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Modern Blue Angels Blue: best way to reproduce?


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Hello, I would to reproduce a Blue Angels Hornet.

Having read that today the Blue Angels use a commercial Krylon BLUE (not available in Italy where I'm) and not the dedicated FS paint available elsewhere I would to ask this: is there a tint from any modeller's paint firm that can reproduce the modern Blue Angel's Krylon blue?
Alternatively, someone have idea of how to do the mix to reproduce this Krylon Blue using the usual modell'er's paints?

THANKS!

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I used MM Blue Angel Blue but then added some Intermediate Blue to lighten it up. I didn't keep track of how much. I just added some, sprayed to see what it dried like, and added some more until I was happy with the results. I've also read that you mix Testors Blue from the small bottle with Insignia Blue and that will get you close as well. To be honest, it would be difficult to tell the difference the blue on your model and the "real" blue used. In this case, close is just fine. 

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Hi Fellas

   I just attended the Blue Angels change of command as their new boss is an acquaintance of mine. I spent the entire weekend with the Blues at all of their events including crawling all over the boss' jet that was hangered for a reception after the change of command ceremony on Sunday 12 November. I took lots of pics and tried like crazy to get the specs on the paint. What I can tell you is that they don't use Krylon True Blue anymore for touch ups. The colors are (according to the crew chief of BA 1) "Dupont Blue and Dupont Yellow". There are lots of Dupont blues and yellows though! I made friends with the aid to CNATRA and I could email him and see if he'd get that info for me. The crew chief promised me he'd speak to Corrosion Control and get back to me but he never did. I will tell you that these are tired airplanes and that is apparent up close. Number one also has "nose art" in the nose gear bay; ""Blue Beauty", a name given by Boss Bernnachi's little girl. And what a truly great, but very human individual he is.

   I built Eric Doyle, the new boss a Kinetic F-18 after pouring over scores of pictures to nail as many details as I could including the stop watch under the HUD. I've got a few pics of it before I put it in a case that I glued it in. I used Model Master True Blue, what? FS 15052? I used it on my ZM F-4J in BA marks as well. In my opinion, those blue colors are very "fungible". They look so different in various light conditions. In direct light they are so bright but in a hanger under halogen lighting they look so dark. I love Model Master gloss colors because they can be airbrushed on in thin coats that set up reasonably fast and can be rubbed out with a fine polish like McGuire's Scratch Remover for a really beautiful and realistic gloss you can't achieve with gloss coats or future which have too much of a "snot" appearance to me. I used Steel Beach stencils for the large yellow areas and CAM decals for the smaller markings because their yellow not only looks good but matches Model Master Blue Angel Yellow. I really should figure out how to get pictures on this site for you all to see. BTW, I bought a can of Krylon TB before I built the F-4 and experimented with decanting it and to compare it to other blues. I thought it was way to bright and "toy like".

    In summary, my weekend jaunt to Pensacola was fun. As a retired AF officer, I was the only "blue suiter" in attendance. I had a ball talking to BA alumni including Al Cisneros who flew with Adm Sam Flynn with VF-31 Felix in F-4Js during Vietnam. What stories! But mostly it made me so proud of the US Navy, USMC and US Armed Forces at large. The Blues in particular have had some rough spots in the past months but have come through it like pros. All of them have so much "heart" and are so modest and hospitable; qualities I miss from my USAF days. Let me know if you want more specifics. I'll do my best. 

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4 hours ago, BillS said:

Hi Fellas

   I just attended the Blue Angels change of command as their new boss is an acquaintance of mine. I spent the entire weekend with the Blues at all of their events including crawling all over the boss' jet that was hangered for a reception after the change of command ceremony on Sunday 12 November. I took lots of pics and tried like crazy to get the specs on the paint. What I can tell you is that they don't use Krylon True Blue anymore for touch ups. The colors are (according to the crew chief of BA 1) "Dupont Blue and Dupont Yellow". There are lots of Dupont blues and yellows though! I made friends with the aid to CNATRA and I could email him and see if he'd get that info for me. The crew chief promised me he'd speak to Corrosion Control and get back to me but he never did. I will tell you that these are tired airplanes and that is apparent up close. Number one also has "nose art" in the nose gear bay; ""Blue Beauty", a name given by Boss Bernnachi's little girl. And what a truly great, but very human individual he is.

   I built Eric Doyle, the new boss a Kinetic F-18 after pouring over scores of pictures to nail as many details as I could including the stop watch under the HUD. I've got a few pics of it before I put it in a case that I glued it in. I used Model Master True Blue, what? FS 15052? I used it on my ZM F-4J in BA marks as well. In my opinion, those blue colors are very "fungible". They look so different in various light conditions. In direct light they are so bright but in a hanger under halogen lighting they look so dark. I love Model Master gloss colors because they can be airbrushed on in thin coats that set up reasonably fast and can be rubbed out with a fine polish like McGuire's Scratch Remover for a really beautiful and realistic gloss you can't achieve with gloss coats or future which have too much of a "snot" appearance to me. I used Steel Beach stencils for the large yellow areas and CAM decals for the smaller markings because their yellow not only looks good but matches Model Master Blue Angel Yellow. I really should figure out how to get pictures on this site for you all to see. BTW, I bought a can of Krylon TB before I built the F-4 and experimented with decanting it and to compare it to other blues. I thought it was way to bright and "toy like".

    In summary, my weekend jaunt to Pensacola was fun. As a retired AF officer, I was the only "blue suiter" in attendance. I had a ball talking to BA alumni including Al Cisneros who flew with Adm Sam Flynn with VF-31 Felix in F-4Js during Vietnam. What stories! But mostly it made me so proud of the US Navy, USMC and US Armed Forces at large. The Blues in particular have had some rough spots in the past months but have come through it like pros. All of them have so much "heart" and are so modest and hospitable; qualities I miss from my USAF days. Let me know if you want more specifics. I'll do my best. 

Cool story!  When you were crawling over the Boss's jet, did you happen to take any photos of the boxes on the glare shield, above the IP panel?  Also, did you get any photos of the stick and the spring that they attach to the stick for their shows?

 

Thanks!

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Colin,

i didnt climb the ladder but there are pics both sim and actual that show the additions to the glare shield. Its funny you would mention this because Eric and I talked about it when i gave him the model,. I thought the spring was internal. The stuff on the glare shield is for smoke and i believe inverted fuel or oil and of course the stop watch smack dab in the middle. He told me about their modifications but i cant remember details  now. I had been up since 4.30 a.m. to make the drive and by the time I gave him the model it was after 10 pm and my brain was in a fog.I was just so  relieved  to finish that model because i kept tweaking this and that which lead to breaking this or that! Nothing broke on the drive down from Dallas though!  I really got hung up on antennas, walkways, the smoke probe (i got that right) external lights, the pilot’s lpu and harness that are in the jet when they strap in and the little yellow markings on the lex for the purpose of guiding which way to step to reach the ladder. If you want, I'll email you my pics to study further and also  find those cockpit shots. I also have a briefing sheet with bunos listed. What i got wrong was the ommission of one of the gauges on the fuselage in line with the eing  trailing edge. I presumed it was for the arresting hook dash pot and i painted it  on the right side. I noticed the gauge is on both sides after i got there and looked at the real jet. i guess they're either hydraulic resevoir gauges or accumulator pressure indicators. BTW they are depicted as a little dimple on the kit and the revell super hornet decal sheet provides them! I also installed the wrong style aoa vanes oh, and the boss’s jet has a little fairing sticking up just ahead of the nose gear housing a Go Pro camera.

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