# Spitfire colors



## Duck

I am working on a Heller 1/72 Spitfire, either a Mk 1 or 2 a, forgot right this second. I've been trying to find any info on how these were painted but no luck. Anyone here have any info that will help?
Thanks
duck


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## djnick66

Duck said:


> I am working on a Heller 1/72 Spitfire, either a Mk 1 or 2 a, forgot right this second. I've been trying to find any info on how these were painted but no luck. Anyone here have any info that will help?
> Thanks
> duck


The Spit Mk. I/II (virtually identical visually) were painted in one of several standard European schemes in use in the 1939-41 time frame. 

The inside of the cockpit would be, most likely, RAF Interior Grey Green, although earlier planes were Eau D'Nil, a brighter , lighter shade. Wheel wells would be Aluminum or Grey Green.

Topside camouflage is Dark Earth and Dark Green. 

The underside can be in a couple different patterns depending on time frame and squadron. By the Battle of Britain, new planes were delived with Sky undersides. Sky is a light greenish shade, and not what you would think of as a sky blue. It is sometimes called Sky Type S. Prior to the introduction of Sky, the planes had a multi colored underside disruptive camouflage of Night (Black) under the left wing, White under the right Wing, and Aluminum under the fusilage and tail. There were variations of this scheme with the ailerons being painted in contrasting colors (black aileron on white wing etc) and without the Aluminum, etc. But, by the BoB time frame most planes had Sky, but not all.



This is a WIP shot of the ancient Frog Spitfire Mk. I in the pre 1940 camouflage










The finished model with its Earth and Green topside camo.










The Tamiya Earth I used is not a great match, although it looks more red in this photo than on the model.

This Battle was done with Humbrol Earth and looks much better. Note also the Sky shade. In the Humbrol range this is called Beige Green.


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## John P

^What he said. 

Here's my 1/48 Tamiya Spit Mk I in BoB colors of RAF dark earth, dark green, and sky, with (according to the instructions) one black underwing (though DJ's thourough synopsis now makes me doubt the accuracy of my scheme):

http://www.inpayne.com/models/spitmk1.html

Now, if you wanted to do a desert Spit for the North Africa campaign, you'de want RAF dark earth, middlestone, and azure blue:

http://www.inpayne.com/models/spitmk5trop.html

Aaaaand of course later in the war, the RAF went almost universally to the dark green/ocean gray scheme:

http://www.inpayne.com/models/spit_mkixc1.html


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## djnick66

You can have a black/sky underside combo. There were many variations to the lower surface patterns in the 1939-40 period. My model depicts a plane as it would have left the factory with the basic camo pattern and national insignia applied.  As it wouldn't have been delivered to a squadron yet, there are no squadron codes. Receiving squadrons repainted the planes as mandates changed, but interpretation of the somewhat vague guidelines led to a lot of variation. 

Im not sure the Spitfire I was used in the desert. The one John shows is a tropicalized Mk. V with wing cannons, tropical air filter, etc. The V and IX were widely used in the Med theater. Likewise, the later green and grey scheme would be applied to later planes than the Mk.1. 

Here is the old 1950s Airfix Spitfire Mk. IXc in the later scheme










And an interesting old/new combination of the 1939 Spitfire Mk. I and the post War Mk. XIX PR. These are the old Frog and new Airfix kits.










And a post-Battle of Britain Hurribomber. These planes made hit and run raids across the channel after the BoB and wore the later paint scheme.










If you have ANY interest in RAF Fighters from the War years, look for this out of print book: Camouflage and Markings, R.A.F. Fighter Command, 1936-1945 by Goulding and Jones. Its long out of print but not hard to find. Someone was selling copies on Amazon in the last couple of months in the $35 range, which is not bad for a fully illustrated, documented, hard bound book. It covers all the various fighters (Hurricane, Spitfire, Defiant, Mosquito, Meteor, Gladiator, Demon and Fury, Mustang, Airacobra, P-40 etc. and includes specifications for the patterns, markings, insignia, codes, etc., has color plates, black and white color diagrams, photos, etc.


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## spock62

I'm currently building an Airfix 1/72 Mk1 and was planning on using "Duck Egg Blue" for the undersides. Do you guys know if this is correct for a Battle of Britain era Spitfire?


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## John P

"Sky Type S" would be correct.

I'm actually not sure what duck egg blue is used for!


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## djnick66

If you go back to my first post I describe the underside colors. At the time of the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire as in the Airfix kit was SKY. Sky (also called Sky Type S) is a yellowish green shade. In the Humbrol range it is Beige Green. Testors Model Master has Sky as well. Tamiya makes Sky, but its very dark and needs about 30% white added to it (it might be a Post War Sky). Poly Scale also makes RAF Sky. The S in Sky Type S referrs to "Smooth" as in its finish. But the color itself was the same. Sky was also referred to as DUCK EGG GREEN. 

There may have been a 1930s Sky Blue but it has nothing to do with 1940 BoB planes.


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## spock62

Sky Type S it is, thanks guys!


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## Duck

Lot's of good info! Thanks!
duck


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