Jump to content

AIM-9L seeker head colour


Recommended Posts

What are peoples recommendations for the AIM-9L seeker head. The colour looks to me to be a metallic olive drab.

I'm about to try a mixture of Humrol 53 and a selection greens. But if anyone has a beeter suggestion, then speak up

Also any ideas on the the blue used for practice or inert weapons, eg CATM's, MK 106's BDU-33's and like

Link to post
Share on other sites

The seeker heads are actually a opaque silvery green colour & the colour for inert/training weapons is called (in the RAF) french blue.(See picture) cant spell the actual colour name as still suffering fom last night... :doh:

xvgoose.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites
What are peoples recommendations for the AIM-9L seeker head.

I use a mixture of OD and MM steel. You don't need to be to worried about this is the color varies a lot from missile to missile. Just remember that the fins are unpainted titanium--not the same color as the seeker.

Also any ideas on the the blue used for practice or inert weapons, eg CATM's, MK 106's BDU-33's and like

35109, why no one makes that color is beyond me...

Link to post
Share on other sites

For what it's worth, If you don't want to mix paints, I've found the Testors Model Master enamel color "Jet Exhaust" (MM 1796) is pretty close to the seeker head color. Don't confuse this with the color in the Metalizer line. That one is a grimy looking k color.

HTH!

Link to post
Share on other sites
What are peoples recommendations for the AIM-9L seeker head. The colour looks to me to be a metallic olive drab.

I'm about to try a mixture of Humrol 53 and a selection greens. But if anyone has a beeter suggestion, then speak up

Also any ideas on the the blue used for practice or inert weapons, eg CATM's, MK 106's BDU-33's and like

This is well discussed and confused by some. I work at China Lake where this was developed and every seeker head I've seen was absolutely a Hard Anodized finish that is GREEN. The green does vary with who they get to do the anodizing but it's green. Most pictures don't capture the way it looks to the naked eye. The Museum at China Lake may have a good example I can go take a shot and see if I can get the real look that it has.

Hope that helpls.

One Henry Blecha (past IPMS secretary) worked with AIM-9 and would agree...

Take it for what it's worth everyone see's how they see and some don't see it as green but it is.

Cheers,

Larry.

Edited by Incaroad
Link to post
Share on other sites
This is well discussed and confused by some. I work at China Lake where this was developed and every seaker head I've seen was absolutely a Hard Anodized finish that is GREEN. The green does vary with who they get to do the anodizing but it's green. Most pictures don't capture the way it looks to the naked eye. The Museum at China Lake may have a good example I can go take a shot and see if I can get the real look that it has.

Hope that helpls.

One Henry Blecha (past IPMS secretary) worked with AIM-9 and would agree...

Take it for what it's worth everyone see's how they see and some don't see it as green but it is.

Cheers,

Larry.

So I should have rejected the AIM-9 I fired at WSEP because it didn't have an olive tint to it? So I should have rejected all the live AIM-9M's I preflighted in Desert Shield because they didn't have an O.D. tint too?

Regards,

Murph

Link to post
Share on other sites
So I should have rejected the AIM-9 I fired at WSEP because it didn't have an olive tint to it? So I should have rejected all the live AIM-9M's I preflighted in Desert Shield because they didn't have an O.D. tint too?

Regards,

Murph

Absolutely not Murph! What I said was, the seeker heads I'VE seen at China Lake were all a green color that's anodized into the metal. If you saw, fired, handled one, ten, fifty or however many that were a different color, neutral or whatever then who am I to say, you should have rejected them, or they weren't whatever color you saw.

I was only giving what I've seen here. If that's incorrect then I guess I didn't see what I saw as well? Here is an example...

AIM-9M2015SEP8120CLK20LHL-218607.jpg

Cheers,

Larry

Edited by Incaroad
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...