Hellcat weathering question

Silver

No one knows the actual exact colors.Even the top computer generated colors of ww2 photos are an actual guess.

 

Well, most WWII paints used on military equipment were produced to government standards to match color chips. Of course quality of paint, service life etc, all went to work on that paint as soon as said item left the factory, but they all started from a known point. A P-38 serving in Iceland, will weather differently from one produced at the same time that was sent to North Africa, Guadalcanal, or New Guinea. 

Silver

No one knows the actual exact colors.Even the top computer generated colors of ww2 photos are an actual guess.

 

Indeed.  It is very hard to process color film to preserve color accuracy, and was not ordinarily done.  And, especially if you save in jpeg, digital cameras are not much better.  Further, if the photo is reproduced in magazine or book, the normal printing press process creates loss of color accuracy as bad as, or even worse than, the photographic process.  Do not believe in the color of a vehicle just because you saw it in a book or magazine photo.

No one knows the actual exact colors.Even the top computer generated colors of ww2 photos are an actual guess.

Thanks Don. I find myself frustrated as after the second round of putty/sand/paint, I still have noticeable seams at just a few places on the fuselage. I was sure, both looking and feeling, that the seam would have been gone, but it's still visible. Part of me is saying forget it because it's my first build in years, but it's still bugging me. I don't want to bog down in perfectionism,but I'll see the flaws when it's done. 

Since I do putty and sand in multiple sessions, it doesn't really matter the order- sort of as in a sequence ABABAB you can start with either A or B.  If there is a crack or low spot I go with putty first. If there is a bump sticking up above the rest of the surface I sand first.

In any case, I use small amounts of putty once painting has started, and repetitively alternate putty and sanding.  BTW, I find needle files a good alternative to sanding- takes off material faster, with smaller scratches, and easier leveling.

Another question, this one though is more general than weathering. I primed the Hellcat and the fuselage seams that I thought I'd filled are pretty obvious still. My question is how would I hit them again. Sand them down first and putty or the other way around? Seems like a simple process but I want to do it in the correct order. Thanks for any help or suggestions

That's a very good idea. I'll do that and try to post a pic when I'm done. Thanks for your input. 

Along the west and tear train of thought, any of the overall blue aircraft would be fairly new production. By the end of the battle of Okinawa, that scheme had been in use  about 8 months on the oldest aircraft. Carriers rotated in and out of the battle area, replaced older aircraft with new ones while in the rear areas, and went back into the fight. Have a look at photos of Hellcats from that time period and find one that suits your fancy.

Interesting thought on the environment the F6F would have been subject to at that point in the war. I hadn't thought of that. Maybe the plan then is to focus more on trying my hand on wear and tear instead of weathering. 

Just a thought- the overall sea blue Hellcats were more likely to be salt weathered than sun bleached. That scheme came into use shortly before Leyte Gulf in October 44. After that battle, the carriers were operating more in the temperate winter waters of the northern Pacific for the Tokyo raids and the spring waters off Okinawa. Neither area being tropical, or quite so harsh as the Central and South Pacific, and far more cloudy and gray.

It's the Tamiya AS-8 navy blue which I think is a semi gloss more or less Don. 

Is that a matt, gloss or eggshell blue?