Nieuport grey/silver

[cossack52]

could someone please recommend a suitable colour,preferably available in the uk ? Iwant to build a couple of russian aircraft,and am not sure whether it should be grey,silver or a mix

[Torbjorn]

I mixed Vallejo metallic silver or aluminum with a light grey. Not sure how the real thing would have looked - I based it how replicas appear. Here’s a clean example, and the silver-grey can be compared with the shiny cowl (pure Vallejo metallic silver/aluminium). I don’t remember if it was silver or alu, but they’re almost identical anyway.
 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Torbjorn

[stevehed]

I use Humbrol or Revell paints but usually the same mix, light grey and metallic silver. I have used Revell 91 metallic with white and it was ok. There will never be agreement where WW1 colours are concerned and it's reckoned that batches made to the same spec often varied.

[melvyn hiscock]

Remember the French were the first to start to use aluminium powder in dope as protection against UV deterioration. They would most likely mix the powder with the clear dope used to shrink the fabric but would probably have gloss varnished over this for a couple of reasons Firstly there were no matt varnishes as this time that were not water-based and secondly it provided protection for aircraft that were mostly kept outside. The varnish would have had a slight colour to it (why does the phrase 'varnish colour' male me giggle even though I have opened enough tins of oil-based varnish to know exactly what I mean) and this would also have reacted to UV and gone darker which could well have made the silver look greyer, or yellower or even greener. Adding a touch of grey is not a bad idea for scale effect anyway