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FAA Phantom roundels


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I quite fancy building a Phantom FG.1 just before withdrawal from FAA service.  Back in the day, I'm convinced I saw photos of FAA Phantoms with the red/blue tactical roundels, but I simply can't find any now!  They all seem to be the Type D roundels.

 

Someone put me out of my misery. Did Phantoms use the red/blue roundel or am I simply imagining it due to my advanced age?  :blink:

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I've only ever seen pictures of FAA Phantoms with the full colour roundels (apart from the 'Colonial Navy' one!), even when the Sea Harrier came into service they had the three colour style.

Seemed to be a R.Navy fighter thing.

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Hi Enzo,

 

You might be thinking of XT597, the A&AEE jet. Some time before being painted in the 'Raspberry Ripple' scheme it received a new pair of outer wings painted in the standard RAF grey/green colours with red/blue roundels. You can make them out in this picture: https://www.flickr.com/photos/flyer_2001/26334943179. There's also a picture of her in the same ESDG/White scheme with these roundels in the Volume 1 of the Double Ugly books (page 120). The RAM Models 'Early British Phantoms' decal sheets also provide this scheme.

 

HTH,

 

Jonathan

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Dennis Robinson once posted a photo of 892 Sqn all lined up at RAF Leuchars ready to fly out for the last time and all the aircraft had the 3 colour roundels.

Another thing to note about the wing roundels is that the top and bottom roundels were not placed in the same relative position to each other, this is something that quite a lot of people miss. It is obvious when you see a photo of them with the wings folded (there is another photo of 892 on the line at Leuchars and you can clearly see that the top and bottom wing roundels are offset).

 

Duncan B

 

Edit: I've found the photo that shows the wing roundels, compare one aircraft's underside with the next one's topside.

Credit to the original photographers.

 

892_Sqn_at_RAF_Leuchars_1976_rsr_zps4ba2

Here's another where it is more obvious 

 

R007XT871April1971_zpsb614c4cb-M.jpg

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Thanks all.  So it is my imagination!  :wall:     71chally's comment about a royal Navy fighter thing makes perfect sense.  The FAA Buccaneers definitely used the red/blue roundels, but the Sea Harriers didn't until they went to war. 

 

I could always ask "what if Ark Royal wasn't withdrawn in the late 70s and lasted into the mid 80s?"  

 

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