bobmig

As I understand it, the BSC 381 spec is itself post war. Perhaps rather than what was it used for in WWII, the question should be WAS there a lemon yellow used at the time. Bob

Thanks, Dave. I realize that's what the 'official' report says. I just have trouble equating the very light letter 'M' with the very much darker nose, though both are supposed to be yellow!

I’ve been staring at these photos for several days, and am still in a quandary concerning the colours of this Bf 109E-4B. It is the aircraft of Erhardt Pankratz which was shot down on Oct. 5, 1940 in Sussex. It is shown here displayed for the public in (reportedly) Preston. The left-side view is very nice, while the right-side is a coarsely-screened image, I assume from an old newspaper. It was probably taken with an orthochromatic film (compare the red on the flags in the two photos). Various colour artwork images of the aircraft depict it with yellow nose and rudder. The photos, however, don’t seem to bear this out. Looking at the photo of the left side of the aircraft… If indeed the “M” is yellow, then the Staffel emblem probably is also. But the nose looks much too dark, and also appears ‘mottled’ with camouflage. The rudder is missing in the left-side view. but in the right-side view it looks as though it may, indeed, be yellow. In this photo the ‘M’ reproduces darker, and the nose, in comparison, looks much too light. Do my assumptions make sense, or am I way off base? Bob

This should help... much better quality, as it's from a series of still photos and not from an old film. The colour does, indeed, seem to be Light Olive Drab, and a single colour. Bob

Studying the image more, how about, "Please Contact the Wing if the something something something"? That last word might be "return" Bob

Here's the image massaged to death in Photoshop! To my eye it looks like the last two words on the third line might say "92 Wing"... but that doesn't make much sense. Bob

Here's a scan from a Yak-3 manual I have, and you can see that the pin is connected to the lap belt by a cord. Hope this helps. Bob

This is not a definitive answer, but may help move the discussion along. Personally, I would have assumed (I know... bad idea) that the banner was insignia blue. However, I went searching for some colour photos - of operational aircraft... I try not to use museum or display aircraft for references. Do you realize how difficult it is to find close-up photos of SAC bombers? Cross that yellow line and you'll lose more that your picture! Anyway, it looks like there is no definitive answer. In the photos below you can see everything from a very dark, possibly insignia blue, through a lighter possibly 'true' blue, to an even lighter blue. The photo of the B-58 crew is interesting in that it shows both the banner and insignia blue on the national markings. Bob

OK... just so you can all have a good laugh at my expense... I had to Google to see what the hell a "water butt" actually was! Never heard the (I assume British) term before. Aha!!... It's a rain barrel! Bob

I would think that they're probably solid recognition models - often called ID models. They were produced in 1/72 scale in various materials including hard plaster and cellulose acetate plastic. They were finished in black, but this enthusiast could well have added camouflage, markings and additional details. Here's an article on recognition models you may find interesting... especially if you've never seen them in the flesh (plastic?): http://www.airplanesandrockets.com/magazines/Uncle-Sams-Plastic-Air-Force-Sep-1973-AAM.htm Bob

I'm sure the erks sent to "get some blue paint" would never have thought of such things. Are we also saying that all the wild and wonderful colours used on nose art creations would have, of necessity, been specified, authentic paint only from official stocks? I don't think so. Anyway... I see your point, Stonar, but I was just throwing out a possible scenario which no one had raised. Personally, I have no idea where the blue paint might actually have come from. Bob

Has anyone else considered the possibility that it was simply some mid-blue from the nearest ironmonger (hardware store) to the base. Sometimes we tend to be overly technical about this stuff. Bob

Our two latest decal sheets are now available! We've done a reprint of the popular 1/48 Pre-War Spitfires sheet, but we also re-arranged it a bit and managed to fit in an additional scheme. This was a popular sheet and sold out quite a while ago. People have been asking if it would be reprinted, and it's now even better than the original version. There's also have a sheet of 1/72 scale ANG C-47s, and these are some colourful birds. If the early ANG period, before the USAF standardized their markings, many National Guard units used state symbols in lieu of the fuselage roundels, and there are some great examples here! Now available on our website.

As I understand it post-war models starting with the E18 had a fuselage with an additional 6 inches in height to provide more headroom in the cabin. If you look at photos you can see the difference. Some earlier models were also rebuilt to these specs, but I don't believe it was done to military aircraft. Sources I've read state that models starting with the C-45F had a longer nose, though I don't know how much longer. Many post-war civil versions had noticeably longer, more pointed noses. Below: C-45G (top) and Beech E-18 (bottom) Bob

It's a little small to need a galley! I'm starting to think it may have some relation to its role, e.g. personnel transport vs nav trainer. I think I'll start searching for interior views and see if they give any clues.