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Extra Dark Sea Gray as used by FAA?


murfv

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Hi all

I hope some of you can advise me

I wish to some EDSG over white schemes as per pre-Falklands Harrier and 1970's FAA Phantom

All refs I have indicate BS640 as the colour required and I was wondering which Humbrol tin is the

closest match.

IPMS Stockholm site gives 123 as well as humbrol own colour guides as a match,

but to me EDSG should have a slight blue hue to it while 123 seems to me to have a more gray/green look

to it.

I have in the past used an old tin of Humbrol Authentic colour EDSG(HB7) and this always

looked spot on to me when compare to any reference pictures I have seen.

The reason I have specified Humbrol is because they are the only range I have ready access to,

but if any one can recommend any other paint range, please do so.

any help/advise gratefully welcome.

Vincent

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I used to have a tinlet which said it was XDSG, but it looks like it's gone so can't tell you what the number was. I do have some old Humbrol tinlets which have paper labels set into the lids, H123 also says Satin Dark Sea Grey, I have H164 too which also says Dark Sea Grey plus BS638

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There seems to be some confusion chaps.

Dark sea grey = Hu 164

Extra dark sea grey = Hu 123

but to me EDSG should have a slight blue hue to it while 123 seems to me to have a more gray/green look

Faded EDSG looks blue, in fact this has often fooled illustrators into showing it as blue rather than grey. I think the Humbrol colour is a good match for fresh paint.

peebeep

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I've always found this an interesting subject (boy, am I a geek or what?). Anyway, I think it has more of a blue cast to it than is often recognized. The oft-quoted FS595 match for EDSG is FS16081, which is the color of USN helicopters, etc (aka Seaplane Gray). That color has more green/brown to it than EDSG does.

I like the Xtracrylics EDSG for 1970s/80s RN stuff.

J

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Thanks for the input, guys.

It seems that 123 is the way to go for the moment and

I may add a little blue to give a weathered looks as suggested.

:thumbsup2:

regards

Vincent

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"...as easy as 123..." Heres one of mine in HU123 (before I went over to Xtracrylic's).

Picture843.jpg.

Regarding FAA Phantom's..these were painted by McDonnell-Douglas on the other side of the big wet divide, so Jennings reference to an FS number may be relevant here - if not on the Sea Harrier - which would have been painted to BSc381 standards, no need to convert everything to FS!

Looking at period colour photo's there doesn't seem that much difference - if any to early delivered aircraft and those repainted in the UK

There was some confusion - on the delivered FG1's there was a small plate which stated paint in "DARK SEA GREY" - B&W photo's were then printed in Scale Models (?) hence the confusion. Even Modeldecal sheet 44 states: Dark Sea Grey BS381C:638!

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There seems to be historical and current confusion between Dark Sea Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey. I think that's a linguistic/cultural problem. An American would never name anything "Extra dark..." anything. It would seem silly to us. It's a very British way of describing something, and I think people who don't understand that linguistic difference might assume both colo(u)rs are the same.

J

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  • 6 years later...

Re Extra/dark/middle/light: one man's sensible system may well look silly when view out of context.

Re slate grey: this is only a feeling, but I suspect the Admiralty only understood shades of grey until Peter Scott began educating them in the Western Approaches. HM Ships were basically issued with tins of white and black, to be mixed in the appropriate ratio. Ones in tropical climes were also given buff - or primrose yellow. If Farnborough had called the colours greens, there would have been hands thrown up in disgust. Green was only for the Admiral's barge.

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