| Hey Subfixer, I've got a quick question on the hull colors of 688s. Is the lower hull always painted red? I thought I read at some point that the Los Angeles class subs were often painted black all over. I also wonder if there's any way to model the accoustic tiles that are shown in this walk-around at the Steel Navy site: http://www.steelnavy.com/KeyWest.htm Regards, To answer your question on the painting of the lower hull an anti-fouling red: Not any longer it appears. The entire hull with exception of the sonar dome, torpedo doors, stern planes, rudders, sea chests, the areas not covered by accoustic tiles in the area of the vertical launch tubes and the topside surfaces that are exposed when the boat is surfaced; is now being painted a very flat gunship gray. I cannot say what the nature of this paint is, but it does look pretty cool. The other surfaces, mentioned above, are painted the old satin finished boot topping black. By the way, those are really good pictures at that website, note the ship's name plaque on the sail, that is about the only ID, besides the banner on the personnel brow, that you'll ever see on the boat itself and even that is fairly a rare occasion. Mostly for visitor's day or change of command ceremonies. I don't know of any technique to replicate the accoustic tiles, they are prominent and I think that they would show up even in a smaller scale model. I would hate to imagine the effort it would take to scribe them in by hand. |