Trying to finish up my ISW HMS Invincible, and I have a question about the color of the spotting tops. I’m building the model to portray the Invincible at the time of the Falkland Islands. I can’t tell if the top of the spotting top is painted black, like the legs of the tripod masts, or if the spotting top is just grimy from soot and weathering, as seen in this picture from Tarrant’s “Battlecruiser Invincible” book.
I’ve seen pictures of battlecruisers POST Falkland Islands where the spotting tops are the color of the hull/superstructure, but I’ve also seen pictures (pre-war) where they are painted black.
Anyone want to venture a guess?