Thermal imaging AGM 65 Maverick missiles seeker head color

[Raptor.777]

Has any one come up with a good color combo for the thermal imaging seeker head on a AGM65 Maverick. Seen lots of pics and videos but can't seem to come up with a good solution

Thanks

Jeff

[BillS]

The best description I can offer is a transparent light tannish-gray tint.

[Raptor.777]

I tried flesh color on the backside of the clear plastic head with flat finish on the outside. Looks more brown. Thanks for the reply

Jeff

[tomthegrom]

Mix clear blue and clear orange. Gives a golden brown color. I tinted an su27 forward windscreen with it and I reckon it looks like a maverick seeker head color also.

[Guard Hog]

It's been a while since I painted one, but I always started with yellow then mixed in red and brown.

 

For what it's worth, I recommend forgetting about making it clear/translucent -- paint it then gloss coat it.  The seekers, even straight out of the casket, are opaque and you're hard-pressed to see any of the internal components even when standing right in front of it.  Most seekers are the color you mentioned, but every once in a while you get a D/G with the reflective aviators-type lens.  Same missile... don't know the reason for the lens looking so different.

 

The first two pics are AGM-65D's, the last an AGM-65G.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by Guard Hog

[Guard Hog]

And here's a model I built years ago showing to IIR Mavs painted that way.  They're a tad bit yellow -- should have mixed a bit more toward orange.

[Raptor.777]

57 minutes ago, Guard Hog said:

It's been a while since I painted one, but I always started with yellow then mixed in red and brown.

 

For what it's worth, I recommend forgetting about making it clear/translucent -- paint it then gloss coat it.  The seekers, even straight out of the casket, are opaque and you're hard-pressed to see any of the internal components even when standing right in front of it.  Most seekers are the color you mentioned, but every once in a while you get a D/G with the reflective aviators-type lens.  Same missile... don't know the reason for the lens looking so different.

 

The first two pics are AGM-65D's, the last an AGM-65G.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Do you know why they are painted different colors like half OD green and other half grey then one all grey? Looks like middle one is either a optically guided or laser guided maverick but not sure. Thank you for the pics

[Raptor.777]

15 hours ago, tomthegrom said:

Mix clear blue and clear orange. Gives a golden brown color. I tinted an su27 forward windscreen with it and I reckon it looks like a maverick seeker head color also.

This is the best match yet. Thanks

[Guard Hog]

33 minutes ago, Raptor.777 said:

Do you know why they are painted different colors like half OD green and other half grey then one all grey? Looks like middle one is either a optically guided or laser guided maverick but not sure. Thank you for the pics

Nope, it's a D-model.  The EO's (B/K/H) and Laser (E/L) are perfectly clear.  

 

Generally, the Maverick is broken down into the guidance section (front), warhead (middle), and motor (back).  Over the course of a missile's life, sections may be swapped and replaced, creating those varieties.  I'm guessing that original contracts dictated acceptable colors, hence the shades of green, brown, and gray.

 

Here's an AGM-65B with it's original warhead and motor (gloss white) with a seeker that at some point underwent some level of maintenance and was repainted gray.  The "SCENE MAG" stencil denotes an AGM-65B and quickly differentiates it from a H/K.

 

An AGM-65B that was repainted seemingly with a rattle can -- looks awesome!

 

And the classic AGM-65B in its 1980's gloss white awesomeness!

 

Three -B's

 

An AGM-65D with different colors.

 

Another -65D, with the clearest seeker lens I've seen -- you can just make out some internal components.

 

 

All green -D

 

And an AGM-65G.

 

 

I realize your question pertains to IIR Mavericks but I'm sharing these pics to highlight the many different looks of the missile bodies.  I've never seen a white IIR Maverick, and all Laser Mavs have been gray and say "LASER" on the guidance section.

 

Hope these help!

 

- Tom

[Raptor.777]

Wasn't the scene mag a magnification upgrade to see twice the distance?

[Guard Hog]

Yeah, I want to say it was 2.5x.  And technically, it was magnification of the video picture; the clarity and ability to see farther wasn't improved.  Might sound like semantics but there is a difference in this context.

Edited January 21, 2023 by Guard Hog