Trumpeter 1/350 Yorktown CV-10

[jester292]

I need color help. I don't have access to, or even want to use Mr. Color paints. What colors can I buy in Tamiya or Model Master to paint the camouflage? Their color chart calls for using the same colors on the aircraft as the carrier itself. Surely that cannot be correct!

They list Light Gray, Ocean Gray, and Dark Gray for the colors used. On the color profiles, the dark gray looks light gray, the ocean gray looks blue, and the dark gray is labeled H328 but isn't even listed in the table!

Trumpeter, you have me pulling my hair out. Someone help!

Aaron

[modelguy2]

http://www.steelnavy.com/usnchips.htm

If it were me...big extrapolation here as there are those that would differ...I'd use Model master Light Ghost, USN Medium Gray or RN dark sea gray and a charcoal black.

MT

Edited November 27, 2013 by modelguy2

[Tracy White]

Trumpeter color guides are garbage, pure and simple. Here's a somewhat pedantic answer, but it should provide you the background to either figure out what you need, or ask questions that I can clarify on.

US Navy in WWII defined specific camouflage types as Measures - Measure 21 was a solid Navy blue, Measure 22 was (essentially) Navy blue up to the deck and gray above that, etc.. I presume you're trying to do her in the Dazzle scheme she ware in 1944/parts of 1945 - that was part of the Measure 31/32/33 series, and in Yorktown's case, was specifically Measure 33, pattern 10A. The design sheet that shows the pattern and lists the official colors can be found online at the ShipCamouflage.com database for US aircraft carriers right here. Colors listed are 5-L (Light Gray), 5-O (Ocean Gray) and 5-N (Navy Blue) with 20B (Deck Blue) for the steel decks. Not listed is the wood flight deck stain, which would have been either Flight Deck Stain 21 or Flight Deck Stain 21 (revised) - the original was revised in the middle of 1944.

Now, the paints of the planes and the flight deck stain were LARGELY designed to match or be similar to the ships, but because of different needs (light weight for aircraft, etc.) they were formulated differently, so it wasn't an exact match. Stains were used on the wood flight deck for their penetration into wood and longer-lasting color and protection, but that area was beat to snot by tires, boots, oil, gas, etc., and "your mileage may vary" is the result. The original Flight Deck Stain 21 was similar in appearance (when fresh, before use) to the 5-O Ocean Gray, and the revised Flight Deck Stain 21 and 20B Deck Blue was (again, when fresh) similar to 5-N Navy Blue.

The vertical colors 5-L/5-O/5-N are WWII paints that were mixed as per a specification based on the 1929 Munsell book of color and DO NOT exist in the FS system. They are purple-blue tones and not neutral. With weathering and fading, perhaps it doesn't matter that much, but I personally like to start from a matched paint and at least have that part of my modelling OCD satisfied. ModelMasters has all of the four colors you want in their enamel naval line (note that the "light gray" they list doesn't have the 5-L until you get into its individual page, but it is the correct one) and all but the Deck Blue in their Acrylic line. Another option is "Coulourcoats" but White Ensign Models - they're enamel paints formulated to match. Availability may be a bit limited, but few companies are stocking the ModelMaster naval colors yet as well so it may be a wash. Vendors I have purchased Colourcoats from in the US are ShipCamouflage (full disclosure: listed first because he's a friend and I do his web site), Battlefleet Models, FreeTime Hobbies, and MidTenn Hobbies. White Ensign can't ship paints direct to the US any more due to Royal Mail restrictions.

Let me know if I missed anything.

[andrew.deboer]

Aaron,

Rider's Hobby Shop here in Grand Rapids is stocking the Model Master naval enamels. I have not compared them all with the White Ensign enamels I used on my CV-10 dazzle camouflage, but I bet they're pretty close!

I need color help. I don't have access to, or even want to use Mr. Color paints. What colors can I buy in Tamiya or Model Master to paint the camouflage? Their color chart calls for using the same colors on the aircraft as the carrier itself. Surely that cannot be correct!

They list Light Gray, Ocean Gray, and Dark Gray for the colors used. On the color profiles, the dark gray looks light gray, the ocean gray looks blue, and the dark gray is labeled H328 but isn't even listed in the table!

Trumpeter, you have me pulling my hair out. Someone help!

Aaron