Something tells me that those abstract paintings might have been ones not to go in for a closer look though eh?...
I had always wondered about that, and the photos are wilder than I’d seen before super cool! I’d say it’s far more effective than the new automotive “digital camo” some one mentioned but maybe that stuff works better in a photo than in real life? either way cool stuff... and kinda funny how many people didn’t read the whole article and informed us all of all the stuff you’d literally just told us lol Good stuff
Hot rodders could use it to hide from the cops That '41 pickup in the dry lakes picture (absolutely awesome BTW) is more a copy of the "formation ships" that the Air Corps used in the European theater. "war weary" planes were painted with various wild paint schemes to be uses as a focal point for the assembly of the massed formations of bombers headed to occupied Europe. Once the planes were organized, the formation ships returned to base. they didn't carry bombs or a full crew.
O, what HAMBER will be the first to paint their hot rod like that? Even a computer drawing would be cool to look at.
In the Korean conflict, the Air Force started painting their jets with loud "ID" stripes to help clear up confusion and prevent us from shooting our own planes down (the Mig 15 looked very similar to the F-86). (circa 1953 photo is from my dad's archives)
I have a world respect for the men that man these battleships and cruisers and the Merchant Marine. The ocean can turn real nasty real quick. I was on the Andrea Doria when it was my time to slide down the rope I decided I was would spiral down the rope. I get half a spiral the back of my life jacket hooked on the back of the piece of angle iron that they slid planks through to paint the side of the ship. A man's saw my predicament went down one deck reached over and unhooked me Sailors have my respect and anything they can do to survive I will always endorse.
That's exactly what I have understood for decades regarding the focal point for formations of allied planes in Europe in World War 2.
My understanding is the dazzle paint was for confusing submerged submarines. The limited view through a periscope made it impossible to check direction. It's claimed that no ship in dazzle was ever torpedoed by a submerged sub. I've seen a photo posted on a Forum of a P-51 Mustang in dazzle, no caption explaining why, or where the pic was taken.
Bridget Riley painted in a dazzle style that was known as op art. I have a pair of armchairs covered in fabric featuring one of her patterns and you literally get dizzy looking at it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_Riley
see vehicles in Africa for hauling tourists around that are painted with Zebra markings - wonder if would detract or attract big cats
Some of those ships look like those drawings in books, you know "do you see a square or a triangle, how many X's do you see, etc".
Those Dazzle blueprints are amazing, I wonder who got to lay out the designs! Do any of the ship scale modelers recreate these designs? I have a dazzle I'll share as soon as I find it, hope y'all are OK in this crazy time.
Wild stuff. I never would have seen that coming. Have you ever seen any photos of 50's-60's dragsters with stripes?
Royal Navy ships operating in the English channel in WWII were painted a dark shade called "Plymouth Pink".
I must be way down on my WWI naval history as that is something that I don't remember seeing. In fact I don't remember getting much on WWI in school at all. That being in the early /mid 50's and early 60's. I can see that it would give the person trying to figure out the range from an enemy ship fits though.
A dazzle and a semi dazzle. I was going to add to them, but I'll share 'em as drawn (probably in the 70's).They both have names, can you see them?
I wonder what the story was on that pickup. Judging by the two different photos, the owner got around to more than one dry lake meet.
The Jalopy Journal
