Masking Tape?

[Bridon]

To think of all the fuss we go to in an effort to get clean paint delineation lines with masking tape as straight and accurate as possible...shows what did happen when the 'erks' were pushed in times of need....



Brian

[alextheblue]

But where are you gonna find two small 1/48 scale fellas to come and paint all your planes!!

[UKscalemodeller]

I have seen this one before but never really paid much attention.

Is that a serving spit? it looks pretty shabby, badly painted or faded elevator, really severe exhaust staining and no canopy.

Hmmmmm

[Bridon]

I see what you mean...no canopy etc...could be a retired airframe intending to be used as a decoy who knows but someone sent me this link where that photo came from....it has some good shots of serving aircraft in WW2 that will be useful for weathering inspiration...be warned though....at 15 pages or so...this link will be dragging you off for some time!

http://www.mission4today.com/index.php? ... ic&t=14429

Brian

[Gav0909]

If you look at the ground it looks very arid. This could be a Malta or Med based Spit perhaps, and perhaps some were flown with no canopy due to the heat or something? Hot Med sun would fade paint pretty quick I am sure. And I can't imagine that keeping the airframe hugely clean was high on their list of priorities....

Who knows.

[leobyt]

Some time ago i read an interesting article from a modelling magazine about the invasion strips. They gave the order to paint them at the last minute and the crews were surprised by this order, so they had to rush painting them without the proper equipment. I guess this is one of the examples.

[schweinhund227]

I feel your paint bro !

But I remember someone painting the lines just like that and putting that very same picture near his
model and ... guess what... Ppl were laughing at it !

Saying it was all wrong and Ugly paint job !


I on the other hand Knew about it and said... you are dammed if you do and Dammed if you don't !!!

some gang stared painting them Neat ! and Decals came about and there... We Changed history !
now.. .only Neat looking I.S. are the norm...

I'm sure some were Neat ! but the MOP head applications was wide spread and ... for good reasons...
they had thousands of planes to do !


although we have been programed for generations to accepts only the Demi-Gods of Modeling renditions....
We sometimes have to Cross the threshold and do what is RIGHT and bring History in its place !

Thanks for posting this Lesser Known fact about I.S. this needs to be spread around and maybe...
maybe ? some new technique or more truthful decals might get made so we can Replicate history as it was made !

Later Buddy !

[Daishi12]

Also, it must be remembered that a lot of the "erks" who did the painting were the same guys who couldn't be trusted to pick up a hammer the correct way round.

[Bridon]

This picture intrigued me to dig a bit deeper and I found it elsewhere with some information that throws some light as to what, where and why....!

Here is the transcript:


A scene recorded on June 5th, 1944 in Tangmere, Sussex. Preparing Spitfires for D-Day, 411 Squadron RCAF ground crew members apply invasion stripes to Spitfire Mk. IXe, DB-R. This aircraft was reportedly flown by F/L Jack J. Boyle.

This picture was frequently included in various Canadian publications, but to my knowledge the names of the working airmen wasn’t mentioned until now: LAC Ken Applesby and Stan Rivers. Ken Applesby spent 3 years in the RCAF as ground crew for No. 411 Squadron in No. 126 Wing. He remembers black and white paint being issued to all ground crews with instructions to get all the aircraft painted a quick as possible. The effect of the time pressure can be clearly seen in patchy application of the stripes (no masking!).

So, apparently not a decoy after all...doesn't explain the missing canopy though...

Brian

[Nige201980]

I used this photo and a few others when build my tempest for the WWII




but i knew this as well as when i was younger and my grandad was alive i went to pick him up from the local legion club and got talking to one of his friends who was aircrew during the war and he not only did they not paint them straight the use normal house paint so it would wear quite quickly and they wouldn't have time in some cases to reapply it.

[Bridon]

Nice model there Nige...I always liked the Tempest over the Typhoon...a decent large scale one is long overdue!

Trawled the 'net and found a colour (or colourised?) photo of the same Spifire.




Brian