French 5 Color chips from Methune Handbook

[PeeJay333]

Would you happen to have Model Master references for those SPAD VII colors you gave me in the previeous post? (Caramel, British Middlestone and French Beige)

Thanks,

PeeJay

[Thee_oddball]

Great job sir! can u tell me if these are the same colors used on the WW2 fighters?

thnx

[flypaper]

Originally Posted by Thee_oddball

Great job sir! can u tell me if these are the same colors used on the WW2 fighters?

thnx

Hello Oddball, No the 5 color scheme of WWI was just that, WWI. Just prior to WWII the French AF started to camoflauge their a/c again with a whole new set of colors.

Flypaper

[Raoul Lubliner]

Okay Guys,

I just got the new "Special Hobby" Nie 16 kit. The airframe is frankly the best I've seen for any Nie 11/16 but the included 110 Le Rhone 9J is just plain outstanding, FABULOUS!

BUT then there's that camouflage issue again.

YES, I KNOW, the Autochrome of Nie 11 Number 940 is invaluable as a color reference. I easily see but three camouflage colors: especially apparent after lowering by about 20% the overall green of the image in Photoshop. That of approximately; dark sienna, raw sienna and a medium olive green. I see no evidence of yet another shade of green as alluded to in a letter home by Victor Chapman, but was his ship an 11 or a 16?

The interplane strut tapes are a very dark gray or black over freshly varnished (and therefore quite light in color) unstained/dyed Spruce. The "Ripolin" painted cabane struts and landing gear are matched dead on with the flying surface's perimeter tape (or is it paint?) which readily appears to my eye as the lighter of the two "Adrian Helmet Gray" shades I've found on Google Images. This seems to be the case in this Autochrome as well as contemporary "Adrian Helmet" photos: A light gray with a very slight tinge of purple.

So I starts me research with all the good Orthochromatic images of Nie 16's in the books I have but I cannot be certain of a fourth shade of camouflage. It is clear to my eye that the Nie 11's had three shades from the B&W images in my meager collection, but I don't know what to make of these Nie16's! Was it three or four colors? HELP!

I am presuming the earlier ecru painted Nieuport 10, 11 and 12's had their cabane/landing gear also painted with "Ripolin" and full perimeter taping done with both shades matching the darker of the "Adrian Helmet" grays. A darker, medium shade of gray with a very definitely blue cast to it. (The often referred to "Horizon Blue" I wonder?)

As those ships were clearly not translucent, I am of the opinion they were actually painted in this "ecru" shade of cream/yellow. At least some photos of captured, stripped and then re-covered Nie 11's in German makings were indeed CDL as the translucency of the covering is quite evident. Unless otherwise directed by those of you who know for certain, this is how I intend painting my "Special Hobby" Nieuport 11 kit.

Please respond to this.