Julien Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 Hi, Looking for info on the camo used by RAF Dragonflys in Malaya in the 1950s. I have found a couple of pictures of WF311 in Malaya published in RAF In Camera 1950s but they are very dark. Thx Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philp Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 Looks like they are in the normal green & grey based on these pics Here. http://www.findmodelkit.com/sites/default/files/48003_4.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted September 17, 2018 Author Share Posted September 17, 2018 16 minutes ago, philp said: Looks like they are in the normal green & grey based on these pics Here. http://www.findmodelkit.com/sites/default/files/48003_4.jpg Problem is that box top does not reflect the picture in the instructions and the pics are too dark for it as well. Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted September 17, 2018 Author Share Posted September 17, 2018 This is the best image I can find online 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 My understanding is that the standard finish was dark sea grey and dark green, the clearest pictures I've seen of the RAF HC.2s are the set on the IWM pages, one of which is posted above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted September 17, 2018 Author Share Posted September 17, 2018 11 hours ago, 71chally said: My understanding is that the standard finish was dark sea grey and dark green, the clearest pictures I've seen of the RAF HC.2s are the set on the IWM pages, one of which is posted above. Do you have a link to them? Thx Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 10 hours ago, Julien said: Do you have a link to them? In Philp's post #2 above, "Here" at the end on the first line. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 ...and here, https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=dragonfly&pageSize=15&filters[themeString][Malayan+Emergency+1948-1960]=on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Is it just me or is the linking from IWM the clunkiest, least user friendly set up in Christldom? Not only does the camouflage in the above picture merge into the background... It successfully merges into the foreground too. 😕 The Dragonfly was my helicopter's first love as a kid, it still moves me back in time sixty years when I see one. Thinks: a new target for Telford! Hope you can get this sorted out Julien, needs doing proud it does. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 8 minutes ago, perdu said: Not only does the camouflage in the above picture merge into the background... It successfully merges into the foreground too. Isn't that what camouflage is supposed to do? .......... 🤣🤣🤣 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Who's complaining? Only modellers hoping to catch that result in miniature 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 18 minutes ago, perdu said: Is it just me or is the linking from IWM the clunkiest, least user friendly set up in Christldom? Not only does the camouflage in the above picture merge into the background... It successfully merges into the foreground too. I'm not going to make any jokes about Specsavers, Is this one better, https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205126058 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 (edited) OK, I'm being serious now........... That picture is clearer James, better showing the demarcation. From everything I've seen re other RAF aircraft there at the time, its probably "standard WWII Dark Green/Grey", but I am certainly not an expert on that. I suspect the IWM photos come out the way they do due to type of film emulsion used at the time which causes the colours to look very similar? Just a thought. Terry Edited September 24, 2018 by Terry1954 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 1 hour ago, 71chally said: I'm not going to make any jokes about Specsavers, Is this one better, https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205126058 I'll have you know these are my finest reading specs But it still took IWM five minutes to decide to let me see it, clunky has it in my book My interpretations suggests the roundel is on the Dark Green area, anyone concur? Almost certain to be the emulsions used back then as Terry alludes Thanks James 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 1 hour ago, perdu said: The Dragonfly was my helicopter's first love as a kid Me too. When I was 4, as far as I was concerned ALL helicopters were Dragonflies; I honestly thought they were more modern than Whirlwinds. 14 years later, when I joined Dartmouth as a sprog Midshipman in early 78, imagine how excited I was to find a Dragonfly in the hangar at Britannia Flight (a field at the top of the hill - in those days the RN purse strings were still loose enough to allocate a Wasp full-time to Dartmouth). I assume this was a previous Britannia Flight cab (& think it’s probably the airframe that’s now in the FAA Museum), but I couldn’t understand why my fellow Cadets were totally unimpressed with what they regarded as a relic! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 I was about six or maybe seven Or eight FW Woolworth had a silver plastic run along helicopter on the toy counter, I wanted desperately but "Its too dear, dear" "Oh mommmmmm" was the standard SOP for that tactic but... Then in October it was a birthday present I hadn't expected Big silver plastic Dragonfly on wheels that you could wind up, get main rotors turning and run along the floor It was wonderful and I was oh so proud of it and mom and dad for getting it for me I pestered them to let me take it to school... Some big boys broke it and ran away. 😥 And that was where my passion for glueing plastic began Dad did a fine job of welding the broken plastic together because Mend-it glue wouldn't touch it My life has been spent in pursuit of the perfect Dragonfly glue ever since 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huvut76g7gbbui7 Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 May I start the rumour that a certain BMer who has been pottering with baskets on a palouste is planning a Sproule net? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Never happen Said old git is far too old to mess with subjects that are screaming out loud for an etchy solution. Hence never going to happen 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huvut76g7gbbui7 Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 I know we have drifted from the RAF to the FAA so forgive me for this story. In the fifties I was walking on the beach at Lossiemouth with my aunt when one of the SAR Dragonflies landed nearby. The crewman came over with an oil drum and asked if we would partially fill it with sand for him. I did this whilst he chatted away to my aunt.He collected it and the helicopter took off. The drum was dropped into the sea and we then got a great personal display of the Sproule net in action. Just now, perdu said: Never happen Admit it..for a moment there......... 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 So Your aunt and sailors huh Surely a Dragonfly of any ilk is grist, for chatter 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huvut76g7gbbui7 Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 25 minutes ago, perdu said: Your aunt and sailors huh All 3 of my aunts on my mother's side married into the FAA. Must have been the Morayshire air. To get back on topic,here's one of the few pics I have found of an RAF Dragonfly. I had a look in the book 'RAF Rotors' (Raymond G Bedford) and was surprised to learn that there were only 4 Dragonfly HC2s The other 12 were HC4s with metal rotor blades. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, Terry1954 said: OK, I'm being serious now........... That picture is clearer James, better showing the demarcation. From everything I've seen re other RAF aircraft there at the time, its probably "standard WWII Dark Green/Grey", but I am certainly not an expert on that. Terry Interesting, as I have them as Extra Dark Grey and Dark Green, which to my mind would be less contrasty in B&W than the WWII era grey. There are some other images somewhere which show the demarkation very clearly. As you allude to, working out finish from B&W is a minefield. What I find interesting is the very matt finish on WF311. Richard, there were at least five HC.2s delivered, WF308, '311, '315, VZ960 & WZ749, the last two being ex civil WS.51s. With mixing of kits (when the Navy one is released) you should in theory be able to build a HC.4. Some super RAF Dragonfly shots here, More on NA3T here, http://www.na3t.org/air?search=dragonfly Edited September 24, 2018 by 71chally 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 9 minutes ago, 71chally said: Interesting, as I have them as Extra Dark Grey and Dark Green, You are most likely better informed than me on that James, and that would account for poorer contrast in B/W. Also your explanation would make more sense for that era? Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Scimitar said: I know we have drifted from the RAF to the FAA ... And quite right too 2 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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