Sky Blue one more time

[Seawinder]

Based on what I've read here and other places, I've decided to go with Sky Blue for the underside color of Spit Vb (trop) AB264 on Malta. At this point I'm still confused about what Sky Blue actually looked like. Various sources give FS 35622 as a close approximation. This color is what I'd call a pale duck egg blue with a definite hint of green. OTOH, the chip in "British Aviation Colors of WWII" (museum) shows what I'd call a pale powder blue with no hint of green. I'd say the closest FS approximation is 35550. In David Klaus's old "IPMS Color Cross Reference Guide," he gives 35622 as the primary call-out, but also mentions 35550 from "another source." Help, anybody?

Thanks, Pip

[jimmaas]

I'd certainly go with 35550.  35622 is more in the Sky area, and there reportedly was a difference.

[fishplanebeer]

Colourcoats do a pretty good rendition of Sky Blue with their ACRN24 but no idea how it relates to any FS reference.

 

I also have some Vallejo Sky Blue as well which looks pretty good and close to what I think the colour looked like when used briefly on spinners and tail bands in late 1940/early 1941 and they quote it as being FS35550.

 

HTH.

 

Regards

Colin.

[Seawinder]

Thanks, Colin. I think it'll be a pretty easy hue to mix with some medium blue and white.

[Steben]

21 hours ago, Seawinder said:

Thanks, Colin. I think it'll be a pretty easy hue to mix with some medium blue and white.

Yes, if with "medium blue" you mean a certain cyan based blue, perhaps cobalt etc.
Ultramarine blue with white will go towards mauve/lilac.
In other words: don't go to far away from green element.

This is somewhat "tint" of ultramarine. Far too lilac.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Steben

[Casey]

My favorite recipe for this blue is

 

RAF016 - Sky Blue - Flat
    Suggested using total of 17 parts (DE00: 0.13)    Expected: #B7C3C8, Simulated: #B6C2C8
        Titanium White: 15
        Payne's Gray: 1
        Raw Sienna: 1

 

You can check it on https://goldenpaints.com/mixer.

 

The source for the mixture match is a spectrophotometer readout of the paint sample from British Aviation Colours of World War Two.

 

On this page you can find some of my alternative mixtures plus a whole set of measured colors from this book. The first set and couple of selected alternatives there I've tested in practice and you can see the paint drawdowns of them all compared to the source.

 

I've improved my math since then - more real life paint samples I make better my calculations become

 

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Casey