Spitfire with light tone rudder

[Flavio]

Dear all,

here below the link showing the Spitfire of Ivan Du Monceau, a Belgian ace from No 350 Sqn.

http://crimso.msk.ru/Images6/AE/AE03-3/3-1.jpg

Please note the light tone of the rudder; this does not appear camouflaged, and it looks like a spare part.

Any suggestion about the color?

Thank you

Flavio

[Test Graham]

If you look at the top of the rudder, at the horn balance, you can see that the rudder is deflected. There is also glare on the side of the canopy, so I think this is just an effect of the light.

[Work In Progress]

I agree. Actually I can see the camouflage demarcations on that rudder, but with both tones lighter than on the fuselage. Looks like a lighting effect to me.

No serial on display but the best suggestion I can come up with is that it is AB912, based on this:

http://www.350sqn.be/aircraft.html

Edited January 3, 2014 by Work In Progress

[Flavio]

Thank you friends,

for your replies.

In the mean time I found in my archive another photo of this plane (from "Les Ailes de gloire, tome 11"):

http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s499/Flaviosil/DuMonceauSpit3-3.jpg

This time the rudder does not seem so deflected to justify an effect of the light; what do you think?

Work In Progress, the serial of the plane should be BL540 (the site you are referring, quotes it as MN-U); in fact according to C.Shores "Aces High" Du Monceau had Spit V BL540 as his personal plane in May and June 1942 (note the fuselage Roundel and the Fin Flash, the new national markings were adopted from May '42).

Flavio

[Alex Gordon]

I'd go for Silver Dope.

[Work In Progress]

I can still see faint colour demarcation lines on that rudder.

[Iain Wyllie]

nt

Edited August 4, 2014 by Iain Wyllie

[stevehnz]

Might it have been a borrowed rudder from a PR machine that was in the workshops at the same time as MN-Y had sustained damage to hers. It could all have been restored within 24 hrs. Just saying

Steve.

[nicE1]

Thought this photo would help! it shows another spitfire which also has an unpainted rudder! and nose!

I suppose it would be possible for a spit to be scrambled having been repaired but prior to repaint!.

http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/pictures_spitfire_IX_MH972.html

Edited January 4, 2014 by nicE1

[noelh]

On the balance of probabilities it looks like it was repaired. The damage on the fin seems to confirm that. I'll bet any money that on the day after the photo was taken it was repainted and back to normal. Meanwhile I would have though red primer would be the most likely candidate.

[gingerbob]

Thought this photo would help!

Good photo, but it doesn't help, because that's a "during production" photo.

bob

[Flavio]

Thank you all for the help,

the rudder seems really a new spare part, probably it was available at the Maintenance unit of the Squadron; I would say that these spare parts were unpainted, and they were painted at the moment of the usage.

I am not an expert, so I would like to know if the color of unpainted rudder was red primer only or they could be shipped in other primer color.

Thank you

Flavio