Query regarding the colours on the BEA DAKOTA in the early 1950's

[Gooney Fan]

Can any members assist re the colour of the lettering and logos used on the BEA Dakotas in the 1950's?

 

Thanks

 

Gooney Fan

[modelldoc]

Airfix had this as a kit:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16301575175/in/photolist-qQvQmX-Ys4FdL-2mQMwBz-bosDzH

 

modelldoc

[rob Lyttle]

Pleased to say I've got this sheet - courtesy of a fellow BM member who had no use for them. 

My photo is suggesting a fairly bright red but eyeballing the graphics I'd describe as a duller, darker red tending towards a brick red. 

So, trust Airfix on this?? My experience is that they tended to get colours pretty good, occasionally taking a shortcut to simplify the printing of complicated schemes. 

This sheet is one colour plus the white as required, so no shortcuts needed. 

Your call, but colour pictures from that era can be dodgy..... If you can find one! 

[Orso]

But I think that Airfix messed up on the text above the windows. I think it should be italic/slanted, not the straight letters as on the sheet

[Gooney Fan]

Hello Orso

 

From the photos I've examined, italics were not used for the wording on the fuselage or the BEA logos.

 

There seems to be confusion over the colour of the plane registrations.

 

Gooney Fan

 

 

[rob Lyttle]

https://images.app.goo.gl/vGWPx3RTpXNhLdrp7

 

Hmmmm.... Looking at a couple of photos of this early livery, including the link above. I think @Orsomay have a point. Difficult because of the curvature of the fuselage, but the text does kind of look to have a slant, and not on background panels as delivered by the Airfix decal sheet.

The later style with bigger capitals and white roof definitely looks straight, but I never studied the early styling before. 

[Dave Swindell]

On 12/02/2023 at 14:03, Gooney Fan said:

Can any members assist re the colour of the lettering and logos used on the BEA Dakotas in the 1950's?

 

11 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Hmmmm.... Looking at a couple of photos of this early livery, including the link above. I think @Orsomay have a point. Difficult because of the curvature of the fuselage, but the text does kind of look to have a slant, and not on background panels as delivered by the Airfix decal sheet.

The later style with bigger capitals and white roof definitely looks straight, but I never studied the early styling before. 

The Key scheme on the DC-3 Rob provides a link to does indeed show the British European Airways titles with a slight italic slant, this appears to have been on some DC-3's, the rest of the Aircraft operating at this time appear to have vertical titles as on the Airfix decal sheet. Note this was the 1940's scheme applicable from the airline's inception in 1946 through to 1950.

The scheme changed to the Peony scheme in 1950 which lasted until the introduction of the Red Square scheme in 1960

The Peony scheme had the white top, triple cheat line and union jack on the tail. The red colour used for titles, registrations, cheat lines and insignia on bot the Peony scheme and Key scheme was know nas Peony Red, and was a deep red with a purple/maroon tinge to it.