Best/Favorite Paint Schemes

[Logan Hartke]

Unfortunately, this doesn't exactly work with Logans' brief since the design has to be fairly closely tailored to each aircraft type.

Hey Weaver. The only reason I gave the restrictions was because I think you look at things differently when you have to make tough choices. We all have "favorite" aircraft paint schemes. And I think some of us think, "if I ran an air force, we'd paint our aircraft like THAT!" But, if you're anything like me, you've probably had that thought about dozens of schemes and your air force would end up looking like a horrible hodge podge of contrasting paint schemes and would have to have more paint colors on hand than a Sherwin-Williams store.



Obviously, the real world doesn't work like that. They try to come up with a paint scheme that will work on everything and use as few colors as possible. So, I thought along those lines for this topic.

Yes, we all have many paint schemes that we love, but if you had to pick just a few favorites that had to be versatile and you would use it on everything from a C-130 to an F-16, what would they be?

Cheers,

Logan

[AS.12]

I don't see a particular advantage in one scheme for an entire force. 

The cost of paint is insignificant in comparison to spare avionics, wiring looms and tyres that last for ten landings. 

Mission-specific camouflage, as shown in several examples above, is the way air forces have traditionally approached the problem and for good reason.  Otherwise you end-up with examples like that Aussie grey Dak, standing out like a sore-thumb against the scrub.  Yes they can share the tins of paints with the Hornets but what good does it do?

[NARSES2]

A classic "well it said hemp on the tin" moment 

Pretty much what the fellow told me happened, they used what the spec said, but it was the wrong spec ---

Ooooooh, I'd have bought tickets to that blame fest 

Apparently, it didn't get re-painted to the correct spec until it's first major overhaul happened, according to my friend --

Fairly standard practice in this, and those cash strapped times. I bet it could cause a stir on a competition table done in that scheme, with the photographic evidence 

[Doug K]

Swedish splinter and US Navy gull grey & white

[PR19_Kit]

The USN's late war scheme, 2 x blues and white, pure magic. 



I liked it so much I once painted our dining room in the same scheme. 

[Weaver]

Unfortunately, this doesn't exactly work with Logans' brief since the design has to be fairly closely tailored to each aircraft type.

Hey Weaver. The only reason I gave the restrictions was because I think you look at things differently when you have to make tough choices. We all have "favorite" aircraft paint schemes. And I think some of us think, "if I ran an air force, we'd paint our aircraft like THAT!" But, if you're anything like me, you've probably had that thought about dozens of schemes and your air force would end up looking like a horrible hodge podge of contrasting paint schemes and would have to have more paint colors on hand than a Sherwin-Williams store.


Obviously, the real world doesn't work like that. They try to come up with a paint scheme that will work on everything and use as few colors as possible. So, I thought along those lines for this topic.

Yes, we all have many paint schemes that we love, but if you had to pick just a few favorites that had to be versatile and you would use it on everything from a C-130 to an F-16, what would they be?

Cheers,

Logan

Well multiple aircraft in my air force would use the same four or five colours, it's just that the actual design has to disrupt/hide the individual shape of the individual aircraft type for it to work. There'd be no point slavishly copying the green triangle on the Mirage's wing onto a C-130, for example. in that case I'd probably 'break up' one wing with alternate panels of 'strong' and 'weak' colours, while 'shortening' the other one with all 'strong' inboard and all 'weak' outboard.

[Army of One]

Two i've always liked are Peruvian Hinds...


Oh sweet moly and all that is holy..... I have loved this scheme for years..... 

[Dizzyfugu]

The USN's late war scheme, 2 x blues and white, pure magic. 

I liked it so much I once painted our dining room in the same scheme. 

That's... disturbing. 

[PR19_Kit]

The USN's late war scheme, 2 x blues and white, pure magic. 

I liked it so much I once painted our dining room in the same scheme. 

That's... disturbing. 

It gets worse, I painted the lounge in the contemporary Japanese bomber scheme, green and orange! 

My then wife thought they were 'quite colourful' but she didn't make the camo connection until many years later. 

[zenrat]

As a youth I painted my bedroom Russian Cockpit Green.

Although at the time I thought is was just an (to 14 year old me) attractive aqua colour.  I must have been a Soviet pilot in a previous life.

[JayBee]

The USN's late war scheme, 2 x blues and white, pure magic. 

I liked it so much I once painted our dining room in the same scheme. 

That's... disturbing. 

VERY disturbing!

[kerick]

The USN's late war scheme, 2 x blues and white, pure magic. 

I liked it so much I once painted our dining room in the same scheme. 

That's... disturbing. 

Did it include the nose art?

VERY disturbing!

[PR19_Kit]

The USN's late war scheme, 2 x blues and white, pure magic. 

I liked it so much I once painted our dining room in the same scheme. 

That's... disturbing. 

VERY disturbing!

Did it include the nose art?

NO! She'd have never understood! 

[Old Wombat]

The USN's late war scheme, 2 x blues and white, pure magic. 

I liked it so much I once painted our dining room in the same scheme. 

That's... disturbing. 

VERY disturbing!

Why? They're not bad colours for the stated purpose.

It's the green & orange that concern me!

[JayBee]

The USN's late war scheme, 2 x blues and white, pure magic. 

I liked it so much I once painted our dining room in the same scheme. 

That's... disturbing. 

VERY disturbing!

Why? They're not bad colours for the stated purpose. For the aircraft of the era No problem, but for domestic harmony, not a good idea.


It's the green & orange that concern me!