BPRAF schemes

[ysi_maniac]

British People's Republic Air Force

When Soviet Air Force began to apply camouflage, in 70s-80s approx, they used non standarized colour combinations. Unit were asked to use schemes adapted to predominant lansccape in deploiment area.

How could this be in Great Britain?

Some ideas (3 colours, at least)

Grey/Green (as current) but add Dk Earth (WWII colour).
Something like Europe I
2 greys and green (a bit maritime)?

Please add your ideas with some detail: Humbrol/Tamiya/Gunze references or FS references, patterns, etc ...
Adding corresponding area, please.

[ysi_maniac]

3 green shades: light, medium, dark?

Urban camo for the London area?

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Early BPRAF scheme would remain overall painted Aluminium, not NMF - weather here is too inclement - Well at least it will be on my 1:72 MiG 19 if TrumpyBoss ever get around to releasing it !. This was replaced in the mid sixties by overall Medium Sea Grey on MiG 21's & Su15's tasked as interceptors.

Later, Ocean Grey (OG), Dark Earth (DE), Dark Green (DGn) top-sides with either painted Aluminium or Medium Sea Grey (MSG) undersides. Would look great on a Su7/17/22.

Maritime scheme, OG, MSG, Dark Slate Grey (DStG) topsides with MSG underneath. All aircraft tasked to SAR duties wore this scheme too, but with prominant Trainer Yellow diagonal bands around the forward fuselage and wing/tail tips. Think Tu16 in the Shackleton/Nimrod role, or Mil 4's & 8/17's  together with Beriev flying boats as SAR birds.

All transport aircraft & helicopters wore the overall MSG scheme - An2's An12's etc. As did trainers. Trainers also wore prominant wing & fuselage bands very similar in size and location to the pre-revolutionary Imperialist Reactionary 'Royal' Air Force, but those bands were a bright red, which could fade to orangey-red. I'm thinking L29's or even the Polish 'Iskra' then later the L39.

Aircraft dispatched to support the fraternal socialist forces in the middle east were repainted in a three tone pattern of Light Stone (LS) & Light Earth (LE) with either DE or MSG on the topsides with Azure Blue (AB) undersides. Some tactical transports (An2's An26's etc) also wore this scheme. Again Su7/17/22's and MiG 21's & 23/27's and Su25's & 'Hinds'

Anybody given any thought to national markings ?? - or have I missed that in another thread ??. Wouldn't be the first time !

Ian

[Maverick]

G'day Gang,

An interesting idea for some neat schemes.  I've had a thought re: markings and have come up with some roughs.  Naturally, I'm more than happy for critiques or improvements and will knock up some profiles to suit.

Regards,

Mav

[Geoff]

The early scheme for middle east had mid stone and dark earth over night, with a white cockpit area on the An-12s. These had prominent "Transport Command" titles on the fuselage in white.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

G'day Gang,

An interesting idea for some neat schemes.  I've had a thought re: markings and have come up with some roughs.  Naturally, I'm more than happy for critiques or improvements and will knock up some profiles to suit.

Regards,

Mav

A & E look fine, to me, John, but D looks like the markings of the Texaco Air Wing 

Ian

[The Rat]

...if TrumpyBoss ever get around to releasing it !.

Meh, if you can find the KP one it would probably be cheaper and it builds up pretty good. I made one over thirty years ago, and Bruce Merlin-Jones just posted one over at The UAMF. Give her a whirl, just don't obsess over all those tiny air scoops! 

[Mossie]

I have an idea for a modern air defence scheme, in colours similar to Venezuelan Su-30's:
http://racc.com.sapo.pt/MilIlYak/su27ub30/Venezuela_side.gif
http://racc.com.sapo.pt/MilIlYak/su27ub30/Venezuela_top.gif

The pattern would be similar to this Indian SR.177 I knocked up (based on a MiG-23 IIRC), including the way the topside camouflage flows into the lower side.  Medium Sea Grey (H165) would replace the green, Dark Sea Grey (H164) the tan & Camouflage/Barley Grey (H167) the brown.  Light Aircraft Grey (H166) undersides.


Also did my own BPRAF roundels some time back, high viz & anti flash Type D roundels & dark & pale tactical roundels:
     

[ysi_maniac]

Anybody given any thought to national markings ?? - or have I missed that in another thread ??. Wouldn't be the first time !

Ian

SPINNERS had already done some work on BPRAF markings (see page 30 or so)
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,18821.0/topicseen.html

[Weaver]

When I was trying to devise a Cheshire Militia scheme for Patchwork World, I looked at lots of arial photos of Cheshire (which is like a lot of the UK), and came to the conclusion that it consisted mostly of bright grass green, light brown stubble/plowing, and little patches of dark green trees. There were a LOT of straight lines in it too, since it's mostly defined by roads and field boundaries. I duly posted such a scheme and someone immediately called it "bright", so I dropped the profile on a couple of aerial photos and you know what? It worked!

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,20031.45.html

On another forum I frequent there are a lot of ex-military types with lots of experience (mostly army). A couple of years back, there was a discussion about camouflage, and most of them agreed with the proposition that most cammo is too dark.

There's also distance/scaling effects to consider: stand back ten feet from a table full of grey/green 1/72nd planes and most of them look like black blobs......

[ysi_maniac]

mostly of bright grass green, light brown stubble/plowing, and little patches of dark green trees.

Does this sound like SEA camo scheme?

[Weaver]

mostly of bright grass green, light brown stubble/plowing, and little patches of dark green trees.

Does this sound like SEA camo scheme?

Not dissimilar colours, but the patterns were very different.


1. "Bright" version in concealment-biased pattern:




2. Example of how it works:




3. Toned-down version. The pattern here is more deception than concealment, the idea being to confuse the eye about the aircraft's attitude:

[The Rat]

...the idea being to confuse the eye about the aircraft's attitude:

I'm not confused at all, it's got a MEAN ATTITUDE! Love it! 

[ysi_maniac]

Ideas for British People's Republic Navy (BPRN) embarked fighters, PLEASE ...
Schemes
Roundels

[Weaver]

How about a similar pattern to the RAF Green/Grey, but with the green replaced by a darkish blue?