I'm looking seriously at getting started on a Spitfire fighter collection in 1/48 beginning, of course, with the prototype. I have the excellent Paragon conversion for the Tamiya kit, but have run into an issue right from the get go.

Does anyone know what color the cockpit area was on the prototype? Was it green or unpainted or what when first flown? Kinda need to make a call on this before I start

Any ideas, theories, or possible facts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all

Michael

hi i have exactly the same kit and conversion, and have also been looking into the cockpit colour.

as far as i can tell (and there are only a few pictures of the cockpit) it was bare metal but i cant be 100% sure. unless i can come up with or hear otherwise i'm going with bare metal/aluminium.

paul

It was green, as called for in the specification. The likeliest shade, as far as I can tell, is the old Humbrol 90, beige green, which is matched by the colour in the Science Museum's S6B (not the Southampton example, which had been "got at.") Recently, unfortunately, not knowing what 90 was for, Humbrol guessed that it was supposed to be Sky, and changed the formula accordingly. If you have an old tin of 90, you're fine, otherwise you'll need to mix. Incidentally, the seat would have been metal, so also green, or, maybe, unpainted.
Edgar

hi edgar,thats great,can you tell me where i can look at the specs? as there are a couple of other things i want to check.

cheers paul

There were several specs, and the main part, believe it or not, was covered by F.7/30, for which the Type 224 was built. Supermarine issued their own, modifying, spec, No.425a, 26-7-34, and a new Air Ministry spec, F.37/34 (which refers back to F.7/30) was issued 3-1-35, followed by yet another, F.10/35, in April 1935, for a nightfighter. All of these can be found in Alfred Price's "The Spitfire Story"; the original (Jane's Publishing) ISBN is 0 86720 624 1, but it's been reprinted many times. The whole lot covers 9 pages, so there's no way to put it on here.
Edgar

ok thanks,will have a look out for that.

paul