Topic: 1950s and 60s RN Duck Egg Blue, or am I just imagining it? (Read 6264 times)

unbuiltnautilus · « **on:** March 09, 2018, 07:25:33 pm »

Prompted by the Type 42 paint question, I am convinced that RN ships were painted in an almost Duck Egg Blue colour in the mid 50s through 60s. I have seen it rendered on a number of shipyard models, a very fine Brave Borderer model at Southern Model Show, a big 1/48 scale Leander model ( I think..) and a couple of 'compass' fittings on the bridge wings of HMS Edinburgh which were a different colour to everything surrounding them, which I assumed had been passed on through the fleet for thirty years. Also the twin 4.5" turret, currently on display at Explosion in Gosport displays a hint of this in its colouring. It is an early twin turret as it has the glass dome on top of it.
Am I imagining this or was it a thing???

ballastanksian · « **Reply #1 on:** March 09, 2018, 08:00:24 pm »

I know what you mean. I have seen quite warm greys on certain vessels and have copied it, though randomly for my vessels as it looks better than dull greys made from a black and white.

Rob47 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2018, 09:38:41 pm »

My Tiger is done in the grey for the 80's period and at times looks very blue. A good example is HMS Cavalier, at Chatham, the BSI numbers I posted to the other post produce the gray we know now

bob

BrianB6 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2018, 12:03:03 am »

I once built a plastic RN Sea Hawk that had Duck Egg blue underneath so maybe it was used on ships as well.

Umi_Ryuzuki · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2018, 03:20:57 am »

If you consider the ships in their Mediterranean camoflauge colors it is daft...

https://trmreviewconnect.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/photoscan-4-800x635.jpg

tigertiger · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2018, 04:45:43 am »

Ah! the old dazzle patterns. Not so daft and before the days of radar. It made it harder to see a ship, and once seen, it was hard to tell what kind of ship, making it hard to know its size, therefore distance. Also harder to distinguish the bow and stern, and thence harder to judge the direction of travel; especially from another moving ship.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2018, 06:18:21 am »

Quote from: Umi_Ryuzuki on March 10, 2018, 03:20:57 am

If you consider the ships in their Mediterranean camoflauge colors it is daft...

https://trmreviewconnect.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/photoscan-4-800x635.jpg

You have to love a dazzle scheme!

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2018, 06:27:29 am »

Quote from: Rob47 on March 09, 2018, 09:38:41 pm

My Tiger is done in the grey for the 80's period and at times looks very blue. A good example is HMS Cavalier, at Chatham, the BSI numbers I posted to the other post produce the gray we know now

bob

I used your exact BS numbers when painting a 1/72 Type 45 a few years ago. Very good visual match.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2018, 06:32:15 am »

Quote from: BrianB6 on March 10, 2018, 12:03:03 am

I once built a plastic RN Sea Hawk that had Duck Egg blue underneath so maybe it was used on ships as well.

I am sure there was more than a little 'cross pollination' between Fleet Air Arm and RN, regarding pots of paint.

The Brave Borderer I referred to is attached. Very nice model and really friendly guy to chat to. He fired up my enthusiasm to get on with my Brave Swordsman conversion...only took me another eighteen months to start too!

Possibly more of a Sky Blue, than Duck Egg, looking at the model. Will do some experimenting next time I am over at Explosion.

mudway · « **Reply #9 on:** March 10, 2018, 08:48:59 am »

The RN used the pre WW2 Pattern 507C Foreign Stations Light Grey after the war but switched full time to BS 381C 697 Light Admiralty Grey (LAG) in 1955 or 1956. I know an Admiralty Fleet Order was issued in 1955 called “Weatherwork-painting of, on ships in peace time” but I have not been able to find a copy of it. I’d say that was the changeover date as at the same time the RAN switched from 507C to BS381C Light Grey presumably because they didn’t like the new blue grey. The RN used LAG until 1968 when BS381C 676 Light Weatherwork Grey (LWG) was introduced.
Some shots attached of models in LAG & LWG attached including in different lights. LAG changes quite dramatically in various lighting conditions.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2018, 07:02:04 pm »

Well, will you look at that! 24 hours or so and all solved. I kind of expected the answer to come from the 'big fleet' on the other side of the world. I have done a quick search for Light Admiralty Grey and found it from at least three different suppliers of 'grown up' paint. So should be able to source it withing three miles of home.
Excellent job, well done chaps

mudway · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2018, 09:43:21 pm »

I don't know if they still do it but the model railway people, Phoenix Paints, used to do many of the BS381C colours in matt, low sheen and gloss in humbrol sized tinlets up to 250ml cans.

John R Haynes · « **Reply #12 on:** March 12, 2018, 10:20:46 am »

They have just supplied me with this paint but its a £200 min special order from Phoenix . Specify Matt as there semi is still too glossy

mudway · « **Reply #13 on:** March 12, 2018, 12:21:10 pm »

I used to pick mine up at the Harrogate Show in May from their stand.

Rob47 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 12, 2018, 02:31:43 pm »

I get the correct colours as i noted above in aerosol from pro aerosols made up and come with your name on them, good price and good service. two cans was more than enough to spray HMS Bristol @82" long plus can of grey for the decks.

And as noted a good match for current colours and not the blue tinge for light admiralty grey, that is seen often
Bob

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #15 on:** March 12, 2018, 07:39:34 pm »

http://www.express-paints.co.uk/bs381c-custom-filled-aerosol-400ml/#product-reviews

My local supplier, with a drop down box, with everything you could ever need, including Light Weatherworks and Light Admiralty Greys. Also available as tins to slop it on the model. Also different sheens available. Excellent.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #16 on:** March 18, 2018, 06:18:38 pm »

So the weather, and light, were pretty terrible this morning, but despite this I tried a little experiment.

At Explosion, The Museum of Naval Firepower, over at Gosport, they have a row of naval ordnance in all sorts of colours. Equipped with a hastily knocked up chip chart, I started comparing colours...interesting to say the least.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #17 on:** March 18, 2018, 06:21:14 pm »

First off, a 4.5" Open mounting, probably from a Tribal Class Frigate.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #18 on:** March 18, 2018, 06:24:51 pm »

STWS Triple Torpedo Launcher, first the tube, then the equipment box on the side.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #19 on:** March 18, 2018, 06:26:03 pm »

Goalkeeper CIWS.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #20 on:** March 18, 2018, 06:27:11 pm »

4.5" Mk8 Mounting.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #21 on:** March 18, 2018, 06:31:32 pm »

4.5" Twin Mk6 Mounting. This is the one I was interested in, as it appears to show the Light Admiralty Grey colour. Also there was a part of the lower assembly showing what looked like the more modern grey, overcoated with the older Admiralty Grey. Pity about the poor lighting though.

unbuiltnautilus · « **Reply #22 on:** March 18, 2018, 06:38:57 pm »

So, my conclusions.......I shall be ordering half a litre of Light Admiralty Grey from my paint specialist!! But, it is interesting how dark nearly all of the sample colours look. Humbrol 127 has always been my default recommendation for modern RN vessels, but I have to say, I am swung towards Humbrols new colour 247 RLM76. It has that blue/grey look to it. While my interest in the duck egg blue via Revells 49 Light bLue, would benefit from about 30% white added to it.

Still seems odd that they were nearly all a shade or two darker, but that is the scaling effect I guess.

Incidentally, I am not a rivet counter, although I may coin the description Paint Chip Checker

mudway · « **Reply #23 on:** March 18, 2018, 10:10:36 pm »

We had another ship in LAG running on Saturday. Glamorgan shows another side of the colour in the lighting conditions.

BrianB6 · « **Reply #24 on:** March 18, 2018, 10:16:24 pm »

2 points!
1) They may not have been repainted in their original colours.
2) The colour will have altered if it has been in the sun. No paint is immune from the effects of UV light.
I tried the same trick with H.M.A.S Vampire in Sydney and the colours varied from stem to stern.

In the end I found a paint can they had been using.

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Author Topic: 1950s and 60s RN Duck Egg Blue, or am I just imagining it? (Read 6264 times)