Are we painting our Greyback Shirts too Blue?

[Plynkes]

I was looking at Helen's wonderful Brits just now and got to thinking that she had done her shirts just like I did, a very bright blue, not really grey at all. Like this:



After having them bother me slightly on the table top for years I decided to tone the blue down a bit, and repainted them:


I don't think I went far enough, as to the camera they don't look that different.

I've yet to see a real one that is as blue as most wargamers (myself included) have them. Take a look at these pics...






This last one is about as blue as they ever seem to get. Two of those are repros, not sure about the middle one, but you get the idea.

It's not just Helen and me. Most wargamers seem to like this light blue shade, judging by online pics I've seen. Did we all copy the same source or something? I can't remember what I used at the time, but my Osprey on the Eastern theatres has a nice shade of grey, so I don't think I can have used that. So, just where did we get the idea that these shirts were blue? They are called Greyback shirts for a reason, you know.  Does anybody have a source that shows them as blue as Helen and I painted them? Did we dream it? It's doing my head in.

[Svennn]

I know exactly where you are coming from with this.

Mine are indeed blue also but this was a conscious decision that they would look better than grey.

Osprey, the most reliable of all sources, does show them as blue - especially the South Africans IIRC.

Somewhere in the back of my mind is something about the greybacks referring to the sun protectors worn over the shirts???

[Plynkes]

Well the Osprey on the Eastern Theatres (and the Western Front) has them more grey, not really any blue there at all (as does the movie "Zulu"). If the South African in the East Africa book is our inspiration it is a little funny, as he doesn't even appear to be wearing a British Army Greyback shirt. His has buttoned breast pockets, shoulder straps with insignia and a turnover collar, and is I presume some article of South African manufacture.

By sun protectors do you mean those quilted spine pad things? I hadn't heard that. Seems odd though, as they are usually depicted as being a sandy khaki colour.

I guess it's no big deal. These little things sometimes bother me out of all proportion to their importance though, I'm sorry to say. Yet with other things, I'm often happy to say "Sod it, that's near enough!" There ain't no logic to it.

[joroas]

The sun and hard washing, no nice washing machines in those days, may well have bleached the blueness out of the shirt............

[Le matou rouge]

Does anybody have a source that shows them as blue as Helen and I painted them? Did we dream it? It's doing my head in.

Maybe too much "Gallipoli" watching ? aren't they blue in this movie ? I can't remember, but anyway, I like them blue and they should be blue : it is a really nice touch of colour in a very dull (sandy ?) setting.
(and I should add, dear Plynkes, that the discover of this unit in the Ngomba Gorge Report was a revelation to me : I didn't know these figures and they seemed so "cool" in their blue shirt !)

meow,
Matt

 
 

[Greylegion]

Well, going with the sun bleaching theory, I would think the "gray" would/could possibly bleach out to more of a lt. blue color. That's feasible.

[Ray Rivers]

Well...

When I did mine I had a bit of a problem finding a good color.  In the end I chose Vallejo Grey Blue (061).  It is, indeed, probably too blue, but I like the way they came out.

[Helen]

Hi Dylan an others,

Thanks for the interest on this question that Dylan has asked.

I too looked at this colour from what Leroy had painted for me in the past. I admit it does look too blue, but I like the look. I tried and match what Leroy had painted for me with what I painted to finish the collection.

I'm picking up my Grey Blue today and seeing what happens when I apply this colour over a darker application. I may have to mix this colour with other paints to see what effect it has. I've the Gripping beast ANZAC NCOs and Bombers to paint up and will use this colour.

Everyone has their own view as to how they see the colour an apply this to the figures they are working on.  I don't own Gallipoli an I try and do all my research through diaries an other books online forums etc to try and picture the colour they use for everything.

Artist interpretations in all of the Ospreys on British/ANZAC plates show a variety of different shades. Mike Chappell and GA Embleton come to mind on this. I do like the latters interpretations on British, ANZAC, German and Turk uniforms.

Meow back to everyone

Helen

[Plynkes]

Thanks for your thoughts, Helen. I'm doing some more this week for an upcoming game. I'm torn between going for a blue-grey that matches what I have, and the grey-grey that I feel they ought to be.

It was dashed inconsiderate of those blighters to go and fight their war in black and white, leaving us to the whims of those unreliable and inconsistant Osprey illustrators! 

[Helen]

Thanks for your thoughts, Helen. I'm doing some more this week for an upcoming game. I'm torn between going for a blue-grey that matches what I have, and the grey-grey that I feel they ought to be.

It was dashed inconsiderate of those blighters to go and fight their war in black and white, leaving us to the whims of those unreliable and inconsistant Osprey illustrators! 

Thanks Dylan,

To be quite honest that might be closer to a darker shade due to the shirt being soiled by campaigning.

Go with what you feel is okay with you as the artist. No one can say otherwise!

What's the game you are looking at? Can you tell?

Helen

[archangel1]

...I'm torn between going for a blue-grey that matches what I have, and the grey-grey that I feel they ought to be...

I'm one of those guys who's anal enough to paint it the way it 'probably' should look, no matter how drab or unattractive it may be.  It's part of the same mindset that refuses to let me use 1/48 scale aircraft with 28mm figures.  To me, they will always be too big.

[Plynkes]

Try telling that to my 28mm Copplestone pilots, who had to have their arms amputated in order to fit into 1/48th scale cockpits! 


Helen, in the words of Eric Bogle:

Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla...

[Helen]

Try telling that to my 28mm Copplestone pilots, who had to have their arms amputated in order to fit into 1/48th scale cockpits! 


Helen, in the words of Eric Bogle:

Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla...

Sounds Good Dylan

[archangel1]

Here's a nice shot of some Victorian re-enactors, some of whom are in shirtsleeve order.  This is the colour I would probably work towards.  I realize that they are repros and about 25 years early, period wise, but I wouldn't have put it past the QM to still have some in store at the beginning of the war! 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12012224@N08/2693058364/sizes/l/in/pool-475648@N23/

[Plynkes]

I wouldn't worry about them being Victorian. I don't think they changed much (if at all) right throughout the period of their use, which was up until the 1930s.

Nice pic.