Temporary Colour Schemes

Unless I am mistaken…
Moggy

The paint on the BoB film Spitfires and Hurricanes was permanent, be it synthetic or cellulose.

The code letters were appliqués.

Initially the paint and codes were distressed and aged by the film technicians but the liveries degraded naturally during the filming of 1968.

Indeed it is the unique chippings, scars and staining acquired during cowling removals, fuelling and the like that ‘fingerprinted’ the participants and has facilitated RAF serial identification in the intervening years as new shots have emerged.

Some of the code letters did come adrift during filming and this is on photographic record.

Mark

PS, in the BoB film I think they tried Fablon stick on lettering but it kept blowing off

Unless I am mistaken I think that was actually Piece of Cake – the TV mini-series

Moggy

Hi All,
Trolly Aux,
No problem only to glad to help.

Geoff.

Hi All,
Trollyaux,
I found this for you if it helps:-
Geoff.

Brilliant Geoff, thank you.

Was it BM597 that was painted all over blue for a trip to Malta? If it was, the original camo scheme seems to be bearing up pretty well when I saw it at Duxford last week which suggests the temporary scheme doesn’t do too much damage.

Hi All,
Trollyaux,
I found this for you if it helps:- http://www.shootaviation.com/2011/09/17/applying-temporary-paint-to-aircraft-for-filming/
Also last months flypast with the Hurricane painted in temporary Finnish colours gives the name of the company who have done their scheme. Unless I am mistaken I seem to remember you can have a wash off temporary scheme applied also as it may have been in an earlier feature in Aeroplane or Flypast ?

Geoff.

Can anyone enlighten me as to how these are carried out?
Will the paint wash off in the rain?
Will the paint underneath be damaged?
Are the markings painted or stuck on?

Hi Robert,

I believe some of the “overall” scehmes are applied using a special type of paint that can applied as normal but is susceptible to changes in pH (i.e. acidity or alkalinity), and so is fairly robust againt rain erosion, but can be washed/scrubbed off if a slightly alkaline solution is used.

The change in pH needed to disslve/soften the temporary paint is not sufficent to attack the underlying permanent paint (or airframe) beneath, so the underlying paint/markings etc are unaffected.

(I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and they too use this type of technology to apply thin “paint-like” water-based polymer coatings to tablets so as to ensure they resist the acidic conditions in the stomach which would destroy the drug, but then break up rapidly in the more alkaline environment further down the digestve system so the drug can be absorbed.).

Paul F

I have seen shiny red/white Gazelle helicopters temporarily camouflaged using a matt water based emulsion paint back in the 1980’s. the paint lasted a few weeks but was eventually washed off using Teepol and scrubbing brushes.

Is this not a Battle of Britain film aircraft, more than likely dropping in for airshow duty static or otherwise?
I know today you can easily apply temporary schemes, I remember the Harvard Formation Team painting all the Harvards with red bulls-eyes to represent Zeros at the Biggin Hill Airfair of 1991, I also noted it took a while to loose that paint.
Norman Lees painter Spitfire XVI TE184 G-MXVI as “Fargo Express (Mark Knopfler/Alain DUCK DeCadinet) and that looked a real paint job but washed off ok.
I am sure someone more edgermacated will be along soon.

PS, in the BoB film I think they tried Fablon stick on lettering but it kept blowing off