something a few weeks old.

I like the sound of your dio,a bucket of paint and a brush sounds about right!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Yes, and the painter just stepped away for tea and left everything as is!

Theuns

[stona]

I can't find my Grey/green Spitfire picture but here is the same colour in an unrestored Lancaster contrasting nicely with the yellow zinc chromate primer on the part behind. Two colours for the price of one!

Cheers

Steve

[stona]

Found it.

And what to me at least looks like a good restoration.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Thanx Steve, that is as close as I can see to my Humbrol #78.

I think it also depends allot on the light the plane is viewed in.

With a flash thegreen might have a little more blue to it, and in darker light it might look more grey.

As with the law, it all in in the interpretaion!

Theuns

[stona]

You're right Theuns. I know the colour that was under the data plate is on a photograph taken in natural light. I can't vouch for the others but they both look like a flash was used to me.

Cheers

Steve