Navy Ship Paint Measure Guide

ps1scw wrote:

http://www.jpsmodell.de/dc/usnavy_e.htm#measure33

Use an appropriately-sized grain of salt in using this site as a color match.  

Some of the colors do not match the White Ensign Colourcoat paint or the Snyder & Short US Navy paint chip set.   Either of these two are considered to be the modeler's standard.   For the exact standard go to the 1929 Munsell Color reference book with the apprpriate standard reference.  The 1929 Munsell should be in many major city libraries and/or available via interlibrary loan  See shipcamouflage.com for the Munsell designations. 

Furthermore, the Ms12R call-out is wrong for later applications.  Navy Blue (5-N) replaced the 5-S in the color palette used

Hi Ed,

Is the Snyder & Short chip set available for purchase?  Probably a naive question, and no idea how much this might run.  Any other documents (electronic or hardcopy) that are reasonable refs to have in one's library for this sort of thing?

Thanks, Rick 

Snyder & Short paint chip sets

http://shipcamouflage.com/paint_chips.htm

John Snyder of White Ensign Models/Colourcoat Paints is the Snyder of Snyder & Short.   John is [was] a paint conservator by vocation.   He married into the model business.   John knows his stuff regarding military paints. 

Randy Short is no slouch either.   About 8 to 10 years ago John & Randy researched the paint specifications and paint lockers from many ships.   They developed a set of paint chips (not printed).   They produced several sets.   From this the Colourcoat line of paints were born.    Later, to not much fanfare, Testors announced that their Acrylic Marine line of paint would be dons based on the S&S chips. 

Ed- if I'm going to paint the San Francisco in Measure 21, which does not match the box model but does generally match the color renderings inside the box, is it that simple? The end sections of the 8" look lighter, and the blast bags are ?

It's going to be one big blue ship!

Measure 21 is 5-N Navy Blue overall.   Decks would be 20B Deck Blue.   It will appear very monotone - since the two blues are similar.   Weathering & highlighting will serve to differentiate the two.   

USNHC Photo

The light color on the hull is the Navy Blue wearing away to show some of the pre-war Standard navy Gray #5 showing through.

The blast bags look to be a natural canvas color.   Go with a light gray.  Avoid pure white as it would be too stark

EdGrune wrote:

Go with a light gray.  Avoid pure white as it would be too stark

 Actually, check out the difference between Turret #1 and 2's. If you read the camouflage directions in effect at the time the above picture was taken, the blast bags should have been dyed.

If you want to really go over the edge, I can suggest a couple more. Disclaimer: I'm the S&S webmaster and the second site is my own.

Snyder & Short WWII  Naval Camouflage information

Researcher@Large US Navy Camouflage Historical Documents 

Good Lord, at least I know now not to wear my whites on deck when someone is shining a searchlight at me!

Thanks, those are great links, plus I just went through USNHC as well. It's going to be a pretty monotonous scheme, but I think the plan is to weather it up a little, and as was suggested, drybrush highlights.

What color are the 8" barrels?. I assume the secondary armament is a standard medium gray, or is it also Navy Blue?

Edit: it all looks to be Navy Blue. Even the mast heads, although on the tincan USS Drayton on the S+S site it appears gray.