F-22 Raptor; what is this colour scheme and which colours?

[bootneck]

I've just watched this video on YouTube of a Raptor and I'm keen to know what colour scheme it had; does it have an official designation?  Also, which greys are used in the scheme?   Once that is identified, I would like to know of any source of images which can help me to prepare a model to be painted that way.  I have a few F-22 Raptor kits but I'm not that knowledgeable on USAF markings to be able to proceed yet.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice and info which will hopefully be provided here.

 

Mike

[Murph]

The official scheme uses the "Mod Eagle" colors of FS #36176 and FS #36251; however the finish varies dramatically depending on the lighting and viewing angle from dead matte gray to metallic.  The best way to reproduce the finish that I've seen is what Mark Bilas at Wolfpak Decals suggests:  LINK and ANOTHER LINK

 

Regards,

Murph

[PhantomBigStu]

1 hour ago, Murph said:

The official scheme uses the "Mod Eagle" colors of FS #36176 and FS #36251; however the finish varies dramatically depending on the lighting and viewing angle from dead matte gray to metallic.  The best way to reproduce the finish that I've seen is what Mark Bilas at Wolfpak Decals suggests:  LINK and ANOTHER LINK

 

Regards,

Murph

 

yep, but theres is something not quite right about them, guessing its because of the radar absorption paint is mixed in, mod eagle on the 22 is appears less blue than on the F-15 and also has a metallic sheen which is not present on the eagle. So you will have to do some clever mixing as per both models in those links. 

 

edit is possible the medium grey is the lighter mod eagle grey, but the darker could actually be FS36173 instead

Edited July 10, 2017 by PhantomBigStu

[John Laidlaw]

And here's another take on it, from a reply from Lockheed Martin, to a person who posted the response on the Finescale Forum:

Subject: FW: F-22 Paint Federal Stock Numbers

"NOTE: due to the stealth properties of the coatings applied to the F/A-22, the Raptor's appearance in photographs is somewhat different that what might be expected based on the use of standard FS paint numbers listed here." The topcoat's color is a function of viewing angle; therefore, it cannot be represented by a FED-STD color. This is due to
its primary function which is not a color coat.

The generic Fed-Std-595 numbers of 36173, and 36251 are provided for painting an F/A-22 model.

Please check the F/A-22 web site as we will be posting the decal markings, etc. in the near future."

[bootneck]

Thanks for the responses.  I've waited this long before replying as the answer seems to be a complex one; in terms of which paint colour and brand to use, and was waiting just in case there was any further input from the members here.  I mainly use Vallejo acrylics and will try to find some matches; although, by the sound of it, this might have to be a 'near as will do'.

 

Thanks again

 

Mike

[DaveJL]

Mike,

 

I've had one of these planned for some time now too, and my biggest headache is the same as yours - the paint!

 

I've read a few articles and looked at many builds and one of the most common way to get results, good results at that, is to add either Tamiya XF-16 flat aluminium or Mr Color SM04 'super metallic' to the base colours (i'm sure any acrylic metallic would work) - the ratio seems to be 3:1 in favour of the greys. I've not had the nerve to tackle it yet, but will do soon enough all being well

[bootneck]

Hi Dave,

 

thanks for this bit of info; I might give that a try on some scrap plastic first, just to see how it looks.

 

cheers

 

Mike