I did a search but didn’t see any threads on this. What color is the landing gear bay on a Mk.I ? Its hard to find models or pictures that show them well. Thanks!
Dan-
My references show the wheel wells painted the same color as the bottom of the aircraft.
I kind of thought so. The intruction on my 1/48 Tamiya kit doesn’t specifically address the color of the bays. Just says paint all the landing gear and doors Sky and the bottom of the aircraft Sky so I kind of assumed. But you know where assuming usually gets you.
I suspect that it rather depends on who did the painting, and when. Untouched aircraft are difficult to find, but, recently, I was loaned some research photos, from the late 1970s. There were photos of a Mk.I, XIX, and several XIVs. All had green wells. I recently photographed a 22, which also had green wells. This leads me to think that the factories (who pre-painted every part, before assembly) left the wells in green primer, while repair depots, and M.U.s, who had to paint a complete airframe, on its wheels, most probably just sprayed the whole lot the same colour. When the order came, to go from black/white to Sky, I doubt that the Squadrons had time to mask anything!
Edgar
That makes sense. I doubt the guys in the field or at maintenance facilites took the care and time to mask the bays off so they could paint them a darker shade of green or something. From a modeling standpoint, doing just that would lend a little visual interest but I doubt its accurate.
That’s some great info, Edgar! Makes complete sense to me.
You’re pretty safe with same colour as surrounding underside. The major exception would be pre-war aircraft with silver undersides. Here, the gear bays and doors were normally interior grey-green.
Cheers,
Chris.
Hmmm…that makes a lot of sense too. [sigh]
True, until you consider that the (locally-based) Mk.I, in question, was built in July, 1941, and, up to 1976, when the photos were taken, had never been repainted, and had a replacement VA wing fitted, and both wings had green wheel wells. There is no hard-and-fast rule, because the “information,” 60+ years on, without photographic evidence, can only be guesswork.
Edgar
A couple of frames from a film clip of 303 Squadron Spitfires I have. I guess Feb/March 1941. Udersides Sky with port wing black. The first Spitfire has the inside of the wheel door painted black, the second probably left Sky.
Here is a photo that I took at the Hendon RAF Museum of the wheel well of their Mk1.
http://img262.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf0169by8.jpg is a link to a 1.5mb version of the pic.
Underside colour, however makes me wonder about the darker area that the oleo retracted into. Possibly originally interior green that has now faded?
If that’s X4590, it isn’t in original condition, since it has a Mk.V-type oil cooler fitted. This, as mods 367 & 379, started in August/September, 1941, after she’d been damaged. As X4590 first flew in September, 1940, that green might be Supermarine’s own primer.
Edgar