Question re wartime B/W photos ...

[MikeMaben]

So we all know how in some b/w photos, the color yellow can look quite dark due to

the film used (I think that's it). Are there any other colors that shift like that ? I'm asking

because I'm trying to figure out what color the landing gear and inner doors are in this pic.

 

 

It looks like black but that doesn't follow anything I've ever read regarding LW painting practices.

I have a theory,     what do you think ?

 

 

[Radub]

The film difference that you are talking about is “orthochromatic” vs “panchromatic”. There is a lot of stuff about it on the internet. Orthochromatic film makes yellow look dark and blue look light. This is immediately evident in photos of Romanian aircraft, for example, which feature plenty of yellow and blue in the insignia and markings. In my book on the I.A.R.80/81 I have a section dedicated to this issue, with examples of how film affects colour.
Having said that, the colour of those undercarriage parts is dark, and that would be dark on any kind of film. I suspect it may be RLM 66. 
Radu

[Padubon]

Hello, 

I would choose 02. My reasoning behind it is that Messerschmitt may not Have manufactured the struts, they were possibly under contract.

Even though early in the war the RLM colors were pretty dead on, many factors can be accounted for different shades of each particular color, for example primer, thinner, how thinned or thick, humidity, air or heat drying, etc.

Back in my Army flying days, I curiously counted the tones of green on one of my beloved CH-47D. I noticed 7 olive draw and 9 interior green. It was a 15 year old bird.

 

Again, to me RLM 02 is the most logical option.
 

[phasephantomphixer]

4 hours ago, Padubon said:

Hello, 

I would choose 02. My reasoning behind it is that Messerschmitt may not Have manufactured the struts, they were possibly under contract.

Even though early in the war the RLM colors were pretty dead on, many factors can be accounted for different shades of each particular color, for example primer, thinner, how thinned or thick, humidity, air or heat drying, etc.

Back in my Army flying days, I curiously counted the tones of green on one of my beloved CH-47D. I noticed 7 olive draw and 9 interior green. It was a 15 year old bird.

 

Again, to me RLM 02 is the most logical option.
 

Is that your 02 sense? 

[Gazzas]

Other possibilities include RLM 70 or 71

 

If you're building one, Mike...  nobody can prove you wrong.

 

Interesting photo...  are the prop blades NMF?

Edited September 11, 2020 by Gazzas

[LSP_Ron]

That's the two blade prop.   I think the prop is polished alum on the front and either black or black green on the back.  

[LSP_K2]

14 minutes ago, LSP_Ron said:

That's the two blade prop.   I think the prop is polished alum on the front and either black or black green on the back.  

 

I seem to recall those were made of wood, Ron, though that might not be correct.

[LSP_Ron]

I think the wood one was the fixed pitch prop.   This the variable pitch prop.   But I'm no expert

[Dave Williams]

1 hour ago, Jennings Heilig said:

 

 

Correct.  No production 109 had a wooden prop.

The 30 or so B-1s that had the fixed wooden prop weren’t production aircraft?

[MikeMaben]

Thanks guys, I don't think it's O2 , you can see 02 on the inside of the canopy frames.

These a/c are D-1s fresh of the line from a Focke -Wulf factory in late 1938. I've been

reading quite a bit about this period while building my D-1. The only difference between

the C and the D is the engine so these could be Cs. Some Cs were the first 109s to have

20mm cannons in the wings. The As and Bs had wooden props then the Cs and Ds had

metal blades (same as the early Es)

For a while the fronts were polished (like Ron said). As far as colors, they were trying

different things depending on who made the parts and where they were assembled.

During the beginning of 109 production, many things changed.

I've decided to go for as many different and unusual elements I can find that fit into

that time frame. At that time, while 02 was a standard primer, some gear legs were

also 65, there was also RLM 11which was similar to 02 but much darker so I'm thinkin'

I'll go with that just to be different (it does look close to the 70 on the fuselage tho).

Other photos show a dark color in the wheel bays that I think are likely the same color.

 

 

I'm not shootin' for absolute accuracy, just stuff I think was cool for that time period.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by MikeMaben

[Padubon]

15 hours ago, phasephantomphixer said:

Is that your 02 sense? 

Indeed! Hahaha

[RBrown]

As a side note the aircraft also have the light colored gun troughs seen frequently during the period.

[Alain Gadbois]

Seems incredibly dark for 02. Go 66 or 70, and you've got the photo to explain your choice.

 

Alain 

[MikeMaben]

12 hours ago, RBrown said:

As a side note the aircraft also have the light colored gun troughs seen frequently during the period.

 

Yep, the grey was a heat resistant coating for the troughs which were stamped steel.

I'm thinkin' 66 is likely the most likely for the gear,   after more research ...

 

               

 

Thanks men.