Can any RAF expert help me?

[ysi_maniac]

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,20281.0.html
This is my entry in the profiles GB. I have been looking for documentation and I have seen several examples of this early scheme (earth/green) without the rear fuselage band. When was that band applied? what is its colour? Duck egg blue or Sky type S?

Thanks in advance,
Carlos.

[ysi_maniac]

I am thinking in late 1939, in France. Should it be half black, half duck egg blue (or white).

[kitnut617]

I've read that it was half black and half white, and only the main wings.  I've a reference which shows this and the rest of the undersides were silver, no Sky tail band.

[Mossie]

Carlos, there was a standard in late 1939, but quite a lot of variation within it.  Before June 1940 the standard colours were:

Upper Surfaces: Dark Green/Dark Earth
Lower Surfaces: Night (black)/White.  Sometimes part of the under surface was aluminium dope, this varied.
Spinners: Night
Radio Codes: Medium Sea Grey
Serial Number: Night, but often painted over with camouflage colour

The undersides could be a split of night/white, or include some of the surfaces in aluminium.  Here's pics of an in progress project of two real world Spits from 1939, with different undersides:


The roundels could vary too.  The were usually A1 (red/white/blue roundel with yellow outline) on the fuselage & type B (red/blue) on top of the wings.  In this period, roundels were rarely carried undersurface of the wings, but it wan't always the case.  Here's a pic of the same project, with two different roundel, fin flash (one missing them) & code styles on the fuselage, both with the serials painted out:


It's a bit of a minefield if your trying to replicate a real world aircraft, you really need photos of the aircraft in question.  But with a whiff, it actually makes things easier, as there where that many variations, almost any combination you come up with will have happened real world.

I've got a diagram of the variations in the undersides from this period, I'll try & scan it, although it's already of slightly-poor quality.

[Mossie]

Here's the scan I promised of the most common variations.  For late 1939, the night/white versions are the way to go.  You can see that sometimes the nose & tail were aluminium dope (on one of my models above).  Sometimes the ailerons where aluminium, or the opposite colour to the rest of that side wing.  The night/white split wasn't quite half & half, the white was from the centre line at the nose to the right side of the rudder where it meets the fuse, you can just about make it out on one of the models.  One thing that did tend to remain standard was the left wing was always night & the right always white.  I've never seen it the other way around.

[ysi_maniac]

Thanks to all of you for your help!