Hey Guys,
Wondering can anyone help out? Does anyone know the colour the first batch of comets purchased in 1958 were? I've asked my Grandfather who was serving in the 1st Armoured at the time but all he can remember is that they were olive green in the late 60's but he knows they were not always that colour. I've also asked in the Curragh Museum and they are saying either gray or light green, which isn't very specific....
From looking at pictures i've found (all black and white) it seems they were a definately a light colour. So any help from the Irish armour guru's out there would be much appreciated and hopefully will help make an accurate model of one of a number of AFV's my grandfather used to drive
Thanks guys

Hello Shane.
I am anything but a "Irish armour guru" but have this link (with a few colour images) of existing comets, a few of which are located in the Curragh and one in Athlone (previously Longford). Theres one in a light grey colour ... dont know if this is original or a re-paint to imitate the original grey. Somebody who knows more about this will need to input.

In the "Armor Photogallery" Comet book, there is a short section on paint of the originals. It states;
Comets were produced in Standard Camouflage Color S.C.C. No. 15, the British version of olive drab, and post war, probably around 1950, were repainted in semi-gloss Deep Bronze Green. The Mild Steel prototypes may have been painted in S.C.C. No.2 Medium Brown, but this purely conjecture based on the date. Internally Comets were mostly silver, with the breech ring Dark Brunswick Green and the engine bay unpainted except for the hatch interiors which matched the external colour.

You might also find this interesting, regarding the Irish tanks (from the same book); The Republic of Ireland bought 8 during 1959 and 1960 (4 at each time - source Wikipedia and probably what we see in the Irish regsitration numbers), at a cost of about £22,000 per tank, plus radios, spares and ammunition. These tanks were painted in a grey scheme. The registrations were; 12ZR08 became TYI 431, 10ZR25-TYI 432, 13ZR28-TYI 433, 17ZR67-TYI 434, 17ZR74-TYI 496, 16ZR89-TYI 497, 14ZR99-TYI 498 and 16ZR26-TYI 499.

Hi again Shane
Some images of the Irish Comets from the same book. Id definately recommend this if you are interested in details and will consider updating or peronalising your model.









I´m waiting for the LionMarc barrel to arrive and then Im building this as well. Have a slip to collect something from the PO and hopefully its this. Bought this kit from a friend recently, together with working track set and resin mantle cover. I also got brass machine guns and British ariel base, as well as an Alpine Minatures British tank crew in pixie suit at local model show 2 weeks ago. Now that Ive been reading a bit about the Irish comets, wish I had planned one of these as well, instead of the WW2 version.

Bison has a decal set for post war Comets (BD-35107)which includes (from what I can see in a blown up image) Irish Comets with regsitration TYI-496 and TYI-432. They are available from Hannants in the UK for £5.99. Check out this page where you can see the actual decals and the instructions (third/right picture) ... shows the comet is "battleship grey" over a "sand yellow" base original colour!!!!

The Comet images on Toadmans homepage are reported to be of an ex-Irish Comet.


Toadman´s Comet

Removal of the Lonford Comet

Hi Shane, According to Karl martin's book "Irish Army Vehicles" the first four tanks purchased in 1958 were delevered in early 59. In another section of the book on vehicle colours he notes that in 1956 the Army specified that vehicles were to be finished in Quaker Grey629/BS no. 381/C .
This was changed to Olive Drab no 298/381C at some time in the 60s but since that colour is marked 1964 it can't have been before that. That Colour continued in use on armoured vehicles until 2002 when Karl Martin's book was published.

It might also be worthwhile asking over on the IPMS Ireland forum. Be nice to see you there too Frank

That caption in the book Frank has about the tanks being painted grey because of a connection with the Wehrmacht is , I think complete raiméis, I'm aware of no such connection.

Wow guys thanks for the help, Frank i got the lionmark barrel with the voyager PE kit and the bison decals although the DFTC flash on the turret is probably incorrect. According to my grandfather all he can remember the comet having was number plates and in its later life when they were green on the front the right fender it had the 1st armored crest and on the right one the DFTC crest. Still waiting on more info from the museum, they have a load of photograph's for me to have a look at. I've seen the three comets in the Curragh, the grey on is a repaint it was done in around 06 along with a Churchill. Interestingly the third one is in full working order but it painted in olive green and not the light grey, it makes an appearance once every September for cavalry day.

Hi Shane,

I have photographed the Comet in the Curragh inside and out, and have found a few clues to privious colours of this perticuler one.

Under the turret bin the paint if flaking and is sand coloured, this could mean that they were used in Palistine or in the canal zone, so they might have been sand coloured when they came into the country. (maybe)

I photographed the Comet that was in Longford (the photoes on Miltaryphotos.net were posted by my brother Kevin)(see link on Frank Gs post)
Before it was lifted I went up to show the 4th Cav how to lift it as they didnt know about the lifting points inside the engine compartment (one bright spark wanted to lift it by the lugs on the turret!!!)
I photographed the inside of the engine bay on this one and inside the turret through the apetures on the turret, the interior is quite complete as it was on the day it was driven up there in 1976, it has the radio rack and binns complete, the engine bay is painted green with lots of rust.

I helped Bison with the decals, there was a question about the markings on the turret in one of the photographs of a Comet with a strange cypher on the turret (last one of the pics posted by Frank G.) it shows (a disk) with a cypher inside, I have found out since the decals were printed that it is a Curragh command flash. So the disk is the green paint
under the new coat of light green or gray paint. they probably didnt have a stencil of the command falsh or didnt have time to hand paint around it.

I built a Comet a couple of years ago as a range target being pushed by a Chieftain ARV, I put burned out Cromwell wheels and the Cromwell engine in it both from Accurate Armour

Anto

Anto,
Great diorama great work well done, thanks for the info, i eventually painted the Comet grey(if you look at the IMSS show report its pic 25).
Sgt Charlie Walsh in the Curragh military museum was a great help he got his hands on photos of comets and talked to some guys in the cav school and grey or light green was the colour it seemed to be, or at least as far as anyone could find out.
Unfortunately nothing definite, but they are looking for the old log books from the comets which they think are still in the school somewhere as one of the comets is going to be moved into the museum which is going to be extended to include a number of AFV's.

Hi Shane,

Thanks for the comments on the dio.

Its about time the amry got a place for the collection of armour they have down there, its a pity it isnt acessable to the general public all year round, not just Cav day and even then it depends on the program.

Your Comet came out very good, Ive always liked it in the gray scheme......

I cant put a face on you but I was on the door of the IMSS show with Paul Walsh, I was the taller one with the beard.

Anto

Yeah i remember you Anto.
Hopefully i'll see you at another show and i'll introduce myself.
Thanks for the comments, i think it looks good in the grey just a bit different than the normal british army green.
Yeah its not to bad for me i can see the stuff if i ask because i'm based in the curragh.
According to Charlie they are hoping to have the new wing open by the end of this year or early next year. My comet is actually in the museum and will be sitting near the real one when its moved.