I'm referring to either of the above posted photos, both color and B/W. The hull side has an abrupt change of angle (the knuckle) at bow and stern which tapers off towards mid hull. Check your model and you'll see what I mean. Shine a light from directly above and it will cast a shadow on the hull below. This why it appears darker at either end and gradually becomes the same hull color as it is above. The knuckle shadow appears between the waterline and the knuckle line.

That would be true when it's sailing, but look at the photos of it listing. That line remains the same. If it were shadow, surely the side sticking up into the air would be the same tone of the rest of the hull?







Would love to test it out on mine, but the kits in a storage box in the attic and I can't get at it at the moment. Feel like we've opened a can of worms here.

In the first photo above we see Legion's aft just below the first port side antenna (from the bow). Several feet of boot-line is visible due to listing. The "knuckle" begins just between the folded accommodation ladder and the stowed boat boom, and just below the hanger bay openings. You can see that just aft of the boat boom the hull side is vertical right down to the water-line and the whole hull side is the same shade of gray, while forward of that point the hull takes on an inward angle and the hull is gradually becoming darker due to shadow from that inward angle. The shadow becomes more distinct in distant shots.
Some pics of the shadow effect:

https://www.alamy.com/hms-ark-royal-aircraft-carrier-listing-after-being-torpedoed-on-13-image67106401.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=8EF54F33-760E-4CAD-B3A9-A55A6BD80310&p=13044&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dhms%2520ark%2520royal%26qt_raw%3dhms%2520ark%2520royal%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

https://www.alamy.com/royal-navy-world-war-two-ark-royal-aircraft-carrier-image67853292.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=B83D7E63-E212-4E5F-8C88-52DF1BCD36FA&p=156366&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dhms%2520ark%2520royal%26qt_raw%3dhms%2520ark%2520royal%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-hms-ark-royal-with-a-fairey-swordfish-aircraft-taking-off-171288802.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=61910A1C-38A0-485B-A28D-7A0516240B40&p=56342&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dhms%2520ark%2520royal%26qt_raw%3dhms%2520ark%2520royal%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-aircraft-carrier-hms-ark-royal-48334248.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=A0DFCBED-1D4A-48A1-A7BD-E47119A35574&p=291611&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dhms%2520ark%2520royal%26qt_raw%3dhms%2520ark%2520royal%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d