Sky ? what's that all about :)

[paddy]

Some of you will be aware I am a born again modeller. As a kid in the 60s I was a prolific builder guided by my two brothers who were 8 and 10 years older than me. I stopped building models around 16 years old when I discovered motorcycles and that was it till about 3-4 years ago when I built a couple of Tamiya 1/12 motorcycles. Its been all downhill since then……
Now the reason I mention this is because my first time round Spitfires were duck egg blue on the underside. Fast forward 35 years and they seem to be a sort of Green. Tamiya call this Sky and it seems to be a colour they invented going completely against my upbringing of the “Battle of Britain” film and the instructions in the Airfix kits of the day.

The reason I mention this is documentaries on the BBC about the B of B are quite common and this last week we have had two, both showing duck egg blue spits…..So when did Tamiya start re writing history with Sky green

Not a splash of Green Sky to be seen

 

[Paulw]

Are you sure its not RLM 76 Paddy?

 

[moon puppy]

I got a bottle of that sky but not sure what I used it on.

 

[cb1]

sky makes a good interior color for modern US AFVs. LOL

 

[SA Dave]

As I understand it is that the sky represents the color of the tail bands. It matches Airfix, Hasa and Tamiya tailbands.

 

[paddy]

You could be right Dave but who came up with the tail band colours ? airfix who make humbrol and Tamiya ?

Most Spits in Green/Brown didn't have tail bands and the "SKY" colour was immaterial once the Grey/Green Spits arrived as they were grey not sky underside anyway.
A period time/life shot shows the band as quite a different colour from the underside anyway....

 

[SA Dave]

as I understand it Humbrol has always had full access to the british museums.

 

[paddy]

TBH Dave i wouldn't take any notice of museums...lol
This is the only Typhoon in captivity in the RAF museum in London...

This is my model which i painted the invasion stripes on with the undercarriage doors shut..

As you can see the RAF museums Tiffie would have stripes on the diagonal if the undercarriage was up

thats museums for you

 

[Old Dog]

You might find this discussion interesting or it may just confuse the issue even more :gogo duck egg green = sky ??

 

[Arturius]

I say, choose one and use it.

This's just a hobby.

 

[paddy]

Thanks old dog, Edgar brooks is basically saying paint it what you want as that appears to be what squadrons were doing Its a bit daft saying there was no such colour as Duck egg blue or green just SKY as every paint manufacturer has a completely different idea of what sky is. :laugh: since these things get changed over time i would go with Humbrol Duck Egg Blue as that is what i remember as a kid which was 20 years on from the war not 70 years on as we are now