Spitfire color questions

More likely Sky.

Sky. MM And Tamiya both have this color

Spitfire

Does anyone know precisely what color was used for the band that goes around the fuselage near the tail on the MKII version of the Spitfire?  For whatever reason I'm having trouble getting a definite answer on this.  When I research it on line I've seen - white, off-white, sky (which is the duck egg blue version) and sky type S

 

The ID band added to the rear fuselage near the tail was "Sky". The spinners were also painted Sky at that time as form of recognition marking.

"Sky" and "Sky Type S" are one in the same. "Type S" refers to a paint formulation, not a seperate shade of paint. It was a formula that gave a flater finish but was smoother to not compromise airspeeds as earlier flat finish paints had done.

During the change over of underside colors from Black & White used during the opening days of the war thru the Battle of France, several light colors were used before "Sky" was selected during the Battle of Britain. These colors included "Sky", "Duck Egg Blue", and "Eau de Nil". Each was a different shade, color, and tone from the other, but only Sky was used for the rest of the war.

I thought that sky type S was a greenish hue, and that sky was a blueish hue?  At least that's what I read on another site.

So does MM make and sell two separate colors - Sky and Sky Type S?

Spitfire

I thought that sky type S was a greenish hue, and that sky was a blueish hue?  At least that's what I read on another site.

 

So does MM make and sell two separate colors - Sky and Sky Type S?

No. Sky Type "S" is the color by Model Master. They're one and the same color no matter how you slice it.

You may be thinking of Duck Egg Blue that is more a bluish hue.

Spitfire

I thought that sky type S was a greenish hue, and that sky was a blueish hue?  At least that's what I read on another site.

 

So does MM make and sell two separate colors - Sky and Sky Type S?

 

 

Sky, AKA Sky Type S, is indeed a greenish gray color. The Blue shade that you are thinking of is Duck Egg Blue. Model Master makes both shades, (but not a "sky type s" and both colors were used at the same time on Spitfire Mk.Is during the Battle of Britain in the Summer of 1940. Eau de Nil was a third underside color in use at that time and was more of a light green than the greenish gray of Sky.

There was a great article in the early days of FSM from the late 80s regarding the Type S paints and how Sky Type S was introduced to modelers and that name has been causing confusion since then. As I said earlier is that after a particular time, all RAF paints made to specs were Type S.