Westland Wessex HC.2 72 Squadron 'new' colours

[Tiger331]

 

Hi Folks,

 

I after some information on the last camouflage scheme applied to the Westland Wessex HC.2 of 72 Squadron before they were finally retired. Some photos appear to show the two-tone Green scheme with Black lower surfaces while others show aircraft with another shade of darker green on the lower surfaces ?. Can anyone confirm the specific colours, and if there was a mix of Black or Dark Green lower surfaces on individual airframes ?. My second question relates to the approximate date (year) that this scheme replaced the old Dark Green/Dark Grey/Black scheme....I think it was the early 1990s but I'm not sure. 

 

Thanks for your help

[Lord Riot]

There’s a Wessex in the later scheme on the Xtradecal sheet, looks like they state the colours are:

Matt dark green BS381C-241

 

Matt medium (lichen) green BS4800 12B-25

 https://www.scalemates.com/colors/hataka-hobby-red-line--997/a216-bs-lichen-green-bs4800-12b25-acrylic-matt--13952

 

Matt black undersides.

 

[perdu]

XR525 is in the later colour scheme and preserved at RAF Museum Cosford

 

She wears two colours only, and believe me I have stood and studied that airframe for hours whilst 'pre-flighting' my model of her

 

This is her on her plinth

 

Lichen Green, Dark green camouflage and undersides

 

 

She retired as a 72 sqn machine and is 'as retired'

 

I suppose the decal sheet has a chance of being right but the 'Black undersides' version is one that escaped me, having been seen more normally on Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green machines as underside colours

 

This was the result of my endeavours

 

[tempestfan]

4 minutes ago, perdu said:

 

Did you forget to apply the rivets? 😉 

The Wessex belly is a real mess...

[Pete in Lincs]

And was usually thickly slathered in oils various, mud, vegetation of all sorts and anything else disgusting you can think of. And, they were black in my time.

[Tiger331]

18 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

There’s a Wessex in the later scheme on the Xtradecal sheet, looks like they state the colours are:

Matt dark green BS381C-241

 

Matt medium (lichen) green BS4800 12B-25

 https://www.scalemates.com/colors/hataka-hobby-red-line--997/a216-bs-lichen-green-bs4800-12b25-acrylic-matt--13952

 

Matt black undersides.

 

 

I tend to take the decal placement instructions that accompany Xtradecal sheets with a huge pinch of salt these days as they often include some inaccuracies. They produce very nice decals, for sure, but it is often a challenge to accept the detail in the instructions. I do not recall 72 Squadron ever being based at Odiham, for example (maybe before the 'troubles' in NI ?) although they may have flown the aircraft there when they were withdrawn from service at Aldergrove. The contrast between the Black and the two greens (which appear to be correctly quoted) appears too great when compared with the majority (but not all) photos, hence my question. Maybe some aircraft did have Black lower surfaces ?.    

[perdu]

14 hours ago, tempestfan said:

Did you forget to apply the rivets? 😉 

The Wessex belly is a real mess...

I have a new rivetiser to play with, watch that space on the next one two which will be along later this year.

 

12 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

And was usually thickly slathered in oils various, mud, vegetation of all sorts and anything else disgusting you can think of. And, they were black in my time.

When you look up at 525's belly you can detect a certain classy muckiness about her belly paint staining. 

Are you saying you knew the black bottom on the double green ones, makes good evidence for my archives no?

[RAF4EVER]

1 hour ago, Tiger331 said:

 

 I do not recall 72 Squadron ever being based at Odiham, for example (maybe before the 'troubles' in NI ?) although they may have flown the aircraft there when they were withdrawn from service at Aldergrove. greens (which appear to be correctly quoted)  Maybe some aircraft did have Black lower surfaces ?.    

From Wikipedia:

On 15 November 1961, No. 72 Squadron was reformed at RAF Odiham, but now as a helicopter unit.[16] They were equipped with twin-rotor Bristol Belvederes HC.1s until the Westland Wessex HC.2 replaced these aircraft in August 1964. For the next thirty-eight years they continued to use these aircraft and in that time the squadron saw action in Malaya, provided post-disaster assistance following the Torrey Canyon tanker disaster in 1967 and supported the security forces in Northern Ireland from 1969.[16] During the mid 1970s the squadron also operated a SAR 'D' flight at RAF Manston.[17] From January 1997 the Wessex was partly supplanted with the more modern Westland Puma HC.1. The squadron's Wessex HC.2s departed RAF Aldergrove on 25 March 2002, shortly before their retirement.[18] No. 72 Squadron was then disbanded on 1 April 2002 at Aldergrove.[16][14]

 

I was stationed at RAF Odiham from Sept.1978 until Jan 1981, firstly in ASF, then 72 Squadron, also spent 6 months in NI, when the 'troubles were on'.

Edited January 24 by RAF4EVER

[Pete in Lincs]

I was at Oldham '76 to '84. ASF and, after the Wessex left for Benson '81? On the OCU. Wessex and Puma colours were green grey and black. 

[RAF4EVER]

The 28 Sqdn Wessex in Hong Kong were grey,green and black, with black and white stripes.

 

https://www.google.nl/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.helis.com%2Fdatabase%2Fmodelorg%2FRAF-Wessex%2F&psig=AOvVaw2DLWb7l6yGYBGBOxOmMpw6&ust=1706183572768000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBMQjRxqFwoTCMDZhNP79YMDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAT

Edited January 24 by RAF4EVER

[Tiger331]

All understood....I travelled with 72 Sqn in the mid 1980s and extensively with 28 Sqn several years later (including several memorable trips to commemorate their 75th Anniversary when the white stripes were replaced by the Yellow and Blue from their Squadron colours), during which time the cabs all sported the Dark Green/Grey and Black camouflage scheme. What I'm after us confirmation of the later two-tone green scheme.     

[perdu]

19 hours ago, Tiger331 said:

All understood....I travelled with 72 Sqn in the mid 1980s and extensively with 28 Sqn several years later (including several memorable trips to commemorate their 75th Anniversary when the white stripes were replaced by the Yellow and Blue from their Squadron colours), during which time the cabs all sported the Dark Green/Grey and Black camouflage scheme. What I'm after us confirmation of the later two-tone green scheme.     

The two pictures I put here were of 72sqn's XR525 in two greens upper and dark green undersides as she was on retirement.

 

The paint underneath is too manky to have been repainted before displaying on her lofty vantage point so I think that confirms your query as answered.

[Tiger331]

On 1/25/2024 at 3:15 PM, perdu said:

The two pictures I put here were of 72sqn's XR525 in two greens upper and dark green undersides as she was on retirement.

 

The paint underneath is too manky to have been repainted before displaying on her lofty vantage point so I think that confirms your query as answered.

Agreed

[amos brierley]

Hello @Tiger331.

 

Here’s a photo from my private collection, this is Wessex H.C. 2   XT676     03/2003 its colour scheme is green/green. 
 

 

Hope this helps, thanks for looking.    😉.    ( Should you need any more photographs I have many more museum based A/C , this is because this colour scheme is utterly beautiful. )

 

[NG899]

On XR525/G in Cosford the upper surface dark green (NATO green?) looks to be thinly sprayed over the Lichen Green whereas the undersides are the same dark green colour but applied more densely. 
 

That is what my Mk.1 eyeballs tell me anyway!

 

Hope that helps Tiger 331.

 

Cheers

 

Nick

[Doc72]

BTW: NATO Dark Green and Lichen Green, are these the same colours that were initially used on the Harrier GR.5? I always thought that this was an interesting scheme because it is similar but different to most wrap-around schemes at this time (like the American European 1 or the W.German Norm 83). Soon afterwards, all aircraft turned grey...