Morane 406 Wheel Well Color?

[Old Man]

I am well into building a slightly corrected Heller MS-406 as No.31/N-342. Am beginning to paint the exterior. Does anyone know what color should be employed for the wheel wells? The modern kit call-outs for this I have seen aren't clear. Should they be the same blue-grey as the undersurfaces, or something else?

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

1 hour ago, Old Man said:

I am well into building a slightly corrected Heller MS-406 as No.31/N-342. Am beginning to paint the exterior. Does anyone know what color should be employed for the wheel wells? The modern kit call-outs for this I have seen aren't clear. Should they be the same blue-grey as the undersurfaces, or something else?

 

Hi - I'm not near refs at the moment but I had always thought they would be in "chamois" - a pale beige type colour. But it seems that perhaps the wells themselves were in the same colour as the undersurface, while insides of  the gear doors & legs were chamois.

 

Sorry not much help!

 

jonners

[BS_w]

the "chamois" color was never used for surface exposed to corrosion agents.

On ww2 french aircraft the wheel well and the interior surface of fairings and oleo leg were same color as underside: "Gris Bleu Clair"

(seen on wreckage D520, mS406 and read on technical drawing "camouflage & marking Br 693"  and "french standard")

Edited February 28, 2017 by BS_w

[Old Man]

3 hours ago, BS_w said:

the "chamois" color was never used for surface exposed to corrosion agents.

On ww2 french aircraft the wheel well and the interior surface of fairings and oleo leg were same color as underside: "Gris Bleu Clair"

(seen on wreckage D520, mS406 and read on technical drawing "camouflage & marking Br 693"  and "french standard")

 

Thank you, Sir. I have always been suspicious of the chamois color as a call out where things can be seen. Since the finish of the early production examples of the 406 was a bit different than the finish of those built later, with a solid color upper-surface, I wanted to be sure there were not other color differences as well.

[BS_w]

EMM MS406, it was written :
" upper surface: Kaki
under surface : Gris Bleu Clair
the separation between these two colour was along the lower fuselage longeron".

 

On the MS drawing "Paint and markings MS406-1938", a nota was added:
"during all period of war, the airplane will be camouflaged on upper surface with
- kaki
- Gris Bleu Fonce
- Brun
the repartition and area of these 3 colours must be vary from an airplane to an other"
The separaton with undersurface color was
 large waves
As on this drawing, there is a roundel on the fuselage (0,75m dia) we can think this nota was added in jan 40.

 

the color of tubular frame was "Gris Marin" like Gris Bleu Clair and interior cockpit, "gris bleu".
The wheel was paint "Gris Bleu Clair" and the seat was greenish medium grey

[Old Man]

45 minutes ago, BS_w said:

EMM MS406, it was written :
" upper surface: Kaki
under surface : Gris Bleu Clair
the separation between these two colour was along the lower fuselage longeron".

 

On the MS drawing "Paint and markings MS406-1938", a nota was added:
"during all period of war, the airplane will be camouflaged on upper surface with
- kaki
- Gris Bleu Fonce
- Brun
the repartition and area of these 3 colours must be vary from an airplane to an other"
The separaton with undersurface color was
 large waves
As on this drawing, there is a roundel on the fuselage (0,75m dia) we can think this nota was added in jan 40.

 

the color of tubular frame was "Gris Marin" like Gris Bleu Clair and interior cockpit, "gris bleu".
The wheel was paint "Gris Bleu Clair" and the seat was greenish medium grey

 

 

Thanks again, Sir. Excellent information. I have already closed the cockpit, so the seat will not be greenish. I did everything in a grey-blue, except the instrument panel. The clear pieces are thick, not much will show in any case. But I will remember for future builds.

 

This is the aircraft I want to finish this as:

 

 

Do you know anything about the EMAFN unit?

[Don McIntyre]

I'm generally leery about using museum aircraft as references, but the restored MS.406 in Switzerland has wheel wells the same color as the underside.