DISCLAIMER: Please note that the colours shown in the left column, though taken directly from paint colour charts offered by manufacturers via the internet, offer only an approximation of their actual real-life counterparts.

THE WARTIME RNZAF IN COLOUR

In The Beginning

When the war began, the RNZAF was sorely lacking in aircraft. The total sum of aircraft on strength were as followed:

9 Vickers Vildebeeste
6 Airspeed Oxford
3 Avro 626 biplane trainers
36 Fairey Gordon biplane trainers
24 Blackburn Baffin
15 Vickers Vincent

Basically these were in their prewar schemes of overall white (in the case of the Vildebeestes and Vincents) or overall silver dope for the rest. But as new and second hand aircraft began to arrive, and new roles were found for the RNZAF, new colours began to appear on their machines.

The British Government began to supply surplus and obsolete types to the RNZAF, such as Hinds, and then more useful types too to bolster our defences.

The obsolete types arrived in their RAF schemes, which were usually prewar colours, but as the newer types arrived they were invariably painted upon manufacture in RAF camouflage.

The colours Dark Earth, Dark Green and Sky formed the standard RAF scheme for temperate climates up till mid 1941, and these colours were applied in the factory (either in BS 381c British form or the US Federal Standard equivalent for US-made aircraft) to the following aircraft that were originally intended for the RAF but diverted to the RNZAF:

•  Lockheed Hudson Mk III, Mk IIIA, MK V and MK VI
•  P40E Kittyhawk
•  Avro Anson Mk 1
•  North American Harvard Mk II
•  Airspeed Oxford Mk I and Mk II

RAF Dark Earth was later made the same in New Zealand as (NZ) Dark Earth

It should also be noted that later in the war, the US equivalent of RAF Dark Green applied to US made aircraft in the factory was later substituted with the US paint Dark Olive Green. This probably did not affect New Zealand's aircraft

RAF Trainer Yellow was applied in the factory to some of the following aircraft that were originally used by or intended for the RAF but diverted to the RNZAF:

•  De Havilland DH82 Tiger Moth
•  North American Harvard
•  Airspeed Oxford Mk I and Mk II

RAF Colours on RNZAF Aircraft

RAF Paint Name	Lustre or Finish	British Standard BS 381c Number	US Federal Standard Number	Xtracolor Equivalent	Humbrol Equivalent
RAF Dark Green	Matt	BS241 RAF Dark Green	FS 34079	X1 RAF Dark Green	Humbrol 30 Dark Green
RAF Dark Earth	Matt	BS450	FS 30118	X2 RAF Dark Earth	Humbrol 29 Dark Earth
RAF Sky	Matt	BS210 RAF Sky	FS 24424	X7 RAF Sky	none known
RAF Trainer Yellow	Matt	BS???	FS 33538	X011 Trainer Yellow	none known

New Zealand Manufactured Colours

The following chart depicts colours mixed here in New Zealand for the RNZAF when RAF colours and pigment became unavailable. Some were mixed to match the RAF colour as closely as possible, others were new colours designed for New Zealand conditions

As time went on the aircraft that had been supplied by the RAF required repaints. The paints mentioned above were substituted thus:

- RAF Dark Green used as a standard upper camouflage was replaced by (NZ) Dark Green

- RAF Dark Earth used also as a standard upper camouflage was replaced by (NZ) Dark Earth

- RAF Sky which had adorned the undersides of aircraft were substituted with (NZ) Sky Grey or one of the (NZ) Duck Egg Blues - depending on which stage of the war it was

- RAF Trainer Yellow was substituted on trainers with (NZ) Yellow, which was also used on roundel rings of operational aircraft

RNZAF Paint Name	Lustre of Finish	British Standard BS 381c Number	US Federal Standard Number	Xtracolor Equivalent	Humbrol Equivalent
(NZ) Dark Green	Matt	BS226 Mid Brunswick Green	FS 14062	no match	Humbrol 3 Brunswick Green or if unavailable mix 1-part HU1 Medium Green 6-parts No 32 Matt Dark Grey 2-parts HF2 Vert Blue and then one sprayed coat of No 49 Matt Varnish
(NZ) Dark Earth	Matt	BS450 Dark Earth	FS 30118	X2 RAF Dark Earth	Mix 3-parts HB2 Dark Earth (aka Humbrol 29) to 1–part MC6 Brown Bess (aka Humbrol 170)
(NZ) Sky Grey	Matt	BS631 Light Grey	FS 25352	no match	Mix 1-part HU5 RAF Blue (aka Humbrol 96) with 1-part HF2 Vert Blue, 3-parts HU6 and 6-parts No 3 Brunswick Green
(NZ) Ocean Blue	Matt	BS636 PRU Blue	FS 25237 or FS 35189	X8 RAF PRU Blue	Mix 1-part HU5 (aka Humbrol 96) 1-part No 34 Matt White
(NZ) Duck Egg Blue A		BS111 Pale Blue	FS 15299 (obsolete)	no match	Mix 1-part HF2 Vert Blue 2-parts HG5 Aircraft Blue (aka Humbrol 65)
	Note: The FS number mentioned here is a little dark for the actual NZ colour, but is the closest Federal Standard match (NZ) Duck Egg Blue A was used only from 1941 to 1943
(NZ) Duck Egg Blue B		BS101 Sky Blue	FS 14325	no match	Mix 1-part HF2 Vert Blue to 3-parts HB4 Duck Egg Blue (aka Humbrol 23)
	Note: (NZ) Duck Egg Blue B was used from 1943 to 1945
(NZ) Yellow	Matt	BS356 Golden Yellow	FS 13538	X19 Rescue Yellow	Mix 1-part No 82 Matt Orange Lining 12-parts No 69 Yellow Gloss
(NZ) Dark Blue	Matt	BS106 Royal Blue	FS 15044	no match	Humbrol No 15 Midnight Blue (This is Gloss, requires matting)
(NZ) Blue	Matt	BS110 Roundel Blue	FS 25056	X30 Roundel Blue	Humbrol No 25 Matt Blue
(NZ) Blue	Matt	BS175 Light French Blue	FS 15183p (obsolete)	X26 Azure Blue*	Humbrol HG 10 WW1 Blue
	Note: * X26 Azure Blue is not a perfect match, being too dark and too yellow
(NZ) Medium Blue	Matt	BS109 Middle Blue	FS 15090	no match	Mix 3-parts HB13 Azure Blue 2-parts No25 Matt Blue 2-parts HX3 Petrol Blue
(NZ) Arctic Blue	Matt	BS112 Arctic Blue	FS 15275d	no match	Humbrol No 89 Matt Middle Blue
(NZ) Red	Gloss	BS538 Post Office Red	FS 11136	X31 Post Office Red	Humbrol No 60 Scarlet (Matt)

USAAF Colours on US Manufactured RNZAF Aircraft

•  Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk
•  Dougals C47 Dakota
•  Lockheed Lodestar

US Navy Colours on US Manufacturered RNZAF Aircraft

The following aircraft were supplied in the various standard US Navy colour schemes from the factory (and sometimes from US service) to the RNZAF, thus the paint standards noted above were applied to them:

•  Chance Vought F4U-1D Corsair
•  Consolidated Catalina
•  Grumman TBF-1D Avenger
•  Douglas SBD Dauntless
•  Lockheed PV1 Ventura
•  Lockheed PV2 Harpoon

Notes:

From March 1944 an antiglare panel was applied to the AN623 scheme aircraft

US Name		ANA Number	Federal Standard Number	Xtracolor Equivalent	Humbrol Equivalent
	Interior Green (matt) This was the colour used for the interior of all USN schemed aircraft	ANA611	FS24151	X117 Interior Green	Humbrol 151 Interior Green
	Intermediate Blue This was the middle colour in the USN ‘4 Tone' scheme used on many RNZAF aircraft	ANA608	FS35164	X125 Intermediate Blue	Humbrol 144 Intermediate Blue
	Glossy Sea Blue This was applied overall to all US Navy-schemed aircraft supplied to the RNZAF from March 1944	ANA623	FS15042	X121 Gloss Sea Blue
	Semi Gloss Sea Blue was applied on the topsides of the wings and tail planes on all aircraft painted in the USN ‘4 tone' scheme	ANA606	FS25042	X121 Gloss Sea Blue (toned down)
	Non Specular Sea Blue This was applied on the topsides of the wings and tail planes on all aircraft painted in the USN ‘4 tone' scheme from January 1944	ANA607	FS35045	X121 Gloss Sea Blue (matted down)
	Insignia Blue	ANA502	FS15044	X122 Insignia Blue
	Aluminium This was used on spinners, wheel hubs, dope etc.		FS17178	X142 Aluminium	Humbrol 56 Aluminium
	Insignia Red A general US Navy colour used on spinners, roundels, etc.	ANA509	FS11136	X103 Insignia Red	Humbrol 153 Insignia Red
	Orange Yellow Used for roundel rings applied to the USN schemed aircraft	ANA506	FS13538	X106 Insignia Yellow
	Orange Yellow	ANA614	FS33538		Humbrol 154 Insignia Yellow

RNZAF Museum Hudson Scheme

The RNZAF Museum studied paint original samples when they painted their beautiful and immaculate Lockheed Hudson that is now on display in the Museum. Jane Provan of the RNZAF Museum kindly supplied me with the data on the paint that they used.

The Pacific Blue colour of the camouflage was found to be a mixture of two Federal Standard colours, FS 25109 and FS 36118 Medium Gunship Grey

The Green was also a mix, of FS 34092 Dark Green and FS 34096

The underside colour was the standard Sky Type S

The Blue Camouflage Colour
	FS 25109
	FS 36118 Medium Gunship Gray
The Green Camoufalge Colour
	FS 34092 Dark Green
	FS 34096 Dark Green
The Underside Colour
	FS 34424 Sky Type S

 

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