Landing craft assault colours

[bigfoot]

I’m currently building gecko models relatively new 1/35 scale landing craft, assault. The paint guides for it aren’t particularly accurate and I’m trying to establish what the proper colours should be.

 

This is the colour call out for one of the landing craft, Gold beach, D day:

 

 

Now, I’m not normally a ship modeller although I like landing craft, although this is the first I’ve built so my knowledge on naval colours is very limited. Gecko calls out US navy grey with dark grey pattern but from what I’ve read this should be white with either B15 or B30 pattern, so I’m comfortable with that bit. Photos show the variation in colour and indeed areas painted:

 

 

What I don’t know is what colour is the upper surfaces and internal surfaces? Gecko shows a dark grey and this is supported by contemporary photos, but what grey is it?

 

Secondly, gecko shows the lower hull (excuse my lack of correct terminology!) as the same US Navy grey/white but contemporary photos show its a very dark colour, possibly black? Can someone confirm what colour this was painted?

 

Lastly, gecko shows the decking in the in the troop compartment as bare wood. I doubted it would be left bare but again photos suggest it might be bare but I’m still in doubt:

 

 

Ladder is lighter and appears painted so floor possibly bare.

 

 

Ramp up is lighter and likely painted indicating rest of floor is unpainted.

 

 

Floor appears same, uniform colour as the side bench and possibly walls so may be painted. Although this is for the King’s visit according to caption so may have been painted for the occasion.

 

Does anybody have any insights/opinions or specific knowledge on these areas they can share?

 

This is where my LCA is up to currently:

 

 

If the decking was painted I’m going to overpaint it and wear it back to show some of the wood colour coming through.

[dickrd]

Officially: hull white with B30 pattern, decks and horizontal surfaces G10. The bottom was coated with Bitumastic which was black. Letters/numbers: red.

 

There has recently been a very good restoration of LCT 7074 at Portsmouth in this scheme. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by dickrd

[Faraway]

I have this in my stash and have also been wondering about the colour.

Jon

[Faraway]

3 hours ago, dickrd said:

bottom was coated with Bitumastic which was black

Is that the bottom of the hull, outside ?

Jon

[dickrd]

2 hours ago, Faraway said:

Is that the bottom of the hull, outside ?

Jon

Yes, the outside bottom.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Given how well understood the outside camouflage on these things is and with much already out there more or less correct, it's surprising that Gecko managed to make such a hash of that.

[bigfoot]

9 hours ago, dickrd said:

Officially: hull white with B30 pattern, decks and horizontal surfaces G10. The bottom was coated with Bitumastic which was black. Letters/numbers: red.

 

There has recently been a very good restoration of LCT 7074 at Portsmouth in this scheme. 

Thanks @dickrd, so from that would I take it the troop compartment deck would have been painted then?

 

I do need to get myself down to Portsmouth to check it out some time soon.

[bigfoot]

6 hours ago, Faraway said:

I have this in my stash and have also been wondering about the colour.

Jon

It’s a good kit, fits well and nicely detailed. I’m building it as part of the TLC group build.

[Arjan]

On 01/04/2023 at 08:11, dickrd said:

Officially: hull white with B30 pattern, decks and horizontal surfaces G10. The bottom was coated with Bitumastic which was black. Letters/numbers: red.

 

I wonder were black letters/numbers really never used? This is probably a topic that has been discussed many times before but it's especially this pic that makes me wonder :

 

 

I don't know if it was colorized but probably not. This pic may also raise questions, perhaps these strange colour tricks are caused by the quality of  pre war colour film.

 

 

I wonder if there are any 1/35 decal sheets of (generic) red RN LCA and LCVP markings. 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

 

 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

1 hour ago, Arjan said:

 

I wonder were black letters/numbers really never used? This is probably a topic that has been discussed many times before but it's especially this pic that makes me wonder :

 

 

I don't know if it was colorized but probably not. This pic may also raise questions, perhaps these strange colour tricks are caused by the quality of  pre war colour film.

 

 

I wonder if there are any 1/35 decal sheets of (generic) red RN LCA and LCVP markings. 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

 

 

That LC photograph is definitely colourised - the B30 shade is completely, totally wrong in common with almost all colourised photographs of Royal Navy vessels performed by people with more enthusiasm than knowledge. It's best ignored completely.

[Rob G]

18 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

That LC photograph is definitely colourised - the B30 shade is completely, totally wrong in common with almost all colourised photographs of Royal Navy vessels performed by people with more enthusiasm than knowledge. It's best ignored completely.

 

And to expand, even without knowing about RN colours, it just looks wrong. There is a place reserved in Hell for people who colourise historical photographs, and may they all get sent there soon.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

A genuine original colour image of a white and B30 LC. The codes are a mix of red and black.

 

However white and B15 was not uncommon at D-Day:

[penfold]

22 hours ago, Arjan said:

 

I wonder were black letters/numbers really never used? This is probably a topic that has been discussed many times before but it's especially this pic that makes me wonder :

 

 

I don't know if it was colorized but probably not. This pic may also raise questions, perhaps these strange colour tricks are caused by the quality of  pre war colour film.

 

 

I wonder if there are any 1/35 decal sheets of (generic) red RN LCA and LCVP markings. 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

 

 

Both images definitely colourised by AI. The giveaway is always their assumed-to-be dark blue or brown colours suddenly going dark red when the light hitting the object changes; so on the top image, the duffel coat of the officer stood on the stern; on the bottom, the paintwork on the lorries and the jacket of the nearest driver. Those colour shifts don't happen in real colour photographs.

[Modelholic]

Are the interior bulkheads painted white (same as outside)?

Tom

[Faraway]

On 22/07/2023 at 14:19, Modelholic said:

Are the interior bulkheads painted white (same as outside)?

Tom

I’ve just started mine, and as @dickrd says........”Officially: hull white with B30 pattern, decks and horizontal surfaces G10. The bottom was coated with Bitumastic which was black. Letters/numbers: red.”

So I’m going to do ALL vertical surfaces White.

Jon