discussion PINK SPITFIRE

[eddiesolo]

Hi guys, I am wondering if anybody has made the pink Spitfire? I am useless at aircraft so it would just end up binned, so hence I will not be building one, so has anybody built one?

Si

 

[Alan 45]

A pink spitfire was this real ?

 

[papa 695]

Not that I know of Si. But Polux was doing a tartan one

 

[Guest]

 

[stona]

A pink spitfire was this real ?

The 'pink' colour, which was almost white with a slight pink tinge to it was used on a succession of photo reconnaissance Spitfire types through the war.

It was a good camouflage colour when operating below the cloud base and with the sun low in the sky.

I've never built one

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

Not that I know of Si. But Polux was doing a tartan one

Has he found that tarten paint then?

 

[Guest]

Google does wonders. ;-) I don't know if anyone has...

 

[stona]

That box art is MUCH too pink.

I think it was Edgar Brooks who said that the pinkness was only visible in the original colour chip when it was placed on a white background. The actual colour was an off white with a pink tinge to it.

This is a genuine colour photograph of some PR Spitfires taken in Europe in 1944. I obviously can't vouch for the reproduction and how it's been fiddled with, but it does give a good idea of what they looked like.



Cheers

Steve

 

[eddiesolo]

So, is it a white with a hint of red then?

Si

 

[PaulTRose]

Has he found that tarten paint then?

ive got a tin but it will cost him

 

[Guest]

Not seen a pink spitfire but have seen a 1/32 scale F22 Raptor in pink a few years back at Cosford, and I have to say it looked kinda cool.

scott

 

[stona]

This one (ex PL965) was flying a few years ago.

It's probably still a bit too pink, but if you can afford a Spitfire I suppose you can paint it any colour you like



Cheers

Steve

 

[john i am]

Pink Panther spitfire I like it wonder how it would look in in 1/24 scale as I have one for the sig

 

[The Migrant]

How did the PR Spits differ from standard ones? The AZ Model box art looks like it's a fairly unmodified Mk. I except for the camera behind the canopy (on both sides?). Weird wing roundel position, too.

 

[Ian M]

Most if not all PR aircraft where unarmed. their weapons being removed to allow more weight to be carried. We must remember that cameras those days where not plastic with a chip card. they where wood and metal with heavy glass optics and the film rolls also had a good weight.

Ian M

 

[stona]

How did the PR Spits differ from standard ones? The AZ Model box art looks like it's a fairly unmodified Mk. I except for the camera behind the canopy (on both sides?). Weird wing roundel position, too.

There were numerous variations of PR Spitfires. Many but not all were unarmed. They carried fuel and cameras in all sorts of positions, including under wing blisters.

The one on the box art is a Type G. This type retained the eight machine gun armament and laminated 'armoured' glass windshield. It had a 29 gallon fuel tank fitted behind the pilot's seat. It carried an obliquely mounted F.24 camera with a 14" focal length behind the cockpit looking either to port or starboard. It carried two more F.24s looking downwards, one with a 5" and the other a 14" focal length.

The oblique mounted F.24 was used for photographing from altitudes below 2,000ft. The downward looking F.24 with the 5" lens was used between 2,000 and 10,000ft. The final, downward looking, F.24 with the 14" lens was used above 10,000ft.

The aircraft were to photograph from just below the cloud base and this camera set up allowed considerable flexibility. The pale pink camouflage was discovered to be more effective than either the early 'Camotint' (identical to Sky) or the later PR Blue for these operations.

PR units seem to have been a law unto themselves so far as national and other markings went. They were often of odd sizes and in odd positions or omitted altogether.

Cheers

Steve

 

[The Migrant]

Thanks Steve, I need to do a bit more research as to the placement of the various cameras etc, but that's a very helpful overview. I have an Airfix Spit I in the stash and like the look of the pink scheme...

 

[stona]

Camera installation.





And the regulation markings for PR Spitfires, but they don't always seem to have followed them.



EDIT:

I think you may have mentioned the odd, inboard, roundel position.



Cheers

Steve

 

[spanner570]

I remember there being a pink Spitfire displayed at the entrance to an airfield near Harlech and close to what is now Shell Island, on the West Wales coast. I believe this airfield was used for training pilots during WW2 - over to you Steve - and I remember seeing the aircraft as I drove past on my way for a spot of surfing down on the Llyn Peninsula during the '60s

The spit is long gone now, but it was a strange sight sat there on the grass.

 

[stona]

Llanbedr airfield?

I don't know which Spitfire that would have been. They were all brought in from the xold in the 1970s, sometimes replaced with replicas, because the newly formed BBMF needed spares and because someone figured out that they were becoming valuable

Cheers

Steve