What can we say about painting JK879 and AB535 planes?

2 attached images. Click to enlarge.

+1 on the lower surface and perhaps the Red nose. Looking at the illustrations it begs the question does one need to go to all the trouble of painting a desert camouflaged on a model only to paint over it with a solid color of FS 15050 ? Perhaps primer on the top half.

One thing missing even, though records where loose with the painting of aircraft there must be a time line for some of the color changes. Not all of the Spitfire Mk Vc came off of the Wasp and where painted with brushes and mops and where covered in a thin transparent mottled manner.
Such as some of the pictures that your showing Lis. You can find more photos of dark colored spitfires on the net. The Malta campaign like the Battle of Britain used radar. The second time around the British used the radar to not only scramble the fighters but, they where sent out to sea and where waiting for enemy aircraft. Before, they could make it to the Island at some point in time. The darker colors found on some Spits would be practical over the water. Like some U.S. Naval aircraft in the later stages of the war. Further more if someone could find a date for the use of radar and when that tactic was used perhaps something could be correlated with the change in color for some a/c.

2 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Yeah, everyone gets to play an expert or become Inspector Clouseau of the Pink Panther when it comes to Malta Spitfires. The mop theory with a brush theory all have merit and how much paint was applied varied with each aircraft. Some may have looked like a pale wash and others like U 2 would have been solid in some places and thin on other areas of the aircraft. This applies only to aircraft coming from the Wasp. Then other aircraft having been painted on Malta would have other variations. A very subjective subject. Which begs the question should you be using a airbrush to paint your model or applying paint with a little brush cut to scale to represent the sailors on board? To appease the accuracy police of course. Everything is theory and postulating on what you think is best.

I introduce a new topic. Operation Bowery and the color Dark Slate Gray. Maybe some of you used this shade and can tell you how to get it?

3 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Lis, @lis
Several years ago I built a series of various Spitfires for a group build we had named "100 Years of the RAF". I built up a Spitfire Mk Vb, with speculative paint with markings for a plane that was flown on several occasions by George Beurling. We have had some correspondence about the color I used. It was called Gunship Gray, FS36118 and I sprayed it on lightly over the top of the existing Desert scheme. I wanted the camouflage pattern to show through.

Only after you brought it to my attention did I realize that I had used the incorrect early style roundels under the wings. Thank you for bringing that up. I will correct it one day. 🙂

Lis, @lis
You are right and bring up some good points.

Most likely, all the "blue" Spitfires were in-the-field repaint jobs of desert-camo painted airplanes. With varying degrees of attention to detail and paint consistency.

Interested to know if all Stencils (Wing Walk and tressle guides etc.) were completely absent on Malta Spits?