BUA VC10

[kev67]

I have been doing some artwork for my 1/72 BUA VC10 in the khaki and turquoise scheme, one thing that is puzzling me is the 'S' in BRITISH UNITED not sure what it should look like as I have seen two different decal sheets in 1/144 and the S looks different in booth, has anyone got a close up photo as the ones I can find don't show it very clearly.

[stringbag]

Hi Kev

Will this help? http://www.impdb.org/images/4/4d/RETi653853.jpg

I'll let you know if I can find anything better.

Chris.

PS Just found this one http://www.vc10.net/History/Images/G-ATDJ_Gatwick_July_1969_2.jpg

[davecov]

Another one for you - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/G-ARTA_Vickers_VC-10-1109_%28prototype%29_BUA_British_United_Airways_LGW_05MAY69.jpg

Dave

[kev67]

Thanks for that, I have been using Arial font in Illustrator 10 as it seems the closest, but the S looks completely different, this photo does indicate it more http://www.impdb.org.../RETi653853.jpg

I think some companies that produce decal sheets for airlines can be a bit lazy in their artwork

[skippiebg]

"I think some companies that produce decal sheets for airlines can be a bit lazy in their artwork"

Yeah, you could say that... I have a commercially available BUA VC10 decal that proves your point. The typeface and logo are just plain wrong, though not by much, while the spacing between the various bits is off by a lot more. I liked that short-lived hockey-stick livery. I don't suppose it said "we are a business airline", which is what Adam Thompson wanted BCal to say. But it did say "We're a holiday airline" beautifully!

I redid the wrong bits years ago for my own use, but only the One-Eleven version has survived. Since I don't have a vector program (mine works with bitmaps) the result is unusable unless we are talking 1/144 scale. Here it is, anyway:

[kev67]

Could I ask want font you used on the S, I also had to play around a bit with the BUA logo as the A is straight at one end, I think I gave it 20 degree slope but looking at photos the U was near parallel to the slope on the A so I had to compensate that and slope the U a bit more

[skippiebg]

Can't remember the typeface now, but I must have gone to https://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/ for starters.

A little realised thing is how computers boosted typeface design. When I did typography at the London College of Printing 30 years ago, there were said to be 4000 Latin-based 'faces. Now there are maybe 20 times more! (A _font_, by the way, is a full set of characters, but of only one weight [light, medium, bold, etc] and cut [upright, italic, etc] within a typeface. Sorry, couldn't resist!) Two points to this: 1. we can now easily get a freeware typeface program and get going at home; 2. in the Sixties, designers often made-up their own 'faces for set jobs, so matching them is exceedingly hard as they were seldom listed and copyrighted.

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Just to add that the "BUA" lozenge (ahem... technical word) contains a straightforward giveaway that the designer was making it all up as he went: proper typography demands that the bottom of the U should be slightly below the baseline (the imaginary line from which letters like A, B, D, E, etc, rise). However, in this case, it lines with the baseline. Also, there are no "resolution points" (almost invisibly small barbs and indents on the corners of letterforms that make them look that bit sharper overall). Whoever did the catchy, short-lived, post-Freddie Laker hockeystick livery was clearly no typographer! Not that it mattered much, what with rounded fuselages and the like...

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Oh, and do PM me and I can mail you the full artwork, if you like. It's several megabytes, but most mails can handle that nowadays.

Edited June 4, 2016 by skippiebg

[kev67]

One other thing I need assistance on, what is the best colour match using acrylic paint, for the Sandstone and Turquoise colours

[JosephLalor]

One other thing I need assistance on, what is the best colour match using acrylic paint, for the Sandstone and Turquoise colours

Just off the top of my head the Xtracolor FS15183 and Southwest Airlines Desert Gold might possibly be in the ballpark. Wouldn't pretend to be certain they're the best match though.

[pinky coffeeboat]

I think Southwest maybe a bit too dark. I recently completed an Airfix 737 in those colours. You could add a little but of white to lighten the colour up a bit?

[skippiebg]

Spraying cheatlines more than a tad risky -- "steps" (relief), bleeding and all that. In a design with two abutting colours, these can be hard to remove if you're as short-tempered and cack-handed as me.

My approach has been, I'd make the entire decal (stripes and all) on computer, print a proof (screen never match printed ones), test it for density over a white-painted scrap part, then print out a final copy (or two, in case of botched attempts, which I am very prone to), let it dry gently a good long time on a sunny and dust-free windowsill, spray it with fixative, let that dry out, and apply as usual. (After drying, a pass or two with a lukewarm iron, through a cotton cloth, can't do any harm. This is assuming an inkjet printer, of course!)

Inkjets tend to give thin colours, so the white beneath makes them look paler. You can play around darkening the colours progressively, and proofing until you are happy. I once proofed a TWA decal progressively until the red was practically a rich brown -- looked red only when applied. Important to look at the applied and set proofs in all kinds of lighting (and always outdoors, in fine as well as overcast weather), just to be sure.

Edited June 6, 2016 by skippiebg

[kev67]

Thanks for the advice, probably OK on a 1/144 scale but as its 1/72 might be more difficult to achieve a good result using decals, plus all the windows have been cut out.