Painting red hulls on naval ships

Tamiya makes one I like called "Dull Red". It comes in a spray can too.

Its pretty close to Rustoleum primer, which works pretty well too.

Hi;

 If I remember correctly there is a Testors color called " Hull Red ' That comes pretty close . Over the years though I have used it , always putting a drop or two of flat black in the color to darken it .

   One thing to also remember is this . If you want Museum looking models . Use the " Hull Red " , Rustoleum red primer or the mix and keep it clean .  Looking up at my ship when we went into dry-dock it was streaky , some spots brighter than others and some peeled off showing the old paint under it .

 This is the nature of the beast if you want weathering . T.B.

rcf21963

Just getting back into modeling after years and years (and years :).

I started by reliving childhood builds of the Arizona and Missouri.  And now am moving on to some other ships. 

The problem I am having is with the hull color.  I have not found a good red that looks good at scale.  The ones I have tried are either to dark or too bright.  I really want to avoid mixing my own hull color so I thought I would reach out and see if others have found a good color (any brand) that looks nice on a ship hull?

Many thanks in advance.

bob

 

There are MIL SPEC standards for paint. You might be able to match a color with the help of this site:

http://www.milspeccoating.com/Federal-Standard-595-Colors-s/41.htm

The RED color is Type IV (2 coat) 24441/35B and Type III (3 coat) 24441/26B

Description:

This two-component epoxy-polyamidepaint is specifically designed to protect steel, aluminum and fiberglass components of ships, and is suitable for both exterior and interior surfaces. It can also be used to provide a protective coating to bilges, tanks, underwater hulls and other surfaces requiring a hard, durable, chemical resistant finish.

This has some relevant info as well:

http://www.msc.navy.mil/foia/rfp/N00033-03-R-8004/ATTACHMENT3.doc

It’s rare to see a true red hull color photo of a WWII ship let alone any other ship.Try your best with what you have.Be creative .Thats what the hobby is all about.Let the modeling world judges worry what is wrong or right. 

I use Floquil Tuscon Red. I think it's a perfect match for hull's but it's out of production.

It's a model railroad color Very similar to Boxcar Red.

You may still be able to find it somewhere so if you do..... buy all you find!

Otherwise Testor's Hull Red is also a good choice.

I use Model Master British Crimson for ocean vessels.  Seems pretty close to the anti-fouling red.  For freshwater vessels I use a red oxide primer.

I agree about Tuscon Red, it's a great match. I just used it on the Coluimbia Express and am happy with the results.