What color do you use to represent corroguard?

[cmhjets]

My 1/72 MD-80 is approaching the paint stage. As I've said before, this is my first airliner model, so I have a LOT to learn.

[Silverback]

I use Model Master Aluminum Plate topped with Metalizer Sealer. It gives a nice, uniform aluminum color, and the sealer is bullet-proof.

Phil

[PlasticWeapons]

I use Model Master Aluminum Plate topped with Metalizer Sealer. It gives a nice, uniform aluminum color, and the sealer is bullet-proof.

Phil

But not alcohol proof! Had painted an ADC gray F-102A with the Metalizer sealer, got a good gloss, then did an alcohol wash to highlight panel lines. BIG MISTAKE. It stripped the sealer and turned it milky white. Ended up stripping all the paint and decals and starting over. Live and learn from other's mistakes...*sigh*

[volzj]

I use a medium gray mixed with about 20% flat aluminum. Gives just the right amount of metallic look.

Keep mixing/stirring while airbrushing, as the metallic wants to settle out, being heavier.

[David Hingtgen]

Pure metal colors just don't work IMHO--sure it's got the sparkle/sheen, but it never gives the "utterly grey" look that corogard does at so many angles. Many types of corogard look grey 99% of the time until the sun hits them JUST right. I like steel mixed with a lot of gunship grey or other medium/dark grey. Depends on the aircraft---Airbus is darkest/greyest, Boeing is the most brown/metallic, Douglas is usually close to Boeing but darker. And I swear there's both 60's/70's Boeing corogard and 80/90/00's Boeing corogard.

You're doing a DL n/c MD-80 as I recall, and they are among the very few MD-80's that have corogard----it's fairly dark and non-metallic. I would go with gunship grey (or a few shades lighter) with some metallic mixed in.

Note---which reg number are you doing? Later DL MD-80's don't have corogard. I think most of the fleet does, but it's like a 60/40 or 70/30 split.

Check Airliners.net, specify "aircraft window views" as the category and search for DL MD-80's---you'll get lots of photos of the wings showing the paint pattern--both the ones with ans without corogard. Check a lot of photos and decide for yourself how grey or how metallic you think it should be.

Here are shots that IMHO show "typical" DL MD-88 corogard lighting:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0659198/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0635301/M/

You'll see shots that show it as dark as panzer grey, and some almost ghost grey--all the same paint, just different light. (And of course there's some that are painted Douglas grey instead of corogard)

[David Walker]

Those are a great couple of photos, thanks for the links. Also I'm going to be looking for some A319 photos like that and I never thought to put in "aircraft window views" to simplify the process. That will help a lot. Now if there was just a "horizontal stabilizer view."

[David Hingtgen]

Very true. H.stabs are even harder to get good pics---underside shots are always dark, and upper-side shots usually need the plane to be VERY banked or taken from unusual angles.

But "aircraft window view" will get you mostly wing shots, great for reference.

And then, top and bottoms of wings and stabs are often different...

Airbuses have MUCH less variation in wing paint scheme--there's basically "all grey" and "grey with a single large corogard center section". And while for years I believed that no Airbus had corogard on the lower surfaces, I just found out that there are NW A320's that have it on the underside of their wings----but they're the only Airbuses so far I've ever found like that.

[David Walker]

Thanks, that's helpful too. I have the advantage of an airport ID so I'm planning on heading out to Denver International Airport at some point in the near future and setting up for photos on the overhead passenger walkway between Frontier's area and United's Ted gates. I should be able to get some pretty decent photos from there as the walkway goes over the top of the taxiway. I'll just have to shoot straight down.

Edited February 11, 2006 by David Walker

[David Hingtgen]

If you see anything with a T-tail/rear engines, get pylon shots! That's THE hardest thing to tell, even with a clear shot. (NW red/gray is the hardest--they're usually bare, but a shiny bare metal pylon surrounded by a grey nacelle next to a grey fuselage will reflect the grey paint all around it like a mirror--looking exactly like a grey pylon) I have no idea how NW n/c pylons are typically painted---at least there were no 727's like that, they were the hardest of all to tell.

Also if any DC-9's go by, wing and tail shots. DC-9's over the last few years have seen a remarkable change in "typical" paint patterns--I figure it's just due to age/corrosion control.

[bugs3144]

I use testors aluminum mixed with a small amount of testors steel to get that metalic greyish color. Pretty close, or at least close enough for me. I remember most of the DL MD80's that I worked on had all grey wings and stabilizers.

Frank