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Russian Cockpit green?


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Just make sure that the aircraft you intend to build really does have the green cockpit. Many models were ruined that way.

A very good point. That happens a lot also here on ARC. Not every Soviet aircraft had a pit painted with that famous colour.

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Is there a general rule as to when this colour started to be used by the Russians?

Julien

It goes mostly by type of the plane rather than time period. The prominent ones without the turquoise green are the Su-27, MiG-29, Su-24 and Su-25 (including all the derivatives). Lets just hear the author, when we know what he is building, we'll be able to help him better.

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It goes mostly by type of the plane rather than time period. The prominent ones without the turquoise green are the Su-27, MiG-29, Su-24 and Su-25 (including all the derivatives). Lets just hear the author, when we know what he is building, we'll be able to help him better.

Not necessarily, Zmey,

e.g. the MiG-21 and Su-7 were comtemporaries - yet the MiG had green, the Sukhoi had black - (unless I am getting mixed up with Warpac Su-7's - that's an added dimension) :thumbsup: .

Known green cockpits, IIRC, are......

MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27, MiG-31, Su-9/11(?), Su-15, Su-17 - so it looks like a 'period' thing.....

Known pale blue/grey are.....

MiG-29, Su-27, Su-25, Su-24, Tu-160.

Maybe we should start a definitive list - as a reference guide.

Supply your example here - complete with photo if possible.

Don't forget to differentiate between Soviet-operated and Warpac (i.e. the Czechs certainly had (some) different colours).

Ken

Edited by Flankerman
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Not necessarily, Zmey,

e.g. the MiG-21 and Su-7 were comtemporaries - yet the MiG had green, the Sukhoi had black - (unless I am getting mixed up with Warpac Su-7's - that's an added dimension) :thumbsup: .

Known green cockpits, IIRC, are......

MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27, MiG-31, Su-9/11(?), Su-15, Su-17 - so it looks like a 'period' thing.....

Known pale blue/grey are.....

MiG-29, Su-27, Su-25, Su-24, Tu-160.

Maybe we should start a definitive list - as a reference guide.

Supply your example here - complete with photo if possible.

Don't forget to differentiate between Soviet-operated and Warpac (i.e. the Czechs certainly had (some) different colours).

Ken

Ken, think all Su-9/11 and 15 were grey (probably also the Su-17, but don't know).

In soviet era there weren't exactly aircraft companies with a production facility as we know in the west. OKBs (design bureaux) usually made prototypes in their own experimental shop, then when they decided to put a plane into production, one or more state aircraft factories started to actually make them. So it could be that one factory was making planes designed by an OKB and that it was ordered to stop making them and switch to planes designed by another OKB. One possible explanation of the different cockpit colors even among contemporary planes (for example the MiG-29 having the blue-grey, while the MiG-31 has the old blue-green cockpit color) might be because of the different factories involved. But that's just a guesswork.

Edited by Yuri
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Yes, as Yuri said, the Su-17s were definetely NOT green/turquoise and neither were the early MiG-21s either (F, F-13). But basically, all the MiGs from the later Fishbeds to Foxhound, ie. numbers 21-31, with the exception of MiG-29, had a turquoise pit. That's good rule of thumb.

This is not gonna be an easy list! :thumbsup:

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Yes, as Yuri said, the Su-17s were definetely NOT green/turquoise and neither were the early MiG-21s either (F, F-13). But basically, all the MiGs from the later Fishbeds to Foxhound, ie. numbers 21-31, with the exception of MiG-29, had a turquoise pit. That's good rule of thumb.

and then you have Czech MiG-21Fs which have turquise cockpits! :) indeed best way would be to check for references before commencing the build...

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Floquil also makes a good match in their line of Railroad colors. It's NYC Jade Green

That's my favorite - had that pointed out LONG ago, and used to promote the use of that color when the "green" cockpit color was called for - plus it's far more available than most of the other brands - at least here in the US, most Hobbytowns, any train-oriented shop, etc. would have this paint rack. But the big point given above to make sure to model to the specific aircraft that you're building is a VERY good one -

This color is only used for the later MiG-21s, MiG-23/27s, MiG-25s and MiG-31s - there are exceptions, but generally, this is the short list of where that color is appropriate. The hardest for me are the mid-model MiG-21s (PF series) as I can find references that point to the use of both black and the green color. Otherwise:

Su-7B/"early" - Black

Su-7BK/BM & later models - gray

Su-9/11/15 - gray (darker, almost similar to 36118)

Su-17/22 - gray (lighter, similar to 36270)

Su-24 & Su-27 - light blue, somewhere between RLM64 and RLM65 (I reference those for ease of search on your paint rack)

MiG-21F/PF - Black (but sometimes the later is green as I noted above)

MiG-29 - light gray (similar to 36375) - I do not find this to be the same as the later-day Sukhoi interior color at all, but the gray does have a blue cast to it, which is why I prefer the light ghost gray, as it features an appropriate "touch" of blue.

For the other more obscure types, you'll have to consult your references, as they varied widely.

One other thing to note, is to not necessarily trust the matches that are available in commercial paint racks - particularly model master, I find VERY few of those colors to be anywhere near close, whether the cockpit color, the Flanker blues, although their radome color is semi-close. Best thing to do is to take your reference to a hobby shop and stand at the paint rack and compare chips to what you see in your reference. I have not tried the WEM colorcoats yet, so I can't speak to their accuracy, nor any of the eastern Europe types (I've heard good things about Agama, but haven't ever seen any). Just use a little skepticism when trusting the paint manufacturers when they call out a color, particular the US manufacturers for anything that's NOT a FS reference.

My two cents...

Paul

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Floquil also makes a good match in their line of Railroad colors. It's NYC Jade Green

I'm so glad you posted that and Paul Cotcher thinks so too. I like NYC Jade Green as well, but I picked it many years ago and I am not as "in the know" on Russian stuff as I used to be.

though I'm not sure if it's correct for the Hind, you can see a little of it in the pic-

hinddetails.jpg

Pete

Edited by Impatient Pete
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I've used both NYC Jade Green (PollyScale's version) and the Model Master color. I think the NYC Jade color better matches the Pepto Bismol turquoise seen many of the interiors, but it really varies from airframe to airframe. See below for a couple examples of the NYC and MM colors. There is also another PollyScale color--can't recall which one specifically--that is more on the green side that I've been meaning to try.

IMG_1867.jpg

FoxbatCockpit.jpg

also

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I had no idea where to find the right green - almost all the options in this thread are available nowhere near me - so I improvised. I did have Humbrol 109 (WWI blue), though, for reasons that elude me; that, plus two coats of Winsor & Newton emerald ink, seems to do a fair job. The handy thing about the ink is that it runs into the corners and acts as its own post-shading. Results soon (in geological terms) when I finish my Flogger and post some pictures.

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Doesn't MM have a specific colour for Soviet cockpits?

Yes, MM does. I like MM's and Xtracolor's versions of this color. I haven't tried any of the WEM paints so i don't know how they compare.

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