Spitfire 20mm Cannon colours

[SteveJM]

Afternoon all,

 

I'm just finishing off a 1/72 LF Mk Vb Trop. It's the Italeri 001, a fairly dreadful little kit IMO but I've beaten it into submission with help from the spares box and have ended up with something that will look somewhat like a Vb when it's at the back of the display cabinet... with the light off! Anyway, something has occurred to me  - on cannon-armed Spits, were the barrels painted to match the camo scheme or were they a plain gunmetal colour? As ever there appears to be contradictory evidence out there, but does the Britmodeller hive mind know better?

 

While awaiting answers I'm decamping to the garden with some Banks's Bitter and a good book.

 

Cheers,

Steve

[Troy Smith]

the cannon outer sheathing was usually camouflage,  the actual barrels gunmetal, these with rubber sealant sheaths on

 

RCAF Spitfire V     1943. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

Spitfire boneyard. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

from @Etiennedup flickr

 

more Spitfire period colour here

https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=8270787%40N07&q=spitfire

 

HTH

[PhoenixII]

58 minutes ago, SteveJM said:

................While awaiting answers I'm decamping to the garden with some Banks's Bitter and a good book.

 

Cheers,

Steve

Glad you've got a good book Steve.......

[Scott Hemsley]

Not to hijack the thread … but anyone have a s/n for the Spitfire Mk.Vc (AN*L) shown above?  My refs for 417 Sqn. don't list it among the representative serials.

 

Scott

[SteveJM]

Thanks for the info Troy. Superb photos too.

 

Cheers

Steve

[RJP]

41 minutes ago, Scott Hemsley said:

Not to hijack the thread … but anyone have a s/n for the Spitfire Mk.Vc (AN*L) shown above?  My refs for 417 Sqn. don't list it among the representative serials.

 

Scott

The picture is posted here:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8270787@N07/4674411354

 

Etienne's caption says it's JG726, being cannibalised after a collision with a Hudson.

 

I couldn't help but notice the red of the fin flash looks orange.  Maybe a trick of the light, or the elapsed time, but another little detail.

 

Also, the formerly yellow leading edge, not seen much in the desert.  A repaint, I guess?

Edited June 10, 2018 by RJP

[Scott Hemsley]

_{RLP … Thanks for the ID,   I want to do a 417 Sqn. VC in the future and oddly enough, the photo of AL-L being stripped for parts, is one of the better shots I've come across.}

 

_Scott

[TBC]

On 6/13/2018 at 11:46 AM, Scott Hemsley said:

_{RLP … Thanks for the ID,   I want to do a 417 Sqn. VC in the future and oddly enough, the photo of AL-L being stripped for parts, is one of the better shots I've come across.}

 

_Scott

 

JG-726 is listed in 417’s ORB as is a JB-726.  According to my info, valid s/n’s for Vc’s starting with the letter J are JG, JK and JL. Therefore JB-726 must be a typo (look at where the letters B and G are on a keyboard!). ORB’s were most certainly poorly kept. The ORB shows “JB”-726 flying twice on 19-4-43. UP-DOWN 06:00 - 07:35 and then again 14:15 - 15:40. It does not appear-correctly or incorrectly serialled-after this date. Form 540 and 541 do not mention the accident which is quite normal as far as ORB entries go.

 

There are several colour photos around of 417’s Vb’s an Vc’s, but JG-726 is certainly among the best of them.

Edited June 15, 2018 by TBC

[Black Knight]

JB 726 is in a block of serials for Avro Lancaster Mk.III