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Wing colours


Rb277170

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Over in the modern section there's a thread enquiring on colour for Airbus grey , which I must admit made me realise my ignorance in these matters . 

 

So the question is , specifically relating to a Boeing 737 -200 from the early 70s , what colour should the wings be?  Is it the case other Boeing Aircraft would be the same ie 707s  ?  Are Airbus aircraft similar? 

 

From what I've figured out so far , thanks to various postings on that thread , is that Holts grey HL01 is good for the edges of wing and underside and that Revell 374 is good for the darker grey upper middle part of wing. These are for Airbus aircraft, but is Boeing similar? 

 

So many questions from one not so young!

 

Any help appreciated. In my early airliner days when I was a boy, everything below the cheat line got painted silver or whatever grey paint I had to hand ! 

 

Russell

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The "correct" colour of Boeing grey has been the subject of much debate over the years.  By the time your aircraft starts to look like this the underlying colour of the grey is almost irrelevant! 

 

The general consensus seems to be that the nearest colour to Boeing grey is FS16515, Canadian Voodoo Gray.  A good and readily available match is Halfords Racking Gray.  It's very slightly different from the Holts Grey you mentioned. If you go looking for Racking Grey in your local Halfords you should find it with the workshop paints rather than the car colours.

 

The central sections of wings and tailplanes are often treated with Corrogard which gives a sort of metallic greyish sheen noticeably different from the rest of the surface. The effect varies widely depending on lighting conditions and cleanliness. Note also that on many older aircraft Corrogard will be on the lower wing surfaces as well.

 

Wherever possible I prefer to represent Corrogard with decals but these aren't always available.  In the absence of decals Xtracolor X331 gives a good result but be aware that historically there have been problems with the tinlets exploding when first opened - I fell victim to that years ago as did several other modellers.  i'm sure Hannants sorted the manufacturing issue long ago but there is still a risk of buying a tinlet which has been in stock for a long time so you should always cover it with a cloth when you first open it.  

 

Other suggestions I've seen for representing Corrogard are Halfords Rover Steel Grey (personally I think it's too dark) and Tamiya TS-42 Light Gunmetal.  Some modellers prefer to mix their own from various greys and metallics.  

 

As always it's a good idea to practise on a scrap model (or something else plastic and unwanted) until you settle on a technique and finish with which you're happy.

 

HTH

 

Dave G

 

 

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Hi Russell

The wing surfaces of early 737s were a mix of natural metal, Boeing grey and corogard.

There is a very good description of what colour goes where on the wing over on AirlinerCafe here Early 737s

Hope this helps

Cheers

Tim

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On 2017/6/29 at 19:06, Skodadriver said:

The central sections of wings and tailplanes are often treated with Corrogard which gives a sort of metallic greyish sheen noticeably different from the rest of the surface. The effect varies widely depending on lighting conditions and cleanliness. Note also that on many older aircraft Corrogard will be on the lower wing surfaces as well.

 

You may as well find a few clues or suggestions here :

 

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/277383-continental-airlines-grey/#comment-2652916

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