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Paint recommendations. USN WWII

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  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Mansfield, TX
Posted by EdGrune on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 6:54 AM

What is considered to be the most accurate WWII US Navy paints are by While Ensign Models, in the Colourcoats line.   John Snyder of WEM is a paint conservator by vocation (he married into the ship model business).   John researched the period paint specifications and got access to paint lockers.  From his work he produced the Snyder & Short paint chip colors.   They are still available at shipcamouflage.com

Fast forward to White Ensign,  John was able to have produced some paints which match his paint ships.   Soon after he begins selling paint, Testors announces that they will begin producing a set of acrylic paint based on the Snyder & Short paint chips.    The product line is not as wide as the Colourcoat line,  and due to poor sales they have been taken out of production.   Some, but not all, of the colors are available from Testors, direct.

Even though Testors, Floquil, and Pollyscale are owned by the same company they do not produce the same products.   The Pollyscale paints are sort'a close.  Others are just plain wrong.  They have the same common name - they must be the same color -- right? To my eye, comparing the Colourcoat 5-H Haze Gray with the Pollyscale version, the PS is too blue.

The best, most accurate colors are the Colourcoat line of enamel paints from White Ensign.   The most accurate arylic paints are the Testors Acryl II Marine line of paints - knowing that you may have to mix or do without some colors.  

The final solution may be to purchase the Snyder & Short paint chip cards and mix your own to this standard.

Oh, and before anyone asks;  there is no Fed-Std equivalent for these colors.   These are matched to the 1929 Munsell color standard.   The colors were actually discontinued during the last year of the war.  When the Fed-Std was established in the '50s they chose to not include obsolete colors -- so the WWII naval colors never became part of the standard.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Monday, May 19, 2008 11:32 PM
Testors Acryl and Polly Scale both make WWII USN shades that would be correct for this.

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: Michigan
Paint recommendations. USN WWII
Posted by ps1scw on Monday, May 19, 2008 10:17 PM

Hello, which brand of paint do you feel is the most accurate match for the above paint callout.  I prefer water based.  Thank you.

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