Blue Diamonds Hunters

[JohnT]

Hi

I am doing the background spade work before starting a Blue Diamonds Hunter aircraft. Anyone know what colour is a good match for the blue they sprayed them in ?

I have several colour photos but wonder about the reproduction processes and if I can rely on the prints in the book or whether to look at some modern re-incarnations doing the airshow circuit?

I think I saw them at a Turnhouse airshow when I saw 13. (er 1966!) I checked and I thought I'd seen the Black Arrows but they would have disbanded by then so it must have been the Diamonds. Not an unusual error I am told but 13 was a very long time ago now

Any help much appreciated

John

[Graham T]

I honestly don't think the colour has ever been confirmed. It certainly wasn't roundel blue or oxford blue.

[Bill B]

Hi John - we were stationed at RAF stations Leconfield & Driffield in the early sixties & saw much of the Blue Diamonds. My overwhelming impression was that the blue (on both Hunters & Lightnings) was a deep, rich colour with an almost metallic sheen. Present day opinion seems to have settled on roundel blue as the colour but my clear memory is of something else. Modern reproductions of colour photographs of the Diamonds are (to me ) far too light & bright.

M J F Bowyer's book (Fighting Colours - RAF Fighter Camouflage & Markings 1937-1969) has the following: "XG186/J was the first of its Hunters to be finished in rich royal blue overall, a scheme later applied to others by Marshall (Engineering) at Cambridge". John Rawlings' "Fighter Squadrons of the RAF" also refers to royal blue.

Unless something comes out of Marshall's records I doubt we will ever know the colour.

Bill

[StephenMG]

The colour was BS381C:108 Aircraft Blue.

However, Marshalls no longer have any record of it unfortunately.

P.S. Shouldn't this be in Cold War?

Edited March 19, 2009 by StephenMG

[JohnT]

Thanks Bill and Stephen

comments and memories much appreciated

sorry about wrong forum

still getting the hang of this site !

regards

John

[TheModeller]

Martin Bowmans "Hunters - The Hawker Hunter in British Military Service" has a quote from Flt Lt Tony Aldridge in which he says that the colour finally chosen was Royal Blue, arrived at after some lengthy investigations into the colours and schemes used by other nations display teams...

The images in the book would seem to bear that out, the colour is brighter than Roundel Blue but is still a rich, deep dark blue.

Of course I'd give good money for a decent set of decals for this scheme to 1/32nd for the Revell F.6 kit. Xtradecals cover the Black Arrows scheme but I haven't been able to find any for the Blue Diamonds.

[Tony Whittingham]

Martin Bowmans "Hunters - The Hawker Hunter in British Military Service" has a quote from Flt Lt Tony Aldridge in which he says that the colour finally chosen was Royal Blue, arrived at after some lengthy investigations into the colours and schemes used by other nations display teams...

The images in the book would seem to bear that out, the colour is brighter than Roundel Blue but is still a rich, deep dark blue.

Of course I'd give good money for a decent set of decals for this scheme to 1/32nd for the Revell F.6 kit. Xtradecals cover the Black Arrows scheme but I haven't been able to find any for the Blue Diamonds.

Hello Modeller,

I have thought of the Blue diamonds as well. It seems to me that the solution might be to use the Black Arrows decal sheet in 32nd for the roundels and flashes, and a sliver of white decal sheet for the cheat line / lightning bolt. the squadron marking in the f.6 kit looks to be the size required. This is from the 30,000 ft level , of course. I have not done any measuring to check yet. Hope this helps.

Edited March 19, 2009 by Tony Whittingham

[Pete M.]

Hello Modeller,

I have thought of the Blue diamonds as well. It seems to me that the solution might be to use the Black Arrows decal sheet in 32nd for the roundels and flashes, and a sliver of white decal sheet for the cheat line / lightning bolt. the squadron marking in the f.6 kit looks to be the size required. This is from the 30,000 ft level , of course. I have not done any measuring to check yet. Hope this helps.

Hi Tony and others. Here's my attempt several years back with the big Revell Hunter (Mk.9 kit backdated to a Mk.6).

I used Xtracolour Royal Blue cut back a bit with some light Grey as I felt it was too dark compared to some original slides I was lent for the build.

The lightning flashes were painted, and the 92 Squadron markings made with my ALPS printer. The roundels and fin flashes were modified from the kit ones, and from my decal bank.

Cheers,

Pete M.