Hornet Deck color

BillBarber - When we have that drink in 2029 we'll have to spend the first couple of hours talking baseball. I've spent a bit of time in Fenway Park - best place in the world to watch a ballgame. When I was in grad school I sat there for three consecutive nights watching Yaz not get his 3,000th base hit. And as far as I'm concerned the greatest moment in baseball history was the 6th game of the '75 World Series, when Carlton Fiske hit the home run over the Green Monster. I was a dyed-in-the-wool Cincinnati Reds fan in those days, but I was glad Boston won that game - because it made one more the next night necessary. Glad you finally got a Series-winning team. Boston deserves it.

You still in Jersey Bill?

Jeff Herne
Rockaway, NJ

Why, thanks John T! I'll be looking for that for that drink around 2029....I intend to still be around! We WW2 guys are too stubborn to roll over.....RE your profile, I minored in US History and Government back in Northeastern U in Boston in 1952....major was English and retired 12 years ago as sports editor for a New Jersey newspaper...but I still miss my Fenway Park! But I finally DID have a good year, series-wise! Only took 86 years...

Bravo Bill! At age 54 I can't compete yet - but I promise that 25 years from now, as soon as I'm done with my current model (probably the same one I'm working on now) I'll look you up and buy you a drink.

thanks Jeff...will try both,,,,Bill
Say, just for my own info, anyone out there older than I making models? I'll be 79 in June...just curious....I started back in the 1930s when I was a pup, making Guillow's flying models like Stinson Reliants and Spads and Fokker D-7s...

Hi Bill,

No one, to my knowledge does prepainted other than Eduard...you can try Squadron Mail Order in Texas, they might carry them.

www.squadron.com

You can order directly from Eduard, I've ordered from them a few times with no troubles at all.

Jeff

Does anyone know how I can purchase a set of 3:50 scale photo-etched US naval figures, prepainted like Eduard's for my BB New Jersey (Tamiya)?. I tried to get them fron Eduard (No.17501) but they only sell according to their website, in the United Kingdom. The price is $14.95. also how do I post my own topic on this forum. I forgot!signed ,Bill Barber, WWII infantryman

LOL

Honestly, use a flat blue such as xf8, xf18 or xf50 (tamiya) and shade it with either xf66 which is a light grey or xf24 which is dark. its ultimately your choice. Jeff is right you can two vehicles painted the same green and be two completely different colors depending on the west coast, east coast thing. have fun!

Cool...ok, so forget Norfolk 250N and 1942 Flight Deck Stain 21...and precise references to the actual colors and Federal Standard numbers to colors that are 60 years old...what was the USN thinking anyway???

Jus' mosie on down to your nearest Home Depot, and tell 'em you want a gallon of Blue-Gray jus' like Hornet's flight deck had prior to the Doolittle Raid, but well before Santa Cruz. It don't rightly matter what color it is, just so long as it's the same color as the ocean. Which reminds me...exactly what color would the ocean be? Would it be more gray than blue, like the north Pacific, more green than blue, like the South Pacific, or more blue than green like the South China Sea?

As you can guess, I'm being sarcastic. The USN had specific guidelines for the use of colors on their warships. Yes, there were variations in colors due to improper mixing and weathering and oxidation of pigments, as well as the usual wear and tear of air operations on the flight decks. Picking any old shade of blue gray for a ship as specific as Hornet is like picking any old shade of red for your Ferrari...

Jeff

the Hornets flight deck was a dark bluish grey stain. best to match the color of the sea.

You're kidding right?

Jeff

I would try Tamiya medium Blue and mixing it with light grey to get as close to the actual color you want.

Doug,

There's speculation as to whether or not the Hornet had Norfolk 250N or 1942 Flight Deck Stain 21. In laymen's terms, the 250N Flight Deck Stain, 1942 version, was a very very dark gray with a hint of blue in it...and Flight Deck Stain 21 was very close to modern day FS#35164. Flight Deck Stain 250N has no real FS# equivalent, so your best bet, if you have access to Testor's Model Master paints, is to get the actual 250N color. In theory, 250N is supposed to match 5-N Navy Blue....but it doesn't match up against the color chips I hold (actual WW2 USN chips).

I would suggest contacting White Ensign Models in the UK, as they have all of the proper colors for USN WW2 paints. They ship worldwide, and have a special SR-71 delivery service that gets things to the East Coast of the US within 3-5 days...colors for Hornet will be the following:

5-N Navy Blue
5-O Ocean Gray
5-H Haze Gray
Norfolk 250N Flight Deck Stain
Norfolk 65A Anti-Fouling Red.

At the time of Doolittle Raid, she was freshly painted, so weathering should be kept to a minimum.

Regards,

Jeff Herne