Thanks James,
It could well be that the word ‘grey’ was typed in error. The aircraft in question is NZ2003, which was the first Hudson to fly in New Zealand and was diverted from an RAF order, so I’m sure it must have arrived here in US-versions of RAF Dark Earth and RAF Dark Green with RAF Sky underneath. It doesn’t make a lot of sense for this to have been grey and dark earth. That is why I asked the question.
However, when you compare the photo to the ones above it, the paint is a markedly different colour. The photo above it shows NZ2004 just after arrival and assembly, it hasn’t yet received its guns and suadron code. The paint work on it is much darker in shade and yet the lighting seems as sunny as the photo of NZ2003. So as NZ2003 is taken when it was at No. 1 OTU, this must be mid-late 1943, and the paint must have simply faded really badly to a much paler version of its former self.
RNZAF Hudsons were seen in a variety of colours – the Dark Green/Dark Grey/Sky colours they mostly arrived in, which is the scheme that MOTAT’s Hudson is painted in, and this is how they first ventured forward into the Pacific war zone too.
Then later in the war most got a repaint in NZ Green and Pacific Blue, which were unique NZ colours, and this is how the RNZAF Museum’s example is painted.
However a number of Hudsons were converted to become cargo versions, the C-63, and these were repainted at that time in overall Olive Drab like the C-47’s and Lodestars of the RNZAF’s transport squadrons.
After the war many were stripped to bare metal and some received the international Air Sea Recue roundel (yellow cross on blue circle). There is a decal sheet option in this colour scheme available for the Classic Airframes kitset in 1/48th. (did any other air forces actually use that roundel? I’ve only ever seen it on the RNZAF Hudsons)
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