Spanish CANT Z.506 colours

[blimpyboy]

Hiya all,

I'm toying with making a Spanish C.506Z in a two-tone colour scheme (links to pictures below); however, I have no idea as to what the colours are likely to be.

Can anybody help?

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/60/6a/70/606a ... 315c05.jpg

and

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7f/dc/36 ... a5afa6.jpg

and



and




Thanks in advance for any help,

BB

[Editor]

Welcome and thank you for posting your query.

Interesting subject.

Field applied upper surface color. Grigio (1916) (1936) (see the VITO Charts by S. Lazzaro, Chip #37 Table 3 and Img. 37) as seen on Z.506C nc 550 I-DOTE (see scan below), assuming the gray was an Italian gray.





Note that the upper surface color is not green or brown – brown and green were used on land based aircraft (again assuming Italian colors). Lower surfaces are Alluminio. Plane was factory finished in overall Alluminio.

• Squadron emblem: gray bomb (red nose?), white sail, black/dark red background. Compare bomb color in sq. emblem (in the second photo below) to the upper surface color.

• Lower surfaces of floats are in two shades (black), Grigio upper surface floats.

• Collector rings - inner ring steel, outer ring a heat resistant black/dark copper/bronze. See Jean’s (or Richard's) Z.506B.

• White tip wing with black theater bands

• Cowlings in natural metal extending further back of the engine housing

I'm sure Stefano might have some more comments to add.

Post some images of your work when it's done.

[Vincent Biondi]

Hello,
I might be able to shed some light on the colours.
I have a copy of Postiglioni and Degli'Innocenti book: COLORI E SCHEMI MIMETICI DELLA REGIA AERONAUTICA 1935-1943
(COLOURS AND CAMOUFLAGE PATTERNS OF THE ROYAL ITALIAN AIR FORCE 1935-1943)
According to the authors, the paint scheme for the Spanish Nationalist Air Force Cant-Z 506 was Alluminio/Aluminum FS17178 for the lower fusalage and Grigio Mimetico FS 36293 for upper fusalage with metal engine nacelles.
These being the colours that were used in the 1930s before the TAVOLA 10 (TABLE 10) DGCA standard of 1942.
Hope this helps,
Vincent

[Janus]

Hi all,
On the topic of CANT Z.506 colours, how would one go about replicating the cream/ivory colour (FS33613?) of the Ala Littoria Cant. The same question applies to the Ala Littoria SM.73's I-VEIO and I-PISA, as well as SM.79 I-ALAN.
I prefer working with Tamiya enamels and sometimes Humbrol Enamels as they are easily obtained where I live.
Regards from Cape Town, South Africa
Janus Prentzler

[Editor]

Hi all,
On the topic of CANT Z.506 colours, how would one go about replicating the cream/ivory colour (FS33613?) of the Ala Littoria Cant. The same question applies to the Ala Littoria SM.73's I-VEIO and I-PISA, as well as SM.79 I-ALAN.
I prefer working with Tamiya enamels and sometimes Humbrol Enamels as they are easily obtained where I live.
Regards from Cape Town, South Africa
Janus Prentzler

Hi Janus,
The FS number for Bianco Avorio 5 (Ivory White 5) is FS.33613 and a good paint match to use is Humbrol 148, see the CMPR color guide on this site:

CMPR Color Guide

A good example of this color/paint can be seen in Richard Mendes' SM.81:

Supermodel 1/72 Savoia Marchetti SM.81 by Richard Mendes

Here's Vince Fiore's CANT Z.506C WIP in this paint scheme:

Vince Fiore's CANT Z.506C

I think Vince was using MRP paints. WEM Colourcoats also have a good Bianco Avorio 5.

WEM Colourcoats

[Janus]

Thanks a million, you have been most helpful. I will post the completed model's photos once done. Tot dan, totsiens. Regards Janus

[Editor]

Thanks a million, you have been most helpful. I will post the completed model's photos once done. Tot dan, totsiens. Regards Janus

I look forward to seeing your work.

[Stefano]

Sorry for the late. I beg you pardon, but I'm working in a covid hospital and you understand I'm so busy in this period.
I need to point something about the posts above.
I agree with the Grigio uppersides, I can't see any other color for that seaplane. By the way the bomb -Italian ones were really gray- has the same b/w graytone than uppersides.
The badge disc was black: indeed it was the Nationalist insignia on which often the Italians painted their badges. So, not red.
No two blacks on floaters, it was a shadow trick due to their shape. A protective, anti-vegitative black paint was applied until above the floating line.
I agree with Alluminio undersides, as it was the standard finish. The Grigio was likely applied 'on the field'. If this is true, painters kept the bolt. This is unlikely red, that in those ortochromatic films would appear black, if unfiltered. It was almost surely blue. In an unpublished specimen by the author of Vitocharts, a blue chip wears the note: "CZ.506 - Spring 1939". Since still in that period 506s were aluminium-painted, that color couldn't be other than the bolt color. The blue is Methuen 23C6, CMYK (approx) 81, 43, 34, 6, and a little less vivid than FS 35250.
Best regards
Stefano

[Editor]

The blue is Methuen 23C6, CMYK (approx) 81, 43, 34, 6, and a little less vivid than FS 35250.

Thank you Stefano. Orthochromatic film is sensitive to blues and greens, the increased blue sensitivity causes blue objects to appear lighter (you know this). In the photo below, the bolt is too dark, even darker than the upper surface color. The other photos where the bolt appears "lighter" are over-exposed. There was no reason for the Spanish to over paint the bolt in a different color. The top surface camo was meant to camouflage the plane while moored at base.



Vince Biondi found that Postiglioni and Degli'Innocenti referenced these planes and although Grigio Mimetico was a lower surface color for the period, since the CMPR colors are limited I understand why the authors would have suggested GM, being the closest color they could match from their pallette. I didn't check the CMPR for additional references of these planes but it is clear the upper surface color was field applied. We also know that early CR.32s sent to Spain were finished in silver and then upper coats of sand, green and brown were applied locally, both to Spanish and Italian machines. We don't know where the Spanish obtained their stockpiles of paints, it would be nice if there was an equivalent Spanish Stormo site since we're looking at these machines from an Italian perspective.