Typhoon rocket colour

[Meatbox8]

Dear all

 

Just building the Airfix Typhoon 1B and wondered what the consensus would be for the rocket colour as well as the rails.  The kit is the starter set and the instructions say the rockets should be black but I suspect this is incorrect and is because of the limited number of paints provided.   References I have seem to indicate that they were a shade of green.  It looks like an olive drab sort of shade but if anyone can give me some clarification in this I would be really grateful

 

Cheers, Tim

[Fifer54]

A quick google search will reveal lots of images of 60lb. RPs. When I did that when building my Airfix Tiffie, they looked to me a lot like Humbrol 75 Bronze Green, with "warheads" (for want of a better term) and stabilising fins

in a slightly paler green

HTH.

[Meatbox8]

24 minutes ago, MadNurseGaz said:

A quick google search will reveal lots of images of 60lb. RPs. When I did that when building my Airfix Tiffie, they looked to me a lot like Humbrol 75 Bronze Green, with "warheads" (for want of a better term) and stabilising fins

in a slightly paler green

HTH.

 

 

Thank you for that.  As luck would have it I happen to have 75 in the paint box so will give it a go.  Since my original post I have given them a coat of 155 Olive Drab but might treat that as an undercoat but keep the warheads and fins in that colour for a bit of contrast, as you pointed out.  I can't seem to find an official doc as to what colour the manufacturer should use so I suppose going by mark one eyeball is the way ahead for me on this one.  There are some pictures on the internet of a rocket (at Hendon I think) which certainly does look Bronze Green now that you mention it.  It also has a pale blue band around the warhead.  Presumably this signifies what type of warhead it is so does anyone know if this is correct for a live round?

[PhantomBigStu]

I think they were in the era equilavlent of the current colour deep bronze green, have to mix it if you don't want to source a matched tin from xtracolour/Crylix 

Edited February 27, 2017 by PhantomBigStu

[Fifer54]

Have a look here.

Some useful info . . .

[Meatbox8]

22 minutes ago, MadNurseGaz said:

Have a look here.

Some useful info . . .

 

 

Thanks for that.  Very useful indeed.  The general consensus would suggest Bronze Green, as you said, so I reckon I'll go with that.  There's also useful info regarding the colored bands.

[Meatbox8]

1 hour ago, PhantomBigStu said:

I think they were in the era equilavlent of the current colour deep bronze green, have to mix it if you don't want to source a matched tin from xtracolour/Crylix 

 

Thanks for that.  So, darker than Bronze Green presumably? 

[PhantomBigStu]

Yep and more greener, I'll post a crude comparison tommorow 

Edited February 28, 2017 by PhantomBigStu

[dogsbody]

This:

 

 

 

Chris

[Meatbox8]

1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

This:

 

 

 

Chris

Brilliant.  Thanks Dogsbody.  That seems to settle it.

[PhantomBigStu]

Opps forgot to honour my pledge, but dogsboddy post has the colour, wasn;t aware the heads were OD, looks like all mine are wrong 

[Graham Boak]

This may be a quibble, but those BS numbers did not exist in wartime.  I agree that the bodies were Deep Bronze Green (AFAIK), as this was the standard colour for RAF bombs, but am left wondering about the other details.

[BS_w]

read in "British explosive ordnance - 1946"

"3in Aircraft rocket

 

Shell H.E. 60lb, F. No. 1 Mk1...is painted dark green overall with the designation stencilled in 1/2 in yellow letters around the shell body

4.5in dia -

 

Shell HE 60lb, S.A.P, Nos 1 & 2 Mk1...is painted dark green overall with 1/2in white and 1/2in red band near the nose. A 1in lihgt green is painted around the shell body, and on this band are stencilled the initial of the explosive main filling.

6in dia

 

Rocket Motor: ..are coloured either green or white over-all with identifcation stencillings in yellow"

 

[Graham Boak]

But is the MAP colour Dark Green the one intended, or some other shade of dark green?  Or, indeed, did it matter?  Were there differences in production?

[Greenshirt]

On pg 314, the document doesn't use capitalized terms, as "Dark Green" versus "dark green". This tells me it's a subjective description that approximates the formal color, whatever that may have been. 

 

Of note, it describes the "shell" only as dark green overall, which is the warhead as it is well described and the motor is separately described on pg 317 as "...green or white overall, with yellow stenciling."  Note color is green, not dark green. 

 

For my money, use two different greens as your preferences desire. Or for variety, some rockets with white motor bodies/tubes. 

[JosephLalor]

If the warhead was an olive drab colour, could it have been SCC15?  Seems a bit unlikely to me, given that I'm talking about armour colours here.

Edited March 1, 2017 by JosephLalor

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

Just a note to say that the rails were a dull metallic colour.

The Mk III rails ( the lightweight ones used later in the war) seem to be a lighter metallic than the earlier Mk1 steel versions ( dull aluminium would be about right for obvious reasons).

 

And, with apologies, and at the risk of a semi-thread-jack: For those of you working in 1/48th scale - you'll find some very useful MKIII rails in the Tamika Mossie kit. To the best of my knowledge none of the Hasegawa boxings have ever had them.

 

Cheers

 

Jonners

[Graham Boak]

Deep Bronze Green was also an Army colour, so it isn't unreasonable a suggestion, except that the rocket heads were around before SCC15 was introduced.  I have seen reference (but can't pin it down today) to an earlier Army olive green (SCC 7?) which may be more likely.  However, I suspect that we should be looking at the Army colours for artillery shells.  What colour was authorised for High Explosive shells?  Looking in the same place may tell us what colour the 25lb SAP heads were.  Over to Missing Links?

[Troy Smith]

courtesy of Etienne Du Plessis flickr...

 

Hawker Typhoon. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

 

note aluminium Mk.III rails

Typhoons of 137 Sqn. c1945. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

 

perhaps of  use for bomb colour vs RAF Dark Green 

Bombing up a Typhoon 1B, c1944. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

Typhoon Mk Ib. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

usual caveats re WW2  colour film.

 

HTH

T

 

[Selwyn]

5 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Deep Bronze Green was also an Army colour, so it isn't unreasonable a suggestion, except that the rocket heads were around before SCC15 was introduced.  I have seen reference (but can't pin it down today) to an earlier Army olive green (SCC 7?) which may be more likely.  However, I suspect that we should be looking at the Army colours for artillery shells.  What colour was authorised for High Explosive shells?  Looking in the same place may tell us what colour the 25lb SAP heads were.  Over to Missing Links?

Graham,

Army shells were buff colour, the same as the pre war British bombs. This Buff colour was adopted in  Victorian times by the RN. and was used into the 1950's.

 

Selwyn

[BS_w]

6 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Deep Bronze Green was also an Army colour, so it isn't unreasonable a suggestion, except that the rocket heads were around before SCC15 was introduced.  I have seen reference (but can't pin it down today) to an earlier Army olive green (SCC 7?) which may be more likely.  However, I suspect that we should be looking at the Army colours for artillery shells.  What colour was authorised for High Explosive shells?  Looking in the same place may tell us what colour the 25lb SAP heads were.  Over to Missing Links?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2017 by BS_w

[dogsbody]

From here: http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/arms_ammunition_images/

 

http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/arms_ammunition_images/bombb.jpg

 

http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/arms_ammunition_images/moto2.jpg

 

http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/arms_ammunition_images/rhead2.jpg

 

http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/arms_ammunition_images/rhead1.jpg

 

 

Chris

[Graham Boak]

Thanks to all: so the HE heads were a different colour to shells but with much the same bands: the AP heads were the same colour.  The rockets had a white tip/band that doesn't seem to have been on the shells.  

[Selwyn]

3 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Thanks to all: so the HE heads were a different colour to shells but with much the same bands: the AP heads were the same colour.  The rockets had a white tip/band that doesn't seem to have been on the shells.  

The colour and  Band marking systems  were and are universal to all ordnance irrespective of service. The Modern marking system is a NATO standard. thats why Naval shells were the same buff colour as aircraft bombs. 

 

 

Selwyn

[Meatbox8]

Judging from the data posted by BS-w the rockets provided with the kit appear to be 60lb HE or SAP, which it describes as being overall 'green' (apart from the coloured bands).  So far I have used Humbrol 155 for the warheads and Humbrol 75 for the body.  I haven't attached them yet as I'm having all sorts of fun getting the cockpit detail to fit properly(!) so I can change them pretty easily.  The heads do appear to match the colour in Troy Smith's first photo quite nicely although you can't really see the colour of the motor section because they are in shade.  H75 does seem to match the pic I've seen of a rocket on display at Hendon so I think I might go with this combo unless something really definitive comes up.