Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

My friend & I are just starting on building our Classic Airframes 1/48 Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVs, and I had a question on the interior colors for a Finnish aircraft. I read a post online that the Finnish aircraft did not use RAF interior green, but some shade of gray. Can anybody confirm this?  If so, what would be a good match for Testors Model Master enamels?

My friend is going to do his Blenheim in Free French markings, so we are assuming that its interior would still be painted in RAF interior green.

Larry

Posted

Until the Antti's log in, @antti @Antti_K, I am guessing that the Blenheims that came from the UK would have the grey-green interiors  as painted by  the factory, but the ones built in Finland under license might well have had a different color for the interiors. I don't recall if grey was used, but surely one of our Finnish friends can help you. Wow- can't wait to see a Blenheim in Finnish colors and markings! I did find a photo of the only surviving actual Blenheim, a Mk IV, preserved in Finland, and it looks to me like the interior of the bomb-aimer's station might be grey. Gotta be careful using museum aircraft as a color reference, but I think this one is original and wasn't retired until the 50's, IIRC, so the interior might well be unrestored. I think the State Aircraft Factory built 55 Blenheims under license.

Mike

 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZF8EW8WAAAft-7?format=jpg&name=medium

  • Like 2
Posted

Hello Larry and Mike,

 

I was already logged in😉

 

Mike is right: State Aircraft Factory used a medium grey colour for interior surfaces. A recent study on an Myrsky fighter plane showed that the original colour was close to RAL 7005. I don't know what is the closest model paint equivalent. My grandfather's late brother designed a camera bearing system for the air force (he was working for the State Aircraft Factory during the wars); he had to mate a British bomber and a German camera. Unfortunately I never asked him for more details.

 

You can take a look inside the cockpit of the restored Blenheim in here: https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi/virtualmuseum/

And then there is a selection of photos available in Air Force Museum's digital archive in here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lHBNq2lBMt1j7bWrXaih1P1J8eKWhuLM

 

Cheers,

Antti

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Antti_K said:

I don't know what is the closest model paint equivalent.

Thanks for the posts, Antti! I have read that FS36170 is a very close match for RAL 7005, mouse grey. Looking at color chips for both colors, they do look very close! BTW, FS36170  is also called Have Glass Grey, an F-35 color! IIRC, USAAF WW2 Neutral Grey was also listed as being a very close match to FS36170. (Seems like a lot of the postwar and modern day greys are so similar to the WW2 aircraft greys!

Mike

 

 

Edited by 72modeler
added text, corrected spelling
  • Like 2
Posted

Hello Mike & Antti,

Thanks for the informative replies. According to my Humbrol Paint Cross-Reference Chart, RAL 7005 crosses to Humbrol 31 (Slate Gray), Testors 2085 (Grauviolett RLM75) or FS34159. All of those are much darker grays than what shows in the restored Finnish AF Blenheim. :undecided:

I think I will just try to find a suitable medium gray in my Testors paints. Since I am making my Blenheim as the recce Mk.IV BL-129, LeLv 48, Summer 1943, I will be using my Owl 1/72 recce conversion as reference to scratch build the nose camera installation.

My friend is doing his as a Free French bird, unless he can source some Greek markings and enough photographic references.

Larry

  • Like 1
Posted

Thanks Mike, your informative reply came in while I was typing mine. I am pretty sure I have that color in my Testors Model Master enamels.

Larry

Posted

Hello Mike and Larry,

 

I made a quick comparison between US Neutral Grey (found on the Airacobra) and RAL 7005. Using Mk 1 Eyeball they are equally dark but Mouse Grey have a green tint whereas Neutral Grey has a blue or slightly purple tint. To my eye Humbrol 31 is too green but Humbrol 140 would be pretty close.

 

Here you can see the original colour (on an Myrsky figter plane) compared with RAL 7005 and 7042: https://www.vlmyrsky.fi/blogi/2020/09/16/35368

 

Cheers,

Antti

  • Like 1
Posted

After reading all this very informative thread, and seeing another related thread on a different forum, I have decided to go with Testors Model Master 1725 - Neutral Gray (FS36270). It looks close enough to the restored Finnish Blenheim. What's interesting is that the instrument panels also appear to be in the same gray color?!?

Larry

  • Like 1
Posted

Larry,

 

there is a photo of (or two) the instrument panel in one of folders at Air Force Museum's digital archive. Instrument panels look grey.

 

Cheers,

Antti

  • Like 2
Posted

Dang it! I accidentally hit the HIDE button instead of the EDIT. Glad you quoted me and saved it.

 

To see all the aircraft on this page, type " lentokone " into the box labelled FULL-TEXT on the upper right, then click SELECT.

 

 

 

 

Chris

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Posted
2 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

Dang it! I accidentally hit the HIDE button instead of the EDIT. Glad you quoted me and saved it.

 

To see all the aircraft on this page, type " lentokone " into the box labelled FULL-TEXT on the upper right, then click SELECT.

 

 

 

 

Chris

Glad I could help you, after you helped me Chris. :giggle:

Larry

  • Like 2
Posted
2 hours ago, ReccePhreak said:

All of those are much darker grays than what shows in the restored Finnish AF Blenheim. 

I have been told that Finnish interior grey is close to RAF Medium Sea Grey.     I'll have a think where that info came from.

 

PS EDIT

 

from a Finnish magazine, i was sent a xerox by the musuem.

Finnishcolourchart.jpg

 

"that the Finnish cockpit grey, Harmaa (on Finnish built planes, reconditioned planes, or planes that have had a major overhaul at the aircraft works at Tampere.)

is matched by RAF Medium Sea Grey - FS 36270"

 

A look at a FS595 deck vs the RAF Musuem chips shows that Med Sea grey is very slightly bluer, but otherwise close.

  

2 hours ago, ReccePhreak said:

After reading all this very informative thread, and seeing another related thread on a different forum, I have decided to go with Testors Model Master 1725 - Neutral Gray (FS36270). It looks close enough to the restored Finnish Blenheim. What's interesting is that the instrument panels also appear to be in the same gray color?!?

Larry

 

Just notie the above Larry, so hope this helps confirm your choice.

 

  • Like 3
Posted (edited)

Hi!

 

My understanding is that British built Finnish Blenheims had interior green grey interiors.

 

Finnish built Blenheims likely had grey interior colour and post-war rebuilt/overhauled Blenheims have records of grey interior painting.

Edit: the BL-198 green nose piece breaks this rule if correctly identified (see photo in the second thread below)

 

Wikipedia helps with the Finnish Blenheim serieses and manufacturers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Blenheim

 

Couple of threads I have posted here before about Finnish Blenheim interiors:

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/43848-bristol-type-142-finland-primer-2sb-591/

 

 

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/55261-british-interior-green/page/2/

 

 

 

Image links may still work, I tried one successfully.

 

 

Cheers,

Kari

 

 

Edited by Kari Lumppio
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Posted

Thanks for your info @Troy Smith. I have a few bottles of Testors RAF Medium Sea Grey - FS 36270 on my shelf, so I will go with that.

Now the hardest part of my build will be to scratch build the camrera & mount in the nose. The one near the trailing edge of the wing can't be seen, so all I have to do is represent the lens & bottom of the camera body, and put a camera window in. I am not sure if the camera in the nose has a window, or just a round opening in the fuselage. The instructions for the OWL 1/72 conversion isn't clear on that.

Larry

Posted
2 hours ago, ReccePhreak said:

Now the hardest part of my build will be to scratch build the camrera & mount in the nose. The one near the trailing edge of the wing can't be seen, so all I have to do is represent the lens & bottom of the camera body, and put a camera window in. I am not sure if the camera in the nose has a window, or just a round opening in the fuselage. The instructions for the OWL 1/72 conversion isn't clear on that.

Hi Larry,  have you tried asking the Finnish AF musuem?

[email protected]

https://airforcemuseum.fi/

I have asked them questions before and they have always been very helpful,  and they are the folks likely to know. 

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...