WW2 LCM 3 USN?

IBuildONE48 wrote:

I have a 1/48 "Hobby Boss" LCM 3 and would like to ask what FS colors to use on: 1. The Hull above the waterline? 2. Below the waterline? 3. What color is the wheel? 4. Prop colors? 5. Gun Mounts Any help would be appreciated. thanks, Marc

For WWII LCMs

1)  For ship-borne landing craft, the hull color above the waterline will be the same as the paint applied to the mothership at the assigned davit position.  If the mother is painted in dazzle the landing craft will also be dazzled.

2)  For ship-borne landing craft the hull bottom color will be the same as the paint applied to the mothership at the assigned davit position.   The hull bottoms were not painted in antifouling red or black.. They were regularly hauled out of the water and fouling growth did not hamper their operation.

3)  The helm wheel would most likely be painted to match the hull color.   No fancy mahogany steerign wheels here.

4)  The props were made of bronze or zinc.   No highly polished brass.

5)  The gun mount bases and sheilds would be painted to match the upper hull color.   The guns themselves would be parkerized gun metal.

And finally, the Fed-Std color system was not established until the 1950s.   You cannot define WWII US Naval colors to this specification.  The colors applied to US ship forces did not even match to the ANA system then in place.   The WWII naval colors were matched to the 1929 Munsell color reference standard.  The Fed-Std system is not extendable.  You cannot say that a certain color is 2 units lighter and one unit bluer than a standard color.  

Now, for a really prototypical look for the guns, they ought to be in covers, either the "mustard" tan Army covers, or a grey "oilskin" canvas.  What color grey?  Pick one, some of the covers were made up by salimakers or Bosun's Mates from the on-board stock material.

M2's will be a grayish parkerized color, with barrels a least bit darker--like a quick rub with a 2B pencil, maybe over a half-steel, half-panzergrau color.  Grips would be black or a bit like Testor's Rubber.  The mount down to the actual pintle would either painted like the nount, or a brassy-sort of bronze.  Ammo boxes would be either that odd QMC green, or a Haze or Ocean or "battleship" grey.  M1918's will be darker in the reciever, and grayer on the barrel shroud.  The mount & cradle to the pintle will typically be a contrasty "gun" color, or a bronze sort of color.

Props, as already stated, will be dark; you could go with a dark bronze or a dark gunmetal color.  A bit of Oily Black over Steel is good for the shafts.

The wheel is steel and painted or covered in half-hitched cord with a turk's head at TDC.  A steel wheel would likely show darker, but a tad glossier, by hand contact.  Wrapped in cord, it could be from tan to grey to a whitish color.

Life rings were all sorts of colors, from period references; but, to me, a near-white or pale grey "reads" well with generally camoflaged LC (remember the issue kapok life jacket is a dark blue-gray very close to panzergrau when new).  Fire extinguishers are brass with bronze & copper highlights, too.

Now, a painted-to-match ship camoflage LC can look a bit odd by itself.  You can "dodge" that the least bit by over-painting over a slightly darker base color to "show" the wetted are of the hull.  Or, painting the hull bottom in the darkest camo color, and carrying lighter colors oer that does not look too bad--if the least bit aprototypical.

LC get a lot of use and abuse.  And they were out of the water a lot.  And idle hands get to mischief; so they would be painted.  Often.  Now, the one thing I've never quite managed to do myself is to get the look of a brand-newly painted repair right.  Just something about a 4x8 patch of brand new paint that always says "working landing craft" to me.

What a great response!

By the way, how is this kit?