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Airfix BE2c markings


Haris Ali

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Hello everyone.

Just got home to rip open the Hannants package containing the new BE2c and Eindecker kits. Both look fantastic. Need a bit of help with the BE2c decals though. Leefe Robinson's 39 Squadron aircraft is depicted as having very pale blue grey colours with a standard red centre. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Jen Wright's review in the Feb. 2016 shows the model with more typical roundels and tail colours but this may have been an early test shot with different markings from the kit. Sorry about the iPad photo but better than nothing at 10.30!

Haris

BE2c.jpg

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I wonder if that's a mis-interpretation of an orthochromatic photograph? The roundels look light in photos, but I''m not aware of any 'light' roundels being used on RFC aircraft at that time. Night roundels were either blue/red or white rings. I'll ask a man who might know.

Robinson_in_plane.jpg

Note also by that time it had been converted to a single seater - it may have been converetd after it shot down SL11, but as it crashed 2 weeks later, I wonder - there is a shot with the cover over the forward cockpit removed as well, and it's not the standard BE2 front cockpit.

Edited by Dave Fleming
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The light blue was, I believe, certainly in interwar aviation a misinterpretation as Dave suggests for this case. Modeldecal pointed this out waybackwhen, when they released their inter-war roundel set.

The Windsock Datafile has two photos of Robinson's machine without cockpit fairing, and (also) as Dave says, the contents were not standard, also true for the pilot's cockpit, including what looks like a large flare or incendiary rack. Plus, the windscreen differs from the kit parts - it had two triangular gussets at the side so that it could be folded flat.

Paul.

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Thank you Dave and Paul for the very useful information. I'm inclined to agree with the colour misinterpretation, and having studied the to photos on P.32 of Datafile 42 can see the details that you refer to Paul. I can also see that the open front cockpit has been blocked off at the front with what looks like a sheet of ply. If I make 2693 then I'll exercise a bit of artistic licence when adding details to the front, unless anyone can suggest more detailed references.

Haris

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