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USN WWII Paint Schemes

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  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Saturday, January 19, 2008 11:30 PM
Testors and Polly Scale now also make USN WWII paint colors in Acrylics. In case you LHS carries either brand.

 

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

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Middle Tennessee
Posted by Dick McC2 on Saturday, January 19, 2008 5:48 AM

Certainly appreciate all the data.... It never ceases to amaze me the amount of knowledge that FSM members possess and are willing to share. Now I have a better idea on what paint to use on my conversion of the Cleveland class Light Cruiser to USS Denver, vintage 1944.

Thanks again,

Dick McC

 

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: USA
Posted by cruichin on Friday, January 18, 2008 2:17 PM

I've ordered several items from WEM and never had a problem. Shipment was always prompt and accurate and generally arrived in a few days.

 

Steve

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: NJ
Posted by JMart on Friday, January 18, 2008 12:04 PM

GreatModels also carries WEM paints, just ordered their USN Haze/Deck/Flight Deck Grays. Just check before ordering if you are in a rush, many of the paints are not in stock.

 

 

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Mansfield, TX
Posted by EdGrune on Friday, January 18, 2008 10:50 AM

There is no direct correlation between any of the US Navy's WWII ship camouflage colors and the Fed_Std_595 system.    Any chart which offers such a conversion is someone's personal opinion.   And we all know about modelers opinions -- you ask 6 modelers their opinion on a subject and you will get at least a dozen different answers.

The Navy's WWII colors were based on the 1929 Munsell Color System standards.    They were based on a purple/blue scheme.  Early in the war paints were mixed at the yard (or on board ship) by adding so many units of Blue Tinting Medium paste to so many gallons of white paint vehicle.  The colors of batches varied greatly.  Later in the war the paint came pre-mixed and was more uniform.  By very late in the war (i.e. summer, 1945) - the Navy terminated the use of the purple/blues in favor of neutral grays. 

It is also important to point out that the 1929 Munsell Color reference is not consistent with today's Munsell color notation -- you cannot get to the correct color using todays Munsell system and the WWII color specification.

The Fed_Std_595 system was developed in the 1950s in an attempt to standardize the color specifications of not only the military, but also the civilian agencies (USPS, VA, NPS, Forest Service, etc.).    Some similar colors were lumped together -- close enough for government work.  Obsolete colors were not included in the specification, a'la the WWII naval blues.

Furthermore the Fed_Std system is not extensible.  You cannot compare a color with a set of standard chips and say that the new color is one unit bluer and three units grayer than a standard.  Again, practicioners of this are exercising their own personal opinion.

White Ensign is not the only point of sales for their paints.   In the States you can order the paints from Randy Short at the shipcamouflage.com website you cited.   Randy and John Snyder of WEM used to be partners in Snyder & Short.   They developed the original paint chips which became the WEM Colourcoats.   Colourcoat paints are also available through the Floating Drydock website and through Pacific Front Hobbies online store.  You can buy them over the counter at AAA Hobbies in Marietta, GA and I believe from Colpar Hobbies in Aurora, CO.   Theyre may be others. 

 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Middle Tennessee
USN WWII Paint Schemes
Posted by Dick McC2 on Friday, January 18, 2008 10:06 AM

Has anyone come up with a conversion from USN WWII paint to modern Federal Standard (FS)? For example WWII "Deck Blue 20B" would equate to what in FS? I'm in the process of building up a light cruiser (CL) and would like to get as accurate a paint job done as possible. I did discover that White Ensign carries the USN WWII colors, but none of my local hobby shops carry that brand. Yes, I know I could order directly from White Ensign, but have a bunch of various FS USN grays and would like to use that up if possible. I also uncovered a nice site giving USN WWII camouglage colors which gives the specific measure paint various ships carried throughout the war:

shipcamouflage.com\measures.htm

Any assistance would be appreciated.

 Tks,

Dick McC

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