Seaspite Color?

sardawg28, Snakedriver,
Thanks for the help. I'll play around with the colors.

George

There you go! I flew AH-1's in Vietnam, Republic of in 1970. We had 12 birds and none of 'em matched up in color. Even the blue in our unit insignia on the dog house didn't match from aircraft to aircraft. State-side , I did note that gloss paints stood up to the weather and elements better than flats. Got to do a few escort sorties for H-2's over Cambodia. The Navy sent a couple of ASW "Sprites" up to the "Fishhook region". They would fly search boxes with the "MAD" bird deployed trying to pick up the electromagnetic disturbance that might be caused by large weapons and supply caches. Never did find out if they discovered anything.
What grey did the late H-2's come out of the shop in? I built a Airfix 1/72 in the Gloss Engine Grey scheme a few years back. It's still in a case in my office. I've got the Pre-Revell Matchbox kit that I want to upgrade and do in the flat grey colors.

Chorse,
I was a helicopter crewchief and a rescue swimmer in the Navy...I was the SAR evaluator for a while on the east coast so I flew in the H-2...they are/were a gloss grey. Right before the Navy transitioned them out they started to paint them the ghost grey scheme. I wouldn't worry about the paint too much...it seems that everyone gets all wrapped around the axle about the perfect paint job...when your at sea and paint is hard to get...anything that sort of matches is used...we did it all of the time...hope this helps

Thanks Snakedriver. This shade blindness is a pain and those colors are the areas I have trouble with. Reason why I'm ground cav and not air.

Chorse,
No problem, my friend. Engine Grey (FS16081) has a slightly greenish tint under certain lighting conditions. The photo you have is definitely an Engine Grey bird. I have the Monogram series on Navy and Marine aircraft colors and markings by John Elliot. All of his references come from Navy tech directives so you can be confident of the FS numbers.
I could swear I saw a photo of a non-specular green Seasprite, but I wouldn't bet on it unless I had confirming data.

Maybe this will help. This is what I am looking at. Does not look grey (though I am shade blind).

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/sh-2f-dvic324.jpg

Thanks for the help so far Snakedriver.

Chorse

The standard finish for 60's and 70's vintage Seasprites was FS 16081 Gloss Engine Grey. I think this is available in the Testors Model Master paint range. I seem to recall a photo of a Seasprite (May have been the HH-2C gunship version) done up in low-vis (Field Green ?) with subdued markings. I found some photos of the HH-2C in overall Engine Grey , and one from HC-7 in 1971 that appears to be in a well worn Gull Grey with black codes. The SH-2 seems to have flown during that time period in the Engine Grey scheme until some switched over to the flat Gull Grey color . Since the photos are black and white it is difficult to tell whether dark or light gull grey is used. Pete Harlem did a nice article on the Seasprite in the Spring 1984 issue of the IPMS Quarterly. It's black and white, but it has a ton of useful information.