USS Cole Hull color

That paint can be a little 'hot' on raw polystyrene.   Use some caution and spray 3 or 4 light coats instead of one heavy coat

I think the Rustoleum Primer sounds like an excellent idea.....Thanks!!

 

bondoman, that ain't no barge the cole is on but is the semi-submersible heavy lift ship MV Blue Marlin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Blue_Marlin

EdGrune

Head over to Lowes and their spray paint aisle.   The Rustoleum/Painter's Touch red primer is my personal go-to choice for USN hull red.

Ditto, although the basic primer has a lot of black in it which is good for darker ships. What's the single biggest palette of red on steel out there? Railroad boxcars and cabooses up until the 70's of course. Floquil, Pollyscale etc. make literally dozens of versions of what's generally called oxide red. If you get a good collection of boxcar paint, there's every possibility. The faded red she has on the barge is kind of extreme, but the New Jersey Central painted their cabooses a near match.

Thank your son for me, for his service to our country.

If you’re trying to match the hull color at the date of the attack, I suspect that you’ll be disappointed.

As you can see, the USN hull red was worn/faded down to a pink gray, and that’s what happened to her bright red hull once again.  You can represent your sons’ ship either as she looks to her crew (reality) or to the dry dock crew (a recruiting fiction).

“In history, only some things happen when they should and the rest do not happen at all, but the conscientious historian will rectify these shortcomings.” — Herodotus (484 BC - 425 BC)

Head over to Lowes and their spray paint aisle.   The Rustoleum/Painter's Touch red primer is my personal go-to choice for USN hull red.