Redtop missile colours

[chrisonord]

I  have been  looking at  redtop missiles and noticed that there are a few different  colours used on them. I  was going  to paint  a pair  I  am going to  stick on a viggen , white  but I  don't think they  ever  were  white  by what I  have seen.  I  have  seen some  in different  shades of  grey  and green  as well as hemp , but also  what  looks like a  metallic light grey colour. I  am putting the  ones I  have on a mid seventies aircraft, so what  scheme would  be a more  accurate one . Cheers
Chris.

[Weaver]

You could just sidestep the whole issue: the Swedes seem, at least some of the time, to have painted their missiles in their own colour scheme, usually an overall green shade.

IIRC, RAF Red Tops had silver-grey (bare metal?) bodies and white or green wings.

[Gondor]

This may have the answer you are looking for, but I agree about the overall green.

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235064432-red-top-missile-colours-raf-1970s/

Gondor

[chrisonord]

You could just sidestep the whole issue: the Swedes seem, at least some of the time, to have painted their missiles in their own colour scheme, usually an overall green shade.

Cheers  H
I am doing the Viggen as an RAF  aircraft  based in Germany during the 70's.  It will have  a wraparound camouflage  too which  I am not sure  the RAF  used that scheme  in the 70's  either, but mine will  have it. Load out  will be two  tanks two red tops and a we177B
Chris

[Weaver]

On Swedish Viggens only the centreline pylon was plumbed for a fuel tank. No reason you couldn't whiff an RAF one into having wet wing pylons, of course.

If it was on a nuclear-strike mission, I'd think an ECM pod and a chaff pod would be more likely than a pair of heavy, draggy Red Tops.

[chrisonord]

This may have the answer you are looking for, but I agree about the overall green.

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235064432-red-top-missile-colours-raf-1970s/

Gondor

Cheers  Alastair, i will have a look at  what I  have  that looks like  a metallic grey  finish  or perhaps  use matt aluminium  with a hint  of light  grey mixed in it. The time frame should  work  as the later ones  were a hemp colour on the low viz lightning.
Cheers 
Chris

[chrisonord]

On Swedish Viggens only the centreline pylon was plumbed for a fuel tank. No reason you couldn't whiff an RAF one into having wet wing pylons, of course.

Mine  has two tank, one for each  of the two out fuselage  pylons, I  looked into  putting a larger  single  tank on the centre line  pylon  but I  have not  as yet, found  anything  suitable.  I will have a look in  my other boxes.
Chris

[PR19_Kit]

Weren't the red Tops carried on the Lightning F3s white originally?

F3s could carry both Red Tops and Firestreaks IIRC. Not at the same time though.

[ChernayaAkula]

The green colour on Swedish missiles indicates dummy rounds, AFAIK. Live Swedish Sidewinders would've looked like all other live Sidewinders, I think.

On Swedish Viggens only the centreline pylon was plumbed for a fuel tank. No reason you couldn't whiff an RAF one into having wet wing pylons, of course.

If it was on a nuclear-strike mission, I'd think an ECM pod and a chaff pod would be more likely than a pair of heavy, draggy Red Tops.

Red Tops on the side pylons under the fuselage, tanks under inboard wing stations, chaff/ECM on the outer wing pylons. 

[chrisonord]

The kit I am  building is  the old airfix  one  and only has 5 pylons.  3 on the fuselage  and 2 on the wings, so the instant  sunshine  will go  on the centre line pylon, fuel tanks  where the instructions say they should  and the red tops  on the 2 wing pylons.  An unorthodox load out for an RAF  aircraft  i know  but  it is mission specific  shall we say.
Chris

[Weaver]

Weren't the red Tops carried on the Lightning F3s white originally?

F3s could carry both Red Tops and Firestreaks IIRC. Not at the same time though.

Think F3s and F6s could carry either. The missile support pack was totally different for the two missiles though (ammonia cooling for Firestreak, compressed air cooling for Red Top), so yep, either/or.