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Tornado Camouflage Question


Ossington 2

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When I were no'but a lad, Tornados were painted in two colours: Dark Green, BSC381c:641 and Dark Sea Grey, BSC381c:638.

Sometime around 1990, just as I was looking elsewhere, they turned grey. I assumed at the time, at last initially, that they has simply deleted the green and now used just the one colour overall, the same grey as previous. Was that the case? Or were all grey Tornados now painted in two shades, the Dark Sea Grey 638 AND introduced the new Dark Camouflage Grey, BSC381c:629? I've been squinting at old photos and can barely make out any difference in tone, allowing for sunlight, thrust reverser dirt etc. If the new scheme consisted of two similar colours for top & bottom surfaces one wonders why they bothered.

Has anyone kept track of these changes please? I know that within a few more years, they went to Medium Sea Grey overall, but that's for another kit... 

Yours hoping to use the one aerosol.

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Without going digging in books at this time of night I am sure that the original batch of GR.1B to 12 and 617 Squadrons were a single overall grey possibly DSG but these later adopted the DSG/Camouflage Grey scheme.

 

In a good light with a fair wind behind them the difference in the two-tone scheme could be quite noticeable but more often than not in typical UK murk and for all the reasons you mention  it became a bit harder.

 

There was however a period of a few years as the MSG scheme was adopted and parts 'borrowed' from other airframes that many GR.4 took on the look of Berlin Brigade AFVs with multiple individual panels in all shades of the greys in use and including those from  the F.3 Air Defence Schemes and ARTF 'Operation Telic' scheme along with others that did not appear on any of these schemes while mixes of pylons, tanks and pods could be seen in all sorts of colours including DSG/Dark Green , Overall Green , Desert Pink as well as the other shades of grey used elsewhere on the aircraft.      Well worth researching for a more unusual approach to the Tornado.

 

DISCLAIMER - I do not have any financial interest in Tamiya or other Masking Tape manufactures.

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  • 1 year later...

Late reply but ZA330 B-08 was in the double grey scheme. dark sea uppers and dark cam fin, body and undersides. Tail numbers solid black, TTTE arrow carried but no squadron badge

Two photograghs I took the day before it was lost are amongst these

 

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNzokVyvh5ErDjHRWqZ41VYHAI8_dpzkZ0FGVEoD7r2e8tiEYPpoKCxGRzXm5luEA/photo/AF1QipNip5R4EJ24FyU0W3IzygkWZy4ULDi-cl6NfjBY?key=QTl5anlTaVZkeHFlYjR2QmQzaEg0TW11QWU0eEt3

 

 

Edited by nigelshipp
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Just to correct some errors within this thread. All GR-1Bs were initially delivered in the standard Green/Grey scheme. They continued in this scheme for some time before they started to appear in the DSG uppers and DCG lower and vertical surfaces probably late 90’s. The rest of the fleet went Grey when they went through GR-4 upgrade,

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21 hours ago, nigelshipp said:

Late reply but ZA330 B-08 was in the double grey scheme. dark sea uppers and dark cam fin, body and undersides. Tail numbers solid black, TTTE arrow carried but no squadron badge

Two photograghs I took the day before it was lost are amongst these

 

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNzokVyvh5ErDjHRWqZ41VYHAI8_dpzkZ0FGVEoD7r2e8tiEYPpoKCxGRzXm5luEA/photo/AF1QipNip5R4EJ24FyU0W3IzygkWZy4ULDi-cl6NfjBY?key=QTl5anlTaVZkeHFlYjR2QmQzaEg0TW11QWU0eEt3

 

 

Some cracking photos there,  a great big thanks for posting them. Brings back memories of some great spotting days. Its my local airfield as im in melton mowbray. Sadly no flying now its home to the army and has changed its name to Kendrew Barracks. Runway and tower are still there but will probably end up as a housing estate i shoyld imagine 

 

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22 hours ago, Darth Vader said:

Some cracking photos there,  a great big thanks for posting them. Brings back memories of some great spotting days. Its my local airfield as im in melton mowbray. Sadly no flying now its home to the army and has changed its name to Kendrew Barracks. Runway and tower are still there but will probably end up as a housing estate i shoyld imagine 

 

Cheers for that, spent many a day out on that ultra low fence, also took some nice ones of the Harriers when they turned up in 99. Only wish I had editing software in those days. It would have sorted out some of the dodgy exposures

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I'm sure the initial grey scheme on the first few airframes (GR.1B), was dark camouflage grey all over. 12 squadrons found it to be too visible against the sea so DSG was applied to the upper surface. The two tone grey scheme was then adapted by the rest of the fleet.

Edited by Blacktjet
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On 30/03/2021 at 23:36, scotthldr said:

Just to correct some errors within this thread. All GR-1Bs were initially delivered in the standard Green/Grey scheme. They continued in this scheme for some time before they started to appear in the DSG uppers and DCG lower and vertical surfaces probably late 90’s. The rest of the fleet went Grey when they went through GR-4 upgrade,

The two tone grey scheme was introduced before the GR4 came online, some airframes may have been repainted in the scheme as they went through upgrade but there were plenty grey GR1's.

 

Sure I read the two tone grey came about as it gives the impression of an all over uniform colour as the aircraft monouvres due to light/shadows.

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  • 10 months later...
On 01/04/2021 at 19:52, nigelshipp said:

Cheers for that, spent many a day out on that ultra low fence, also took some nice ones of the Harriers when they turned up in 99. Only wish I had editing software in those days. It would have sorted out some of the dodgy exposures

Agree, some very nice shots, was there Mid 80´s with the German Air Force, miss it a lot

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