Monogam PBY Question

It may sound stupid and a minor detail, but what would be the best color to paint that rope molded on the nose? Would it be more of a tanish-yellow hemp like color or more brown? I was also wondering if it was on actual combat aircraft or not, and if so if it would be in the position it's molded in. There was one big thing I was thinking about on it, and that was the paint scheme. I got the 5A kit which includes decals for SNAFU Snatchers. I knew that she was flown by the USAAF in the Pacific around 1944, but the paint scheme is blue gray over white. I've seen a picture of the real airplane and the one that's painted up like her at the Air Force Museum so I know that it is correct, but I was wondering why she was painted that way. Was blue gray over white an Army Air Force standard paint job for float/patrol planes in that theater? Was it a standard factory como job that I'm just aware of? Was it field applied? It's just something I was curious about.