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Accurate decals for 1/350 Los Angeles class subs? Also, a question re: hull red

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  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: NW Washington
Posted by dirkpitt77 on Monday, April 8, 2013 10:51 AM

I picked up the 1/350 U.S.S. Greeneville kit from Hobby Boss. Not a bad little kit at all, but it seems the decals are not accurate. They indicate large numbers to be placed on the sail for the hull number, but if I'm not mistaken, these boats have their hull number marked at the bow, in a much smaller font. Does anyone know a source for decent decals for this kit?

  Also, what's the skinny on using hull red to paint the bottom of the L.A. class boats? Is that accurate still? Thought I'd heard some of the newer boats had gone away from that.

  

  Thanks for any advice!

   Chris

    "Some say the alien didn't die in the crash.  It survived and drank whiskey and played poker with the locals 'til the Texas Rangers caught wind of it and shot it dead."

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Mansfield, TX
Posted by EdGrune on Monday, April 8, 2013 11:20 AM

All identifying markings are removed from operational US submarines.   This includes both the large hull numbers on the sail and the smaller number on the hull.  Names are also painted over.    Numbers are shown for photo ops with magnetized stick on numbers.

If you really need to locate a set of LA class number decals, contact Brandon at Freetime Hobbies and ask him if they have any left over decal sets which used to be included in the old Blue Water Navy/Yankee Modelworks resin sub kits.

  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: NW Washington
Posted by dirkpitt77 on Monday, April 8, 2013 7:47 PM

Thanks, Ed. Know anything on the hull red issue?

    "Some say the alien didn't die in the crash.  It survived and drank whiskey and played poker with the locals 'til the Texas Rangers caught wind of it and shot it dead."

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Monday, April 8, 2013 8:35 PM

The US Navy has gone to an overall black on sumarines in this century. If you want to do a Cold War boat, hull red lower hull is good. War on Terror era, black will work.

 

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

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: NW Washington
Posted by dirkpitt77 on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 2:33 PM

Thanks, gents.

    "Some say the alien didn't die in the crash.  It survived and drank whiskey and played poker with the locals 'til the Texas Rangers caught wind of it and shot it dead."

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 5:58 PM

I served on six different submarines including 3 SSN's and 3 SSBN's from 1980 to mid-1996. Four of them were painted the standard flat red tinged with a small mixture of brown on the lower hull half while the upper half was a shade of flat black. The Tamiya hull red is not the correct shade of red, nor is most flat black paints the correct shade of black. Also, the masts and antennaes were painted a silvery gray with black mottled camouflage.

Today, the submarines that I have seen at the US Naval Submarine Base in Groton, CT are painted overall flat black, as are the upper parts of the masts and antennaes; the lower part is a charcoal-gray.

The best match I have seen for the overall black hulls and sails is the Tamiya German Gray, although it should be darkened with a little blue. There are no deck markings except at builder's trials prior to delivery to the Navy. I have never seen hull numbers painted on a submarine, and the numbers seen on the sail are nothing but temporary plaques put in place when in port.

I hope that it helps!

Bill

  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Friday, April 12, 2013 8:37 AM

This is how all current USN SSNs look now. Do you notice all the different shades on different components and panels? It is because some surfaces are for sensors and do not get the anechoic tiles like the normal hull does. Also, numerous classified sections have been covered up, like the the seawater exchange ports and the propulsor (propeller).    I am putting a picture of a torpedo propulsor in here so you can get an idea of what the sub's propulsor looks like.

This is what a submarine usually looks like out of the water before pressure cleaning and paint:

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Friday, April 12, 2013 12:19 PM

What shade of gray is that on the lower hull?

Bill

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Friday, April 12, 2013 1:56 PM

Also, is this boat in the PreComm stage? The boats I see almost every day in New London/Groton do not have the deck markings typically mounted during builder's trials and not during active service.

Bill

  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Friday, April 12, 2013 3:45 PM

There are no deck markings but the draft markers are always on there.

The paint color above the waterline is a semi-gloss black (boot topping like the black stripe on the hulls of surface ships.) The anti-fouling paint below the water line is like a dark gunship gray and has a flat or matte finish.

I updated the pictures in my post above as some of them didn't reproduce here before. ( I can see them on my screen but couldn't on a different computer.)

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: NW Washington
Posted by dirkpitt77 on Friday, April 12, 2013 10:39 PM

Awesome pics. Thanks Subfixer!

    "Some say the alien didn't die in the crash.  It survived and drank whiskey and played poker with the locals 'til the Texas Rangers caught wind of it and shot it dead."

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Saturday, April 13, 2013 10:23 AM

Thanks for the photos. I am struck by how different the color scheme is from the date I retired in 1996, both in the masts and antennaes, and in the hull paint scheme. Why did the submarine service change?

Bill

  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Sunday, April 14, 2013 11:15 AM

warshipguy

. Why did the submarine service change?

Bill

New materials? Camoflage? Ease of maintenance? Secret stuff?

Beats me.   Angel

Lee

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: EG48
Posted by Tracy White on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 4:16 PM

The Navy has been keeping up with paint and coating advances and is trying new formulas and materials out to decrease upkeep costs. The "below waterline" coating is much too dark for gunship gray and looks more like a chalked black. One thing for modelers new to the hobby is that pure black looks way too dark "in scale" and a very dark gray will typically look better and more true. I like to use ModelMaster's "Aircraft Interior Black" (Acryl and enamel versions available) as a good submarine base. My 1/350th LA class and Skipjack used this with regular flat black for the anti skid, if you want to see how it looks.

Tracy White Researcher@Large

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 6:52 PM

I'll have to try the aircraft interior black. Thanks for the tip!

Bill

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 10:10 PM

Look into some railroad colors- there are several black shades made by by Floquil/Polly Scale in enamel and acrylic: Engine Black, Weathered Black, Grimy Black, Oily Black...

 

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

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 7:52 AM

I have never been satisfied with any of the blacks I have tried. The closest I have come to replicating the shade on all of the submarines on which I have served was a mixture of Tamiya German Gray, with Tamiya flat black and navy blue. It was simply trial and error, and was close but still didn't look quite right, even considering scale effect. I will look at some of the railroad paints. Thanks!

Bill

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