P-51 camo !?!?

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

Can anyone give me some more info on this colour scheme I wouldnt mind having a crack at it in the future

Thanks

Adrian

[Guest]

It looks like some form of "dazzle" mainly used during WW1 on Ships. They reconed that the bold colours and patterns made it very difficult to see the shape of a ship and also to find out what direction it was going.But strangely not on the wing in that pic..

Theuns

[Guest]

Here is a lighter pix of the bottom - North American P-51 Mustang in Dazzle Camouflage | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Theuns

[AlanG]

According to Signal Squadrons walk around (page 72) of the P-51...

USAAF Captain Paul Hexter designed a black and white camoflage scheme for the P-51 in 1942 that was reminisent of a WWI warship. While it was moderately successful, the application and maintenance was labour intensive and not adopted. The upper surface of the wings were painted olive drab green

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

Oh nice, was it just a black and white camo or coloured?

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

scratch that , just seen latest post

[stona]

There were some very weird experimental schemes tried by the Americans,I think pre-war (don't quote me on that ) They involved geometric patterns and several colours. I saw some images in a book years ago but I don't remember the details and certainly don't have that book anymore!

Someone may know more about it.It would make an interesting project for someone.

Steve

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I have a Fujimi kit with no instructions so I may just knock it out and have a play with that scheme, would be an eye catcher if it turns out ok

[flyjoe180]

It is certainly a dazzling pattern. Trying to line that up in the sights would be rather confusing I would imagine in the right light. Interesting topic, look forward to seeing it on a kit.

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

The Mustang I have was prep'd all in black ready to do a BMF, now I will have to change it over to white to help how I have planned to paint this effect, Oven cleaner here we come

Adrian

[Guest]

I have also found it interesting how the RLM specks for Lufftwaffe planes were used. Look at the way that the cammo was aplied with straight angular lines , I would not have expected to find something like that in nature.

T

[flyjoe180]

It is disruptive to the outline of the aircraft though!

[stona]

It is disruptive to the outline of the aircraft though!

Exactly. "Splinter" schemes had been applied to naval vessels previously. There are many ways of disrupting the outline of an object to be camouflaged.

One of the experimental US schemes painted rounded wing tips onto P-51s in an effort to make identification of the type more difficult. The assumption must be that the aircraft had already been seen.

Of course camouflaging a moving object is much more difficult than a stationary one. You might not see a leopard in a tree......until he moves.

Steve

[flyjoe180]

The history of camouflage is very interesting. Have a look at the various sites on a quick search and you will quickly see that there are many types of camouflage pattern. Ultimately the purpose of camouflage is that of concealment. The red jacket worn by British soldiers up to the late 19th century was a type of concealment in itself, in that it was designed to hide the blood of the wounded and fallen on a battlefield. In the Boer War, and particularly in World War One, the use of khaki and other earthy colours was introduced on a wide scale. A secondary purpose of camouflage is to disrupt the process of quick identification of an object, thereby providing extra time for the camouflage wearer to act first. Steve's P-51 rounded wingtip example also brought to mind an example I first saw in a book 'Bloody Biscay'. It was to trick the enemy into thinking they were taking on a less capable version of the aircraft that was wearing the scheme, in this case on a Ju88:

[ATTACH]54400.IPB[/ATTACH]

[stona]

The red jacket worn by British soldiers up to the late 19th century was a type of concealment in itself, in that it was designed to hide the blood of the wounded and fallen on a battlefield.

I think that's a bit of a myth. Having played Rugby for many years both in and against red jerseys I can assure you that blood does show up on it

The "red" coats,as initially adopted by a portion of the New Model Army (New "Noddle" Army to Royalists!) may have been adopted for reasons more to do with identifying and manouevering large bodies of troops at close quarters. The various coloured "facings" would identify different regiments.

Cheers

Steve