Warbird Replicas Spitfire LF mk IXc

Thank you both for putting things into perspective. The finishing of a warbird is certainly the hardest part of the build compared to a sport model. Off to SMC soon to pick up some sample paints.

A very good summary by Jonathan, The plastic modellers only have to create a perfect static and very fragile image that's only real danger is a ladies duster . On the other hand , ours have to be structurally strong , aerodynamically correct , light , balanced and controllable. So to be dictated too by the rivet counters is coming it a bit strong .

I change lots of things from scale on my personal models and create colour schemes sometimes that no one can identify but look like they did exist . Isnt that the beauty of building rather than buying ?

The other factor for us , is can see it at 400yds ? The number of times I have warned my friends , dont do subtle ! You wont see it . If there is a bright nose version , or a white wing tip option , take it .

It is all an illusion with us , more like an oil painting than plastic modelling .

On that note I have decided to go for a very dark blue on the P51 insignia . There are plenty of opinions on this subject alone , but it seems to me that the majority of manufacturers use the RAF roundel blue . Whether right or wrong , the dark colour looks so much more correct and less toy like . Again , illusion or fact ?

Couldn't agree more Richard; our models are rarely examined close up. In fact, in current times and with my eyesight, 6ft is more than too close!

Having spent a load of time looking for pictures of a suitable Tempest, it's surprisingly hard to find common agreement on colours. An average google search throws up a lot more pictures of models of Tempests, than actual Tempests. And those pictures are split into 'very good pictures of a few restored or remaining aircraft' and 'poor/ old/ monochrome pictures of actual aircraft'. So, as you have wisely advised, mine will be my own interpretation on what looks good, and 'right', done to my own ability, and ensuring I end up with a flyable model I'm not too scared to play with.

So, my Tempest will be in Acrowot colours...

<Considerable spat tea now being wiped of Wills walls...>

I beleave RAF Museum Hendon has a Tempest on display, if they can't get the colours right nobody can.

Hi Alan,

They do indeed. They have a Tempest V and a Tempest II. However, the V (which is my version) is in silver and yellow. A fabulous scheme, but not the one in my mind's eye. My personal recall pulls up a standard camouflage with invasion stripes, so that's what I want mine to look like. As such, my reference is much more vague.

To be honest, the point we are making here is that I don't WANT to be pulled into exact colour matches. Because the reference is so vague and varied, it gives me a free reign to apply artistic licence to the finish. Who's to say what is correct? If my model is seen by 15 people in it's life, I'll be surprised. If it makes one of this smile, and that one is me, then the job is done!

Graham

I'll be making my Spitfire for me; it will be (I hope!) a fair representation of an actual aircraft of that era. I've read somewhere that paint was applied in theatre, so would be subject to local variations.

At the end of the day, if it looks right, then that is great for me. If someone else has a problem with how many rivets I've missed, I will not lose sleep over it.

I'll have more problem flying in a scale manner tbh lol

Cheers

Ade

Hi Graham

Quite agree beauty lies in the eye of the beholder or builder, colour was usually determined by availability at the time with adhoc mixing. What size distemper brush /broom will you use for the stripes.

Alan p

Totally agree with what is being suggested about colours, just think about what you want to to represent, flying combat missions over Europe, the logic for camo is to try and blend so topside greens and greys (who cares about the 'correct' paint number) underside blues and greys?. Flying over desert areas, light browns and dark browns. Winter flying in Russia, whitewash white over summer camo. As has already been said, who can argue that your chosen colour are wrong> well unless you chose pink, and even then the Nr 14 LA-7 was red! Likewise think about how the paint was applied, sprayed on at factory, no paint masks, so fairly feathered edges, but then a lot of painting was done at the airfield (see Paul's earlier post) and it was brush / broom applied, nothing subtle about that and what choice of colours did they have?!!!

IIRC the factory applied paint on Spitfires was applied by spraying using heavy reusable masks in the "A" "B", "C" and "D" schemes, not with a yardbrush.

I’ll have to dig out some photos I found showing spray applied by women but no masks, same for Germany. But certainly for field applied I suspect the brush / broom approach was the norm. But, as Leccy says, the ‘sand and spinach’ scheme was also applied using heavy rubber mats (masks) and therein lies the answer, do whatever you want!

Edited By Ron Gray on 10/07/2020 12:57:39

Hey did you know they call this 'spray painting'....

It's well documented that the invasion stripes were painted roughly on the eve of the D-Day operations. That isn't the same thing as the painting of the camouflage on the aeroplane, whether it is done in the factory or in the field.

Ive got a friend called Basil Brush . Always immaculate .

Is that relevant ?

There were some pink ones, used for PR.

I guess Basil isn't relevant then ?

To be fair , Ive never seen him do a stroke .

He's more of what you might call "an opportunist " , what with him being a fox and all .

Pink Spitfires ? PR and Barbara Cartland's runaround . Goes quite well with RAF blue .

Now not a lot of people know this but the aforementioned BB was so quick that people (I think you are included in this Richard) swore he never did anything useful. However BB was also an acronym for the sonic way in which he worked, in fact a double sonic!

But I'm glad you raised the subject of BB, Richard, as this thread was in danger of becoming far too serious! And look, if Spits were painted in a scheme referred to as 'sand and spinach', I'm sure there must have been one called 'mud and rhubarb'.

The pink PRU Spitfires are lovely - I have a Robbe foamie Spitfire still in the box, but all nicely rubbed down and just waiting to decide whether to use WPBU and glasscloth and the paint her up as a PRU Spitfire.

That intention was from the days when it wasn't all that common to have cameras on models and my intention was to fit a wee camera looking out through an 'ole in the side.