Spitfire 22 colour confusion and seat bewilderment

[Wez]

I've got Airfix's sweet little Spit 22 in 1/72nd and like it lots,

I've got a question regarding the cockpit interior, should it be grey-green, should it be black? The modellers datafile for the Griffon powered Spits have colour photos of a 22 with what looks like a dark grey coloured interior. I can't decide whether it's black paint that's gone off, whether its just down to the photo reproduction or it really is an odd dark grey colour. Can anybody help?

I've got a notion that some 22's were produced with grey-green interiors and some with black, if so does anybody know at what point in production this happened and so link it with a serial number?

Also the seat - plastic or metal?

Wez

[Edgar]

Green cockpit, wheel wells and door interiors, plastic seat.

Edgar

[bentwaters81tfw]

These shots of Hendon's Mk 22. You can see from the chipped paint that the pit was originally green but has been overpainted in black.

As for the wheel wells, judge for yourself.

[Edgar]

Hendon's airframe is a 24, and the main cockpit, including the seat, had been overpainted in grey; it is possible to see the green (and the red of the seat) showing through in places where it's been scuffed.

Some 24s had a Seafire 47 stick fitted, which was black, but that was for a mod which (allegedly) did not apply to the 22, so you can use a standard joystick.

[Andrew Jones]

I would hazard a guess that the undercarriage bays in the photos have been sprayed with a corrosion inhibiter, this would explain the odd "gold" tone, and would not appear on an inservice machine.

[Wez]

Edgar,

As I expected, the font of all knowledge when it comes to Spitfires generously spreading the knowledge. Thanks also for that explanation of that grey colour (why did they do that)?

Bentwaters81,

Your photo's are useful references.

Andrew,

Good explanation for the discolouration in the wheel wells.

Gentlemen,

Thank you to you all for your time and effort.

Wez