Jolly Rogers Colors

[USMC Herc]

I am working on an f-14 and am trying to figure out the colors on the Jolly Rogers aircraft while it was on its last cruise in June, 2004.

I cannot tell if the a/c is painted in a single color or multicolor scheme.

Also does anyone know the correct colors I can use from Tamiya/acrylics line or the correct formula to get the colors?

I am in Japan and having problems shotting mr.hobby enamels through my airbrush (keep getting these strange spider web stringers from the paint, have raised-lowered air pressure, I have thinned from 25%-50% with no help) Gunze Acrylics have been discontinued/ no longer being carried by LHS here in Okinawa,Japan. The 2 paint lines carried here are Mr.Hobby & Tamiya.

Thanks for all the help,

Jason

[TXCajun]

Jason,

I have a TwoBob's "Last of the Tomcats Decal sheet (#48-096). The color referencing information shows a three-tone gray "Tactical Paint Scheme" scheme using the following colors:

Top: FS35237 "Medium Gray" matched to Gunze Sangyo H337

Middle: FS36320 "Dark Ghost Gray" matched to Gunze Sangyo H307

Bottom: FS36375 "Light Ghost Gray" matched to Gunze Sangyo H308

Glove vane deck on fuselage (place on which the wing slides): FS36081 matched to Gunze Sangyo H301

Anti-Glare section around canopy and on nose wheel doors: FS37038 matched to Gunze Sangyo H12

None of the profiles mention matches to Tamiya or Mr. Color, but you should be able to find, on each of those company's web sites, matching charts to the Federal Standard numbers

Having said that, I would highly recommend buying the Two Bob's decals. They are excellent and you really need to see their color profiles to understand the demarcation of the colors listed above. The middle color wraps all around the nose and it is VERY subtle!

Now, I also have an Eagle Strike Productions sheet of some VF-103 Jolly Roger's birds (Sheet #48166)

It shows the same three-tone scheme. However, the demarcation seems different. So, my suggestion is that you need to pick a specific bird and paint those three colors according to the profiles provided in the decal sheet you wish to use.

As far as the spider webbing goes, I don't use Mr. Color, so I don't know the nature of the paint. However, the spider-web stringing problem has been addressed here before, and I think it was an issue with the paint drying before it hit the model. I seem to remember that part of the problem was that the indiivdual was spraying with too high a pressure in their airbrush - You really shouldn't be spraying more than about 10-15 psi. I thin my paints down to the consistency of skim milk and spray at 10 psi. I never have a problem using Model Master enamels.

Check out the forum thread on painting tips and you might find a solid answer there from someone who uses Mr. Hobby or Tamiya. Are you thinning with the manufacturers thinner? Also, you might want to share a little about the environment in which you are spraying (temperature, humidity, ,etc.) Those are factors that affect how a paint will spray and dry. Also, how far are you spraying from the model? The farther you are away from the model, the more chance the paint has to dry on its way to the model. Too close, and you get drips.

Best of luck,

Stew

Edited July 31, 2009 by CenTexModeler

[USMC Herc]

Jason,

I have a TwoBob's "Last of the Tomcats Decal sheet (#48-096). The color referencing information shows a three-tone gray scheme using the following colors:

Top: FS35237 matched to Gunze Sangyo H337

Middle: FS36320 matched to Gunze Sangyo H307

Bottom: FS36375 matched to Gunze Sangyo H308

Glove vane deck on fuselage (place on which the wing slides): FS36081 matched to Gunze Sangyo H301

Anti-Glare section around canopy and on nose wheel doors: FS37038 matched to Gunze Sangyo H12

None of the profiles mention matches to Tamiya or Mr. Color, but you should be able to find, on each of those company's web sites, matching charts to the Federal Standard numbers

Having said that, I would highly recommend buying the Two Bob's decals. They are excellent and you really need to see their color profiles to understand the demarcation of the colors listed above. The middle color wraps all around the nose and it is VERY subtle!

As far as the spider webbing goes, I don't use Mr. Color, so I don't know the nature of the paint. However, the spider-web stringing problem has been addressed here before, and I think it was an issue with the paint drying before it hit the model. I seem to remember that part of the problem was that the indiivdual was spraying with too high a pressure in their airbrush - You really shouldn't be spraying more than about 10-15 psi. I thin my paints down to the consistency of skim milk and spray at 10 psi. I never have a problem using Model Master enamels.

Check out the forum thread on painting tips and you might find a solid answer there from someone who uses Mr. Hobby or Tamiya. Are you thinning with the manufacturers thinner? Also, you might want to share a little about the environment in which you are spraying (temperature, humidity, ,etc.) Those are factors that affect how a paint will spray and dry. Also, how far are you spraying from the model? The farther you are away from the model, the more chance the paint has to dry on its way to the model. Too close, and you get drips.

Best of luck,

Stew

Stew,

Thanks for the Help.

As far as the environment: I live in Okinawa, Japan (sub-tropical island) current temps are between 80 to mid 90's. Humidity level can range anywhere from between 75-100%. With the paint i have tried moving closer and further away. I spray from an inch to inch & a half away. i usually sparay at about 15 psi. With a small child I have to spray paint outside, the apartment i have is quite small by american standards so there is no place to set a spray booth.

Jason

[kozlok]

It could be water contamination from the air compressor. Do you have a moisture trap?

[lgl007]

Hey Jason,

I'm also working an 'gawa's F-14B at the moment and I will also be using Tamiya acrylic paints as I can't find Gunze Acrylics anymore (my personal fave). At any rate I have been able to pretty closely match the FS colors required by using XF-66 as a base and adding white (XF-2) to get the 3 different tones. I have a bit of the real FS colors from Gunze left so I am using these to match to and XF-66 with various amounts of white really does the trick for me... test it out and see :-)

-Greg

[TXCajun]

It could be water contamination from the air compressor. Do you have a moisture trap?

Good point. I grew up in South Louisiana and I constantly fought humidity issues. A moisture trap was a must.

Jason - I don't know if this is an option in Okinawa, but you might want to look into a CO2 rig. You get consistent pressure and dry air. I use a compressor now and moisture isn't a problem, but shooting air from a CO2 tank is also quieter, which your neighbors would probably appreciate.

Spraying an inch to an inch and a half at 15 psi seems a bit close to me. I'm spraying at 10psi at about that close when I'm doing fine detail work, but at about six inches for general converage work.

Let me see what I can uncover on the spider-webbing issue. I think one of my friends over on the AgapeModels forum had a similar problem. I'll repost when I know more.

Stew

BTW - Thanks for your service, Marine.

[TXCajun]

Ok, this might provide some insight. It's a post from a fellow modeler addressing a similar issue:

He works primarily with enamels and lacquers. He recently started using Tamiya and Mr. Color paints. He tried a lacquer thinner called "DTL 876" (get's it from an automotive paint supply store) with Tamiya paints and got excellent coverage, a smooth paint job, and it dried fast.

He recently bought a gallon of thinner and picked up a quart of PPG Duracryl Clear Lacquer. He had read a modeling article recently where the author, who also swore by 876 thinner, stated that the Duracryl clear gloss was the best he'd ever used. That's why he tried the clear lacquer. Anxious to give the stuff a try, he put a few drops of 876 thinner in his airbrush cup, added some Duracryl clear (2 parts thinner, 1 part paint) and the result was a cloud of lacquer cob webs. (soudn familiar?) He had heard of others having this problem with the Mr. Color paints and that the solution was to add RETARDER. So, he added a drop of Mr. Retarder to the clear mix and it began to spray fine.

After doing sone research, he learned that cobwebbing is a very common problem with acrylic lacquers and that the solution is to use more thinner and lower air pressure. One site he found said that the Duracryl clear should be thinned 4 to 1 (thinner to paint). So, he mixed up a new batch in that ratio, dropped the pressure to about 12-15 psi, and it sprayed beautifully (with no retarder necessary).

At that point, he decided to see how DTL 876 worked with Mr. Color paints since he had read several accounts of cobwebbing problems. He found that Mr. Color thins beautifully with DTL 876. However, he first tried shooting some with no retarder added and got the cobwebbing problem He added some more thinner and although it helped a little, it still wasn't spraying clean So, he added a drop of Mr. Retarder and it sprayed perfectly.

Since Mr. Retarder can be expensive and he's always looking for cheaper alternatives. Then, he remembered a tip from a buddy of his who used enamels and added a drop or two of plain old Zippo lighter fluid to the paint and thinner to slow down the drying and give a smooth finish. Basically, Zippo lighter fluid (also known as "Naptha" is a retarder!

He then mixed up a 50/50 mix of some Mr. Color and DTL 876 thinner, and then added a couple drops of Zippo fluid. The mix airbrushed beautifully. Inhis words, "It laid down smooth as silk and was dry to the touch within moments."

Hope this helps.

Stew

[graves_09]

Superscale and Fightertown also make decals for that scheme. I have all sets from all three manufactures, send me a PM if you are interested in trading...

[Sauragnmon]

*drags out his soap box and sits down on it rather than stand*

Seriously, you have to ASK the colours for a Jolly Ranchers aircraft? Honestly? Swear to God? It's like THE most Overdone scheme I have seen on ANY airframe in the fracking world! Just about anything with a set of wings has been done in Jolly Ranchers markings, either in plastic or profile. The Reference numbers should be all over the bloody flaming internet, gods know the fricking images are. The damn Ranchers have been done to fracking death! There are How many squadrons in the US Navy, and I bet None of them have been as replicated/transferred/painted on anything with wings as the Jolly Fracking Ranchers! GAH!

*kicks the soap box back into the corner*

Sorry about that - I had to rant for a moment. They're just... so...blah. Anyways, she should come out good with nice even coverage from an airbrush.

[TXCajun]

*drags out his soap box and sits down on it rather than stand*

Seriously, you have to ASK the colours for a Jolly Ranchers aircraft? Honestly? Swear to God? It's like THE most Overdone scheme I have seen on ANY airframe in the fracking world! Just about anything with a set of wings has been done in Jolly Ranchers markings, either in plastic or profile. The Reference numbers should be all over the bloody flaming internet, gods know the fricking images are. The damn Ranchers have been done to fracking death! There are How many squadrons in the US Navy, and I bet None of them have been as replicated/transferred/painted on anything with wings as the Jolly Fracking Ranchers! GAH!

*kicks the soap box back into the corner*

Sorry about that - I had to rant for a moment. They're just... so...blah. Anyways, she should come out good with nice even coverage from an airbrush.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Mr. Sauragnmon, this young Marine and new member to our community simply wants to interact with other human beings instead of delving into content on the Internet. In that light, and in the light of welcoming a newcomer, those of us who don't have a stick up their proverbial backside opted to simply help the guy out as a welcoming gesture.

While I am not the moderator for this thread, I think I can safely say that neither the nature nor the delivery of your response is welcome - here or anywhere on ARC. Additionally, it shows a distinct lack of class on your part. So, sir, please take your soap box, crawl back into it, and keep yor pie hole shut unless you can offer something positive and constructive to the conversation.

USMC Herc - Please don't pay attention to people like this. While this is an awesome hobby and fun community, the nature of this hobby (and any other) is that it draws all types. Some get on their self-righteous soap-boxes with their little rants because they have a compulsive need to belittle others in order to self-inflate themselves.

There are far more of us in this community who are more than willing/happy to share our knowledge/skills in a mentor-like fashion - if for no other reason than to help you feel welcome and part of the community.

Make sure you post pics of that Jolly Roger's F-14, my friend! I've got the same project on the back burner! Oh, and let us know how that airbrushing goes, okay?

Again, thank you for your service to our country.

[VFA-103guy]

I am working on an f-14 and am trying to figure out the colors on the Jolly Rogers aircraft while it was on its last cruise in June, 2004.

I cannot tell if the a/c is painted in a single color or multicolor scheme.

Also does anyone know the correct colors I can use from Tamiya/acrylics line or the correct formula to get the colors?

I am in Japan and having problems shotting mr.hobby enamels through my airbrush (keep getting these strange spider web stringers from the paint, have raised-lowered air pressure, I have thinned from 25%-50% with no help) Gunze Acrylics have been discontinued/ no longer being carried by LHS here in Okinawa,Japan. The 2 paint lines carried here are Mr.Hobby & Tamiya.

Thanks for all the help,

Jason

Jason-

VF-103's F-14B's from the 2004 final tomcat cruise were 3 tone TPS of 35237,36320, and 36375.

If there's a particular jet you're doing and need information for, please let me know. I've been well connected to VF/VFA-103 for 10 years and have documented their jets very thoroughly.