DominikS Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Planning to build Battle of Dunkirk 92 squadron Spitfire but I found a slight problem - the shape of letter G in the squadron's code. Model Alliance and Victory Decals give them wrong. when you compare the shape of decal G and the G from the photos - we have different letters. That's why I'm writing to you with request. Can anyone put here 92 squadron photos with GR codes as a starting point for discussion. Cheers domini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Polc Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 What you want to discuss about? Simple question has simple answer - there were different types of "font" used, then various masks squadron to squadron... If decals have another shape, you have to find proper ones or design and print your own... Nothing to discuss. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackG Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm thinking kind opposite of the first response. I believe there was only one font style, but the variety was in brush stroke width and interpretation of height. Throw in an artist's individual flair and you do end up with some variation, which was typical of 1940. regards, Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Planning to build Battle of Dunkirk 92 squadron Spitfire but I found a slight problem - the shape of letter G in the squadron's code. Model Alliance and Victory Decals give them wrong. when you compare the shape of decal G and the G from the photos - we have different letters.That's why I'm writing to you with request. Can anyone put here 92 squadron photos with GR codes as a starting point for discussion. Cheers domini Domini, I have quite a lot of info and photos of 92 from '39 and '40, including Robinson's book on them. PM me with the airframe that you are thinking of doing and I might just have a photo of her. At the very least I have a few photos of different 92 Spits from the time of Operation Dynamo. HTH, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I'm thinking kind opposite of the first response. I believe there was only one font style, but the variety was in brush stroke width and interpretation of height. Throw in an artist's individual flair and you do end up with some variation, which was typical of 1940. It was the other way round; vertical/horizontal dimensions and brush stroke width were set, but the style depended on the individual "artist." Edgar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackG Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) ... time to don the devil's advocate costume... Agreed, there were set dimensions issued by the Air Ministry. Considering the set standard was 48 inches in height (with 6 in. wide strokes), this size was not realistic for fighters, particularly the Spitfire. As quoted from the above document: "Smaller letters are to be used only when the space available on the fuselage makes such a course unavoidable." I'm open to the idea where one is meticulous with math, that a worker from a maintenance unit would proportion lesser height along with a reduction in width in an equal percentage - although this wasn't stipulated as being the correct method, it could have been interpreted that way by the worker. If all MU's were issued standard 6" wide paint brushes, this still does not guarantee same lettering widths across all squadrons. Pressure on the bristles will effect the outcome, and then again there is the odd conscientious worker who might add a second stroke in an attempt to get that perfect edge. There is also Paul Lucas' book, and within it's pages one will find some variety in widths. Yes, I know we are not suppose to use artwork as evidence, but if these colour plates are not an accurate reflection of his investigations, ... well I'll leave it at that. Of course, in most instances we are talking millimeters here and would not be that apparent on scale models or even period photos for that matter. regards, Jack Edited June 3, 2012 by JackG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I'm open to the idea where one is meticulous with math, that a worker from a maintenance unit would proportion lesser height along with a reduction in width in an equal percentage - although this wasn't stipulated as being the correct method, it could have been interpreted that way by the worker.If all MU's were issued standard 6" wide paint brushes, this still does not guarantee same lettering widths across all squadrons. Pressure on the bristles will effect the outcome, and then again there is the odd conscientious worker who might add a second stroke in an attempt to get that perfect edge. M.U.s didn't paint codes; that was done on-squadron, and I suspect that, with eagle-eyed Flight Sergeants, Warrant Officers, etc., around, with the motto,"If it moves, salute it, if it doesn't, paint it," there would have been a plentiful supply of brushes down to 1", or less (try painting a window frame with a 6" brush.) On a unit the size of a Squadron, the chances of one member being an artist of some sort has to have been quite high (my dad was a signwriter, and found himself bashing a typewriter at S.H.A.E.F. H.Q.) Art (though I was rotten at it) was a standard subject, at junior schools and above, in the 1940s. Edgar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennings Heilig Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Find me 25 photos of 92 squadron airplanes and I'll show you 25 different styles of lettering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhaselden Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Not the greatest pic but here's one: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepman Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Andy Saunder's new book of the use, demise, discovery and rebuild of Spitfire Mk 1 P9374, which (only) flew with 92 Squadron includes a number of photos of "GR" coded Spitfires. The book suggests that an inter-war period style of font for the individual letter was used on P9374 at least. The "GR" had been removed at the time of it's loss - either in preparation for the change to QJ codes or for security reasons as it had been intended that it would escort a DH Albatross carrying Winston Churchill to France but ultimately went u/s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Graham Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 "Find me 25 photos of 92 squadron airplanes and I'll show you 25 different styles of lettering" Between 1914 and 2012, no doubt. In 1940, no way, as the photograph above demonstrates. Three aircraft with identical styles. At any one particular time, a squadron would not show any great variety in the style of letters. There would not be a large numbers of airmen tasked with the job, perhaps one per Flight, and he would attempt to do the same job every time - if not the Flight Sergeant just might have a word in his shell-like! Variety would exist between squadrons, and with time within any one squadron (not least because regulations changed), but at any one time there would be considerable commonality between aircraft on the unit. And that is what the original poster was requesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamf Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 There was a chart detailing the font and I am sure an image of it is in the SAM Griffon Spitfire book. It wasn't that liberal they stuck to the chart but just adjusted the size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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