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Re: The great camouflage & markings debate
Hi, Richard
Sorry I didn't join in this very interesting discussion a little earlier, but I am currently in London and have been away from the computer for a couple of days.
I think Merrick's method would be the correct one when restoring an historic aircraft - get through the different layers of paint recording the different colours as far as possible using for example dural sheets sprayed with 'recreated' or 'reengineered' paints used for the camouflage patterns as one goes 'down', this would of course be possible only if a previous paint stripping and 'restoration' has not occured.
Then one should in my opinion use the available knowledge on how this aicraft SHOULD have been painted during it's time with the Luftwaffe, utilizing paint from the specialists in recreating historic paint like the company mentioned earlier in this thread.
On the slightly different colours topic, I will just make a brief comment and comparison:
The different RLM paints were standardized, and the description on how to mix them and apply them were likewise standardized. The use however were spread over a large number of manufacturing plants all over the land occupied by Germany at the time. That we more than 60 years later are saying that there must have been more colours and that there were substandards etc is in my opinion quite fantastic! I guess that some of you guys might have used some paint to freshen up your house like I have done? So why wasn't I surprised when there was a slight difference in the colour of the same type of paint, with the same colour code mixed on the same type of computer controlled mixing system, but in two different stores? A difference that made it necessary to use the can bought from one of the stores for the last layer to ensure thet the entire room was indeed the same colour. And we discuss differences seen on aluminum parts that have been kept in non- or semi-controlled environments for more than 60 years, and that has been mixed and applied by entirely different companies...
Well....
Regards,
Andreas B
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