1st build query?

[Gibson67]

Hi all

Hope everyone’s enjoying their Xmas hols, a quick question I hope someone can shed some light on. I’m about to start my 1st ever build, an Airfix Supermarine Spitfire MK1a 1.72 stater kit.

I plan on building the kit with the wheels/landing gear down, but a little confused on what colour the open wheel wells should be? I’ve watched a few walkthrough builds on YouTube and have seen a few people paint them the same colour as the cockpit interior colour, a light olive green colour I plan on mixing and matching to photos I’ve sourced on the web.

It’s seems after doing a bit of reading and research that there’s little definitive info regarding this.

Any help, most appreciated

Nige

[DavidWomby]

AFAIK, you are correct: there is no definitive answer. The late Edgar Brooks was viewed by many as the expert. Here's a summary of his Spitfire colour knowledge

https://www.jonbius.com/wp-content/uplo ... 121344.pdf

David

[Gibson67]

Many Thanks for that David, a lot of good reading there. Much appreciated.

[fredk]

Interior Green is wrong.
The insides of the wheel wells were painted the same colour as the underside of the wing, ie if the wing is black the well is black, if the wing is white, then white
The interior side of the doors can be either painted the same as the outside or painted aluminium. But not on the same machine; if the underneath is black & white both doors would be aluminium inside or one black and one white

[Gibson67]

Thanks fredk, that’s certainly made things easier

[fredk]

This is what I'm talking about;

2 photos of a Spitfire Ia with 'Sky' on the wings
(note; the camera flash light lightens the 'Sky' to almost white and this Spitfire Ia has a Mk.V oil cooler fitted)





And a photo of a Spitfire I with black under the port wing. The starboard wing is painted white and the wheel well and door are also painted aluminium


Early restorations painted wheel wells and interior of the doors 'Interior' green, aka cockpit green, like Humbrol 78, but that was wrong and most restorations have been repainted with those parts the correct colours

[Gibson67]

Yes fredk, that’s the area in question. Just looked at the instructions that came with the kit, and they are saying paint the underside of the wing area black which is No33 paint code.

Doing this would mean the flat visible wheel well area surface would be black, with like you rightly say the wing underside’s been “Sky” all very confusing?

It seems I’ve now 3 options! Sky, black, of silver to represent Aluminium. If your good self were doing this build, what option would you choose?

Nige