This is the text of the report on the Suffolk (Lowestoft) CR.42.
“11 November, 14.50 hours nr. Coulton Railway station, Lowestoft.
85 crest 16, blue outlined in black containing owl and three white arrows pointing slightly downwards. Across the top right hand corner is written ‘OCIO CHE TE COPO ’, (“Beware, I’ll kill you”, in Venetian slang) followed by the figure 16. Figures in grey blue shadowed in black. Beyond the markings is a blue disc containing one fasces in gold. On the rudder is a white cross of a crucifix shape with the Italian royal coat of arms in a small shield at the top of the cross. Markings on wing, white disc on top plane containing three fasces in black. Upper surface muddy brown with green blotches, under surface silver. Propeller blue, spinner green with yellow band. Yellow engine cowling. MM6976 airframe number, engine Fiat A74R1/c38, 2 row 14 cylinder radial, constant speed three blade airscrew. Two machine guns mounted under engine cowl firing through airscrew arc. Port machine gun 7.7mm, starboard 12.7mm, 800 7.7mm and 200 – 300 12.7mm left. Reflector gun sight. No armour fitted, no bomb gear. Petrol tank self sealing, no wireless fitted. Aircraft force landed following fighter action. Three strikes port tail plane, three in rudder, five in starboard side of fuselage. Strikes from astern and above, none appear to be vital. Hit top of railway embankment and skidded into ploughed field wiping off undercarriage and damaging lower plane. Dispatched to Farnborough."
The Orfordness CR.42 report is generally similar and states.
"Camouflage, upper surfaces mottled greenish yellow, under surfaces silver. The airscrew blades pale blue with black backs."
My bold in both cases.
My argument is that silver is silver and the officers that wrote this knew what it looked like.
I never knew that the two machine guns were of different calibres! Again, this is not something in which the examining officer would have made an error and is noted in both reports.
I've also found a much better image of the Orfordness CR.42, taken whilst still on its nose with an airman sat on the upper wing giving a double thumbs up. Oddly it is in one of my Luftwaffe references (Luftwaffe Crash Archive Vol.6, p 689) and also features at lower resolution on the cover. I can't see three colours
Unfortunately the Italian reports have not been digitised at the TNA, so if you can't find them elsewhere it's a visit (which might be possible now) or VERY expensive.