Spitfire Cockpit Color?

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Working on a Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk. 1, and was wondering about the cockpit color. THe instructions would have one mix three different colors to make it, but I was wondering if some others would work in their place. I know it was a lighter color than US interior green, and from photos looks like a grayish green color. I was wondering about a couple of Tamiya’s Japanese coors I have - XF-71 Cockpit Green (IJN), and XF-76 Gray Green (IJN). would these be close to the RAF cockpit color without having to mix the three paints together?

Thanks!

John

2

XF-71 is the match for RAF Interior Green

3

What paint lines do you have access to? RAF Cockpit Green is a common color from most paint lines- Testors, Humbrol, etc. (except Tamiya) It is similar to but a bit darker than Tamiya’s IJN Cockpit Green.

4

model master makes raf interior green both in acrylic and enamel.

some say the cockpit is sky. i just used MM raf interior green.

5

Sky is far too light. Even Testors square bottle OD Green (not Olive Drab) is a better reasonable substitute.

6

I have mostly Tamiya acrylics, but am gradually picking up more and more of the Model Master acrylics as well.

The instructions say to use “Sky” for the undersides of the aircraft, so I didn’t think it would be the same as the cockpit color or Tamiya would have said to use SKY instead of the 3 paint mixture.

Thanks for the advice - looks like a trip to the LHS to look for MM RAF cockpit green.

7

you would think tam would make a straight match instead of mixing two/three different colors. this is the reason why i don’t buy their paints anymore.

i think newer spits used sky for the office. like the Mk.12 and so on. i think Mk.15 and Mk.17 seafire had a sky pit.

8

The correct name of the colour is Grey Green or Aircraft Grey Green. Xtra Color X10, MM Acrylic 4850, MM Authentic 2062, Vallejo 7101, Agama B10M, Life Color UA60, Polly S 505270, Humbrol 78, Pactra A117. It was never called Interior or Cockpit Green, never had the prefix RAF (it was also used by the FAA) and not for use specifically in cockpits or interiors. It is still found in the current edition of BS381C as colour 283 Aircraft Grey Green. Sky was not used. Early Spitfires may have used a different light green colour as well as Hurricanes etc.

9

they are all the same color. different companies call it different names.

10

The name, “RAF INTERIOR GREEN”, is to allow the inexperienced or intermediate-level modeler to be able to easily find it, not the official color name…

11

The colour that you need is Vallejo model colour 70974. This is 100% shade match taken from original Ministry shade cards.

The shade match FS number is FS 34272.

At the moment there is no match in the Vallejo model air range.

James

12

couldn’t say it any better.

13

What color is the exact shade match for the scale color, James? [;)]

14

Ah well… Er… Hummmm.

Not got a clue Hans… That’s Anorack country to me and I only wear bikers Jackets to go with my bike [:P] [;)]

My reckoning is that if you have the original shade to work from you can mix the scale shade from that. I suppose that there is a math formulae for this or a ratio or something that involves numbers and a calculator! [:^)] [:S]

Do scale shades exist? Ask your local politician for an answer… you too can nail jelly to a wall! [:|]

Scale shades… is political corectness finally creeping into model building? [:'(]

If you want to take a look at my research, Hans and you have MS Word I will mail you over my file

James

15

I was only being a wise-azz… [:P]

I don’t bother with looking for scale shades or the exact color-match m’self… The TLAR-method is easiest fer moi… I generally get a rattle-can out and shoot it, then use the airbrush and pastels to weather the paint into the shade(s) I think “That Looks About Right”…

[;)]

16

somebody is going to have a anyuerism and croak over R.A.F. cockpit colors…AWESOME!!![Y]

17

Sky is not the correct shade. However, model paints that are labelled “sky” are close in shade to the interior color used by Supermarine to paint Spitfire cockpits.

18

We’re discussing the actual colour of the cockpit, NOT what it says on the bottle.

Don’t get confused between the two. Vallejo’s labelling can be confusing, but their paints IMHO are the best on the market.



Sky

Often referred to as Sky Type S. Lower surfaces of RAF aircraft until 1941. Then used as ID band on Fuselage and nosecone. Supplementary info on Air Ministry Paint Info file.

VMC 70885



Name - Pastel Green

VMA 71009

THe interior cockpit colour is different



FS 34226

Interior Grey-Green



(often called RAF interior Green)

Interior finish

VMC 70974



Name - Green Sky

Get a bottle, paint it onto some white card and then go and look at a spitfire. The colours Will match. I have done it with the Battle of Britain flight. They still use the original paint mixes and the ground crew were amazed that the colours were 100% match.

Hans - Scale shade My A**!!! [:P][;)] [:D]

a colour is a colour no matter the size and scale of the aircraft! IMHO anyone who starts with the scale shade needs putting in a padded cell with the white jackat with the wrap around arms!

James - LHSWAO (Laughing His Spotty White A** Off)

19

I agree, I have never seen any evidence that the early Mk.I - Mk V.b/c had the Sky color in the cockpit, they have always been RAF Interior Green. The later models on the other hand from the Mk.IX and so on could have either one, it depended on what the factory had on hand at the time, but RAF Interior Green was more common.