Dazzling Devastator

[kitbasher]

Just started my Airfix Devastator (Fathers Day prezzie).  Now a while ago I was planning a Skua whif in an invented dazzle camo scheme as worn by warships in WWs 1 and 2.  Little did I know that an American artist by the name of McLelland Barclay had beaten me to the idea 70 years before with various schemes for US Navy aircraft.  His proposals were trialled but were unsuccessful, so the 'what if' element to this build is to imagine they were in fact successful and adorned US Navy aircraft (at least for the early part of WW2).

So it's a straight build, so probably no pics until the painting begins.  For now here's a link to a taster of what the finished item could look like: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/ac-usn22/t-types/tbd-cam.htm

[Mossie]

Good luck with the masking!!!

[Swanny]

I'm not real good at discerning colors from old B&W pictures and do not see anything on that site that designates the colors used. This brings me to my question for you, what colors will you use for the scheme?

[Mossie]

The aircraft in the Barclay experiments were coloured as below:

The colors recommended by Mr. Barclay were non-specular (flat) Gray, Silver Gray, Blue, and Green.

http://www.us-aircraft.com/researchbattlecolors2.htm

IIRC, no details of the individual colours of the aircraft are currentley known, although it's possible to make a rough guess from those colours above.  That's not to say you couldn't use different colours.  The Barclay experiments concluded that highly contrasting colours shouldn't be used, but how about using similar colours to those actually used in WWII, but keeping the patterns?

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Is that the same artist & colours used in that experimental Buffalo scheme ?

Ian
(off to find a GOOGLE link....... back in a minute)

[kitbasher]

Is that the same artist & colours used in that experimental Buffalo scheme ?

Ian
(off to find a GOOGLE link....... back in a minute)

It is indeed. 

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Gottit !

Oh b*gg*r, Simon beat me to it, anyways here's the link to a build over on HS: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hyperscale.com/2007/features/images/buffalobarclayjv_4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hyperscale.com/2007/features/f2a1barclayjv_1.htm&usg=__XOmCUZ6MeZf7lcnZ0GqouHZWppQ=&h=322&w=640&sz=47&hl=en&start=16&itbs=1&tbnid=CuAi_1l2d9wHtM:&tbnh=69&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbarclay%2Bpattern%2Bcamouflage%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

Ian

[kitbasher]

The aircraft in the Barclay experiments were coloured as below:

The colors recommended by Mr. Barclay were non-specular (flat) Gray, Silver Gray, Blue, and Green.

http://www.us-aircraft.com/researchbattlecolors2.htm

IIRC, no details of the individual colours of the aircraft are currentley known, although it's possible to make a rough guess from those colours above.  That's not to say you couldn't use different colours.  The Barclay experiments concluded that highly contrasting colours shouldn't be used, but how about using similar colours to those actually used in WWII, but keeping the patterns?

Firstly thanks for the pointers but I've already found and followed that link for the clues about the colours, and secondly yes I was thinking about colours actually used by the USN.  That was in fact going to be my idea for the Skua, using Sky Grey, Dark Slate Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey.  But then events took a different course (see http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,20057.msg282568.html#msg282568).

So for the Devastator the plan is to use Light Gray, Neutral Gray and either Intermediate Blue or Sea Blue.  I've made this choice on the basis of the information on the Accurate Minatures website at http://www.accurate-miniatures.com/research/barclay.shtml.  Now to decide whether it's Design 7 or 8!

As an aside, the next issue of SAMI is promising an article on one of Barclay's Buffaloes.  

[Sturmbock]

Loads of profiles on this site, but here's a coloured impression of that very scheme on plane #339:
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/767/3/0/5
There are more planes with the Barclay patterns, but you'll have to search between all the profiles of U.S. aircraft from that period.

[kitbasher]

Yup, I'd already found that (but thanks for taking the time to delve).  The same site also has a colour pofile of one of the Barclay Buffaloes as well.

[Swanny]

That helps a lot. I really like the looks of the green on that HS build, very 1960's. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out with the blues and grays.

[NARSES2]

Looking forward to this 

[kitbasher]

Good luck with the masking!!!

OMG the masking!  At it right now - takes ages to get the canopy done!
Anyway, the build is almost complete.  Essentially OOB with a little bit of additional detail here and there.  Best described as a borderline whif, to be honest, as I'm keeping the paint job in line with the Barclay trial.  I've had to interpret the camo scheme to some extent, given the limited references, so there's some deviation from what is depicted in the Osprey TBD-1 book (see below - I think the drawings are slightly wrong).
Also I've fitted the torpedo which I doubt was fitted during the trial period.
Pics soon, hopefully.

[Eddie M.]

Very nice!!

[jcf]

(see below - I think the drawings are slightly wrong).

Yep.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/ac-usn22/t-types/tbd-cam.htm




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