Brickie's Polish Lightning

[Brickie]

Mine is the wz.65, but the instructions look the same except for the colour callouts. It says "Szary", which is one of two colours (the other is Ciemno-szary) which are listed with identical paint numbers for Revell (374) and Tamiya (XF20) but different for Humbrol (127 and 106 respectively).

I'm happy with the deck just being the same grey as the hull and superstructure, I just wanted to check before I did any painting.

[Brickie]

Ah, wait, this looks like it might tell me more - a list below the table of colour codes and letter key:

A - Czarny - Pas na linii wodnej, kotwica, polery, kabertony, łańcuch kotwicki, końcówki luf artylerii p.lot
B - Miniowy - Kadłub poniżej linii wodnej
C - Szary - Kadłub nadbudówki i detale poniżej linii wodnej
D - Ciemnoszary - Pokłady i spardek
E - Czerwony - Ćwiartki tratew rakuntowych, dolna część motorówki
F - Zółty - Ćwiartki tratew rakuntowych
G - Miedziany - Śruby napędowe, kompasy
H - Biały - Wnętrze łodzi ratunkowej i nadbudówki motorówki
J - Machoń-drewno: gretingi na pomostach
K - Srebrny: Anteny Radia

Google translate gives me this:

A - Black - Belt on the water line , anchor, bollards , kabertony , chain Kotwicki , the tip of the barrel artillery p.lot
B - Miniowy - The hull below the waterline
C - Grey - superstructure and hull below the waterline details
D - dark gray - Decks and spar-deck
E - Red - Quarters rafts rakuntowych , the lower part of the boat
F - yellow - Quarters rafts rakuntowych
G - Copper - propellers , compasses
H - White - Interior lifeboat and superstructure motorboats
J - Mahogany - wood : gratings on the platforms
K - Silver : Antennas Radio

The lifeboats (I assume what the "tratew rakuntowych" are) are shown on the box art as being white and red quarters with a natural-wood "deck", which sounds more logical than red and yellow quarters with a white deck, so I'll go with that. The radio antennas are interesting; in the list they are quoted as silver, but on the paint callouts, it says they're "Kacze jajo" and the paint callout is for Tamiya JN Green. Meanwhile the paint callout for whatever "miniowy" is is Tamiya Clear Red...

[Marek]

Brickie, 'miniowy' is the color of the low-oxidizing (anti-rust) primer, it may be either reddish/dark-reddish or sometimes green (in your case is red, not clear red). 'Kacze jajo' is duck egg (I would risk a thesis that it should be just like Humbrol Duck Egg Blue). "Tratwy ratunkowe" are life-rafts (they have white-red floatation rims, inside should be wood gratings as floors), while 'Lodzie rautnkowe" would be life boats. Silver radio antennas maybe ... NOT. These should be exactly duck egg blue, merchant marine used the same paint for dielectric parts. 'Radome tan' would be counterpart in aviation.

[Przemek]

I think Marek already well explained to you the Polish names of colors. I will add from each other, that:
- During the war Lightning was painted 2 or 3 times. And in war period were the colors used in the British fleet.
- After returning to Polish and changes in weaponry and equipment certainly Błyskawica was repainted several times. I will not answer you on what colors and whether Humbrol counterparts are correct. Because then in Poland Humbrol it certainly was not. Russian military was, cold war was and permanent crisis was to.
- As destroyer-museum - Błyskawica also be repainted in a variety of camouflage.
If you let - I will make the rest of the pics:










If you wanna make ORP Błyskawica in "after war" scheme, I think - colour in this cardboard model of this destroyer from Norwegian Campaign could you help.
And as I know - in box from MirageHobby you have one complet of parts - the same for all versions. So you can make ORP Błyskawica in war camo.
Przemek

[Brickie]

Wow, that's really helpful both of you!

So ... the paint guide gives two different colours for the same letter, and a Tamiya reference for a third? Not cool, Mirage. I thought you were better than that.

On the subject of liferafts, I see on the pictures from Przemek that they are *currently* red/yellow but guess they used to be red/white.

[Przemek]

Do not be angry that I complicate your life, but the truth is that there liferafts were also all gray... ;)
Przemek

[Marek]

Przemek, I do not want to further complicate our lives but .... that depends on the period, I guess. Early on after modification to wz.65 it retained the white-red liferafts, these were done all grey much later, me thinks.

http://paper-models.ru/images/models-1000/1551-1.jpg

http://www.graptolite.net/Facta_Nautica ... 89x354.jpg

http://konradus.net/foto.php?scr=http:/ ... WICA-1.jpg

I found many instances where liferafts were grey as well, most of them later than '66

[Przemek]

I think that the gray was before the war and the beginning. Look at the cardboard model from the link above.
You force me also to break away from the chair and do two steps
And now I have before me "Plany Modelarskie" No. 126 with drawings and descriptions destroyer Wicher II. And on the cover by Adam Werka (great Polish maritime artist) rafts are white and red. But in description of the colors of this ship - red and yellow. Błyskawica i Wicher II were together in this time in Polish Navy.

And one my photo ORP Błyskawica (black/white) from ~1985/6. Belive me - on the liferafts light color is darker than white could be.

Przemek

[Marek]

Most probably yellow-red then. At least I can confirm Burza (tactical #52) with these colors of rafts. But .... some pictures as a museum ship show white-red. Having said that, most probably, rafts would be grey when Burza was taking part in 'war dressings' with then allies, since it does not make much sense to such contrasting colours breaking the grey camo.

[Brickie]

At the risk of further further complicating things, I've got two hull numbers on my decal sheet - 51 and 271. Any ideas?

[Przemek]

One second please... ;)
Oki... Probably from 1950 up to 15 october 1957 years (renovation) ORP BŁYSKAWICA wore number 51.
From 15 April 1961 (returning to service), until the end (?) she had tail number 271.
In post-war times on Błyskawica and all Polish ships decks were in dark brown red color.
Przemek

[Brickie]

So both are postwar numbers?

OK, dark brown-red decks and red and yellow liferafts it is.

[Przemek]

Mine is the wz.65... ... ...

Wz.65 in English - "version from 1965". Post-war destroyer in painting, in equipment etc. So - yes, both numbers are from early Cold War time.
Przemek

[Brickie]

Ah, I new Wz was "version", but I didn't know that the number was specifically the year.

[Marek]

So both are postwar numbers?

OK, dark brown-red decks and red and yellow liferafts it is.

That would be my pick as well.