Ship colors?

urich wrote:

I'm building a older lindberg blue devil kit. It will be a basic build for now maybe up grade later my question is using MM paints what color/shades of  grays would be best to use? I want to weather it to look like a war beaten ship a lot of rust maybe like it has been in moth balls for some time thanks J

The question has to come back to you.   Is there a specific ship you want to model and/or a date?

The Fletchers were the most prolific of the wartime destroyers.  In general the camouflage ranged from early war Measure 12R, through Measures 21 and 22, to the dazzle Measures 3x.   World War II colors were based on a purple-blue scheme which are not well supported by the MM product line.  Post-war they were painted into neutral haze gray for prior to mothballing.    Some were reactivated for Korea, and more were sold to allies.  These you would see in their home country's colors.

So, before I could recommend an appropriate color, I really need to know where you want to go with the kit.

See shipcamouflage.com for all sorts of good information on naval ship camouflage practices

http://shipcamouflage.com/warship_camouflage.htm

Thanks no specific ship I will problemly make up a name and a history for it What my plans are to make a late war ship that has been sitting in moth balls for many years just before scrapping or turning into a reef  

urich wrote:

Thanks no specific ship I will problemly make up a name and a history for it What my plans are to make a late war ship that has been sitting in moth balls for many years just before scrapping or turning into a reef

Since all of the WWII destroyers were painted out of their wartime camouflage before being mothballed,  you could go with modern Haze Gray (26270) - MM Neutral Gray, lightened by as much as 3:2 flat white for fading.   Decks as MM Gunship - lightened similarly.  

Remove all secondary armament and cover the tubs with hemispherical protective coccons (think ping-pong balls cut in half).   They will be a lighter gray.

No real huge rust patches.  While in mothballs - nothing moved so everything was painted shut.  Perhaps some running rust flows off the scuppers.

Blow a fine overspray of MM Camouflage Gray over everything to blend it all together and give the unused impression