F-35A in solid color

[Raptor.777]

Was curious if the USAF has done a F-35A in a solid color with out all the highlighted lighter shade of grey details. Is there a mask kit for the Italeria F-35A kit in 1/32 scale. Was thinking about doing mine in a solid color but not sure if it would be realistic, but then again, modelers prerogative. Was thinking about maybe Tamiya's spray in gunship grey

Jeff

[Crash Test Dummy]

The RAM tape color has been a much closer match for a few years

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by Crash Test Dummy

[Bo105flyer]

On 9/9/2022 at 10:01 PM, Raptor.777 said:

Was curious if the USAF has done a F-35A in a solid color with out all the highlighted lighter shade of grey details. Is there a mask kit for the Italeria F-35A kit in 1/32 scale. Was thinking about doing mine in a solid color but not sure if it would be realistic, but then again, modelers prerogative. Was thinking about maybe Tamiya's spray in gunship grey

Jeff

I had run across a Lockheed Martin mention on their website 4 or 5 years ago that they had developed a new coating system to eliminate a large number of the RAM Panel tapes which increased production due to less man hours apply the RAM  panel tape.

I will have to go dig thru my Meng F-35 Kit box to find the printed out copy of the article.  I will check late next week once I get home from work.

 

Steve Sliger

Greenwell Springs, LA

[scotthldr]

The colour between the two areas is more or less undifferentiable nowadays. Correct colour is FS36170, readily available from several manufacturers 

[F-16]

What about FS36270?

Ammo/Mig Acrylic color FS36270

 

Is this close enough?

 

Scott

CNJC-IPMS

[scotthldr]

No where near it,sorry.

[Niels]

FS36170 is the correct color. The odd thing with this color is that it changes according to the lighting, hence bloody difficult to capture correctly. So it will be anything from light greay, almost metallic, to metallic engine gray. It is however still FS36170

 

As for the RAM panels, it is only the early models where these were highlighted. The F-35's rolling out these days they are less prominent. 

[Scooby]

On 11/5/2022 at 11:24 AM, Niels said:

FS36170 is the correct color. The odd thing with this color is that it changes according to the lighting, hence bloody difficult to capture correctly. So it will be anything from light greay, almost metallic, to metallic engine gray. It is however still FS36170

 

As for the RAM panels, it is only the early models where these were highlighted. The F-35's rolling out these days they are less prominent. 

 

Lighting changes the color of every color that I know of.

[Niels]

Not like with FS36170 😉

[Camus272]

1 hour ago, Niels said:

Not like with FS36170 😉

Exactly. I've watched an F-16 change from a warm metallic bronze to a deep dark gray in a few minutes, as the clouds pass over. 

[Bo105flyer]

I believe the paint on the F-22, F-35, and the F-16s with the Have Glass color scheme has an additive in it to appear to blend in with the sky in  various angles to the  sunl.

 

Steve Sliger

Greenwell Springs, LA

[Scooby]

5 hours ago, Camus272 said:

Exactly. I've watched an F-16 change from a warm metallic bronze to a deep dark gray in a few minutes, as the clouds pass over. 

Agree, this isn’t only F-22/F-35 related, I took 6 photos of a Hornet in the exact same spot on our base over a six hour period, it went from a light gray all the way to a very dark gray depending upon the lighting and cloud cover.

 

This is true through history. The only way to match colors is under the same lighting conditions.

[Niels]

The Have Glas paint was developed specifically to further enhance the low observability of the F-22 and F-35, later also applied to the F-16 aswell. 

Early Have Glas rendered the standard paint scheme in a dirty appearance, later ones in a more glossy apperance. Then they apparently settled on the Have Glas V version, wich is typically seen as dark (engine) gray on the F-16 and F-35. The F-22 has a different colorscheme but still a version of the Have Glas if I understand it correctly. Not sure about the F/A-18 fleet as I haven't read anything that they have been involed in the Have Glas programme. It doesn't mean that the colors don't change appearance in different lighting though.