Jump to content

1/48 Airfix Hurricane Mk. 1 Tropical - Colors?


Recommended Posts

Hi All,

 

I'm getting ready to start paining my Hurricane Mark 1 "Tropical" plane, and I have a few questions.  First off, the instructions show that the bottom was Azure Blue, while, in most (all?) of the builds I've seen others do were painted in either Sky or some other greenish/grayish tinged color.  Does anyone have an opinion (based on SOME fact) about what color the bottom of this plane should be?

 

Next, I've read in another thread that the Britain-based Hurricanes were Dark Earh/Dark Green, but that the Dark Green was field overpainted with a "Light Earth" or similar color once relocated to North Africa.  Is there any evidence to prove this?  If true, I guess I'd like to do my 'chipping color' for the "light earth" color to be a dark green.  Further, the instructions show an aluminum color on the leading edge of the wings.  Was this painted on, (i.e. aluminum paint) or was this natural (bare) metal/aluminum? 

 

Lots of questions, I know, but anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I doubt the L/E of the wing was stripped back to bare aluminium, if it was even aluminium in colour, it would have been painted. I think you will only get a best guess as there are no colour pics of this a/c. and none of us were there. If you want to read more try the (lengthy) thread below, may even make you more confused...…...

 

Hurricane spaghetti

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey barkin, thanks for the opinion and the link.  You are correct, that Hurricane Spaghetti link did add to the (my) confusion.  I think I've learned that where there is this much controversy/discussion, no matter what you choose to do, you can't, exactly, be wrong.  Who's going to be able to dispute your choices...definitively?  The link does provide some additional options, though, all in the realm of 'reasonable'.  

 

I have painted the bottom of my current Hurricane Azure Blue...because it is in the realm of possibility...and I happen to like that color!  I've already done a Spitfire (Mk. VIII) with that underside color, and it look really good, especially once weathered and with the panel lines delineated (I now have the Flory clay based wash set, and will probably use those...as they are fabulous!).  And, it was really interesting to read in the link that the 'aluminum' on the nose and wing leading edges was not a 'certain' color, but that's what I've already done and it will stay that way on MY airplane.  Mission Model Dark Earth is a certainty for my plane, and Dark Green will be over sprayed for chipping purposes, but I"m as yet unsure about what color will go over the green.  I have many more Mission Model paints on their way to me, so we will see.  Plus, I have a lot of experimenting to do, regarding the chipping properties of Mission Model paint...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, without any additional solid evidence one way or the other, I plan to paint this Hurricane as the instructions suggest.  I just received in the mail the last color I needed in Mission Model paints.  I now have RAF Dark Earth, RAF Dark Green (for the 'under color', the 'chipping' color) beneath what I will probably use as the lighter tan, RAF Middle Stone.  Either that, or I may forgo the work involved in the chipping method, and just use the RAF Dark Green as the chipping color by doing the old standard 'micro painted chipping method'.  We will see how ambitious I get.  Today, I also got the Eduard masks for the Hurricane canopy (I've gotten so used to them with the Eduard Profi-Pak kits, plus a few Eduard masks for other non-Eduard kits), and since the Hurricane has so many individual window panes, I figured...why not?  

 

So, we will see how it goes.  I hope I have the energy to work on this thing this coming weekend.  It would be great to get this painted, at least through the main camo colors, if not the brick red and green mottling over the aluminum...

Edited by Curt B
Link to post
Share on other sites

Generally speaking the RAF was pretty consistent on their camouflage schemes.  The official "Tropical" scheme used in North Africa was Dark Earth and Middlestone over Azure blue.  This was found on pretty much all the aircraft the RAF operated in North Africa, the Mediterranean and into Italy.

 

There are a few exceptions...mostly aircraft that were seeing combat very early in the time period before production and logistics firmed up on the official scheme.  These were more typically found in Greece/Crete and Malta for example.

Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Cameron Lynch said:

Generally speaking the RAF was pretty consistent on their camouflage schemes.  The official "Tropical" scheme used in North Africa was Dark Earth and Middlestone over Azure blue.  This was found on pretty much all the aircraft the RAF operated in North Africa, the Mediterranean and into Italy.

 

There are a few exceptions...mostly aircraft that were seeing combat very early in the time period before production and logistics firmed up on the official scheme.  These were more typically found in Greece/Crete and Malta for example.

 

Perfect...thank you for confirming the color scheme I am planning to use.  That makes me feel better about the path I've chosen!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...