Merit CV6 color callouts

GMorrison

 

Whether the decks on various carriers got worn down to wood is a big question, the absense of good color photos being a problem.

 

I have found these decent color photos. Looks like the flight decks were kept in a well maintained condition... No later than Summer 1944 for these shots. SBDs were off the Fleet Carriers after Phillipine Sea in early summer.

Interesting.

First, the deck and hull were the same color, one stain and the other paint. But meant to look the same.

Whether the decks on various carriers got worn down to wood is a big question, the absense of good color photos being a problem.

I'm in the camp of not. I just haven't seen a good color photo that I am convinced shows wear. Usually the whole thing looks blue, and if not kind of brown, but that may be colorized prints, angle, I could not say.

The weathered colors you showed; I'm intrigued by that 4614 as a hull color. The problem is that aircraft carriers in particular, and warships with any kind of flare in the hull, really do reflect the water color. In the Pacific that was usually really dark blue when pictures were taken in calm water.

I'd say that would be a shot for both deck and hull. I don't think the 4753 is close, and the Tamiya is clearly not.

My thought is this. You'd want to start off dark, and post shade lighter. I'd probably go Dark Sea Blue and then put on lots of the colors above in big areas where you want to weather.

But truly, if you go looking for the right paint color online, it should not be too hard to find.

I ran across a color deal that gave 10, 15,and 25% scale fade colors in MM acrylic, Tamiya and Vallejo.

For a 15% fade for 5N, they gave MM #4614.  Got some and rattled it around for awhile in the bottle (have not opened it yet) and seems to be grey with no blue tint, at least to my eye. 

For 25% scale fade on the 20B they called for either MM 4754 or Tamiya XF53. LHS didn't have either on hand to see and compare.

Possibly do the flight deck in a wood tan with some light well thinned "20B" to look like a sun bleached deck that had been stained and some tan starting to hint at coming through?

Opinions?

Thank You gentlemen. much appreciated.  Will be doing a WIP on the Lady when I get started on her.

If you have a hard time finding Deck Gray, Gunship Gray is a good substitute.  I used it for my Yorktown.

Remember that the hanger deck would be painted deck blue in the weather areas outboard where the boats, etc., are stowed.

goldhammer

One remains, and that is what colors would the hanger deck interior have been in that time span.  I would think either flat white or maybe Ocean Grey, but possibly the blues, if the bay doors were open?

The hangar deck was Standard Navy Deck Gray #20, the pre-war color.

The overhead and bulkheads were white

Probably going to do her as she appeared in the Solomons and Santa Cruz time frame.  From what I have heard before on the kit time frame it was Santa Cruz, before she came back to Bremerton for overhaul.  OK, I found a pic of a TBF crash on deck in late July '42 as she was headed to the 'canal, so that is answered, she left Pearl after Midway with Avengers.

Thanks guys, that answered some of the questions.  One remains, and that is what colors would the hanger deck interior have been in that time span.  I would think either flat white or maybe Ocean Grey, but possibly the blues, if the bay doors were open?

As a side note, Enterprise took on a new Air Group, Air Group 10, for the Guadalcanal campaign after Eastern Solomons. Air Group 6 had taken some serious losses at Midway. Hornet kept Air Group 8 as aside from Torpedo 8, their losses were not so bad in the Scout, Bomber, and Fighter squadrons.

5N Navy Blue is most likely correct for all vertical surfaces. And 20B is correct for the deck.  On my Merit Yorktown I used Lifecolor naval acrylics.  I used their thinner for airbrushing and was happy with the results.

I wouldn't fade the ship too much. She was painted in Measure 11, (which was actually Measure 21) early in '42.  So depending when in '42 you wish to depict the ship she may not have been overly weathered.  Plus this was early in the war so much of the crew would have been experienced sailors and probably kept the ship, if not to pre-war standards, still well maintained.  Late '42 into early '43 after the loss of Hornet, when Big E was the only CV in service, photos of the period do show a weathered ship.  More efforts were required to keep the battered ship in operation.  Painting and deck staining wouldn't have had as high a priority.

This was Enterprise.  By most accounts the ship enjoyed good moral and esprit de corps throughout the war.  Her appearance no doubt would have reflected this.

I've read that Air Group Six kept their a/c in good surface condition during the early war too.

Enjoy your build.  It is an awarding kit to construct.

Looks like she might be in 5N (Navy Blue)and 20B (Deck Blue).  Thinking of doing a 10-15 % scale fade on the 5N and 25% scale fade on the 20B.  Thoughts?

Verticle surfaces in the 5N and horizontal in 20B.