DominikS Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Hi Folks! I'm planning to build FAA Hellcat Mk.I and I need some help with the camouflage colours and paints I should use to paint it. The plane I want to build is: The instruction says that I should use Sky for the undersurfaces and Olive Drab and some Grey for the uppersurfaces. Is it correct or should I rather use the set of Sky/Dark Slate Grey/Dark Sea Grey? The picture is from Eduard's website and I put it here only for discussion. Regards Dominik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Maas Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Officially it's TSS, so Dark Slate Grey & Dark Sea Grey over Sky. Olive Drab can be a good alternative for Dark Slate Grey, I tend to do my TSS schemes in OD and Dark Sea Grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Graham Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Some US companies used OD instead of Dark Slate Grey, and Sea Gray instead of Extra Dark Sea Grey, as they were entitled to by mutual agreement. However, Grumman was not one of those companies and used paints that were a good match to the official British colours for the uppersurfaces. It is possibly true that the undersides were slightly greyer than true Sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Archer Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Hi! Grumman used colors which were matches to the FAA's TSS. That is use Extra Dark Sea Grey, Dark Slate Grey and Sky (sometimes the sky had a blueish tinge to it...possibly poor mixing?). Cockpit interior would be US Interior Green, and the inside of the cowl could be yellow zinc chromate or "Grumman" grey. Wheel wells and gear door insides are underside color. When I did the research for the Martlet article on Hyperscale, I ran into lots of color info on the Hellcat. Bruce Hi Folks! I'm planning to build FAA Hellcat Mk.I and I need some help with the camouflage colours and paints I should use to paint it. The plane I want to build is: The instruction says that I should use Sky for the undersurfaces and Olive Drab and some Grey for the uppersurfaces. Is it correct or should I rather use the set of Sky/Dark Slate Grey/Dark Sea Grey? The picture is from Eduard's website and I put it here only for discussion. Regards Dominik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Kunac-Tabinor Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Hi! Grumman used colors which were matches to the FAA's TSS. That is use Extra Dark Sea Grey, Dark Slate Grey and Sky (sometimes the sky had a blueish tinge to it...possibly poor mixing?). Cockpit interior would be US Interior Green, and the inside of the cowl could be yellow zinc chromate or "Grumman" grey. Wheel wells and gear door insides are underside color. When I did the research for the Martlet article on Hyperscale, I ran into lots of color info on the Hellcat. Bruce Hi Dominik - just a word to say that with Graham and Bruce ( hi Bruce!) you are getting top info - and no disrespect meant to Adam's post by that at all either. Cheers Jonners PS if you are building the Eduard 1/48th kit - watch out for the etch drop tank strpas - they are a bit short. Other than that - its one of the nicest kits you'll ever build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernando Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Hi, Dominik, Go as Bruce says, with the paints you would use for a British built machine. Though the companies which entered later in the production of Lend-Lease aircraft for the FAA, like Eastern used substitute paints from the ANA range (and, therefore, TSS would be Olive Drab 613, Sea Grey 603 and Sky 610) Grumman used paints which were a good match to the British colours. Fernando Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Neu- Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 If you don't mind I have a question that is pertinent to the OP's discussion. Are there any photos of this aircraft's squadronmates... or at least numbers that would go with it? I too have the dual boxing and want to build two aircraft from this squadron, but I couldn't find any information on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Graham Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 1844 sq. FN383 6F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iang Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) 1844 Squadron: Hellcat I and II BIEF 1944/5 R 6A R 6B R 6C R 6F: FN383 (4.1.45 and 24.1.45) R 6G: FN398 (4.1.45) R 6H: FN422 R 6J: FN396 (4.1.45) R 6K: FN439 (4.1.45 and 24.1.45) R 6L: JW731 (4.1.45 and 24.1.45) R 6M R 6P: FN378 R 6Q R 6R: FN430 R 6T R 6W: FN359 (4.1.45) R 6X: FN436 (4.1.45) TH: JW860 (Harrington, 5 wing Leader) Ignore the dates in brackets - these are just my notes of reports by these aircraft during Operation Meridian Edited August 23, 2012 by iang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DominikS Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 Thanks for all helpful replies. I think I'll have to use the mixture of Sky/EDSG and Olive Drab as my favourite Gunze doesn't have Dark Slate Grey. Bruce - what about blac for cowling inside? I remember reading about black there...or maybe was it about F6F-5/Mk.II? What's the best match for "Grumman Grey"? Jonners I'm gonna build Eduard's 72nd Hellcat, yet the problem may occur there too - I hope not. So, I'll soon start building Hellcat. First I have to finish I.R. Gleed's Spit Vb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephLalor Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Thanks for all helpful replies. I think I'll have to use the mixture of Sky/EDSG and Olive Drab as my favourite Gunze doesn't have Dark Slate Grey. Bruce - what about blac for cowling inside? I remember reading about black there...or maybe was it about F6F-5/Mk.II? What's the best match for "Grumman Grey"? Jonners I'm gonna build Eduard's 72nd Hellcat, yet the problem may occur there too - I hope not. So, I'll soon start building Hellcat. First I have to finish I.R. Gleed's Spit Vb. I've used H319 light green on a Seafire 46, and it looked like a reasonable shot at Dark Slate Grey to me. I think it's a component of the brown and two greens scheme used on the Mitsubishi F1 and the JASDF photo recce Phantoms. Joseph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Neu- Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 1844 sq. FN383 6F. 1844 Squadron: Hellcat I and II BIEF 1944/5 R 6A R 6B R 6C R 6F: FN383 (4.1.45 and 24.1.45) R 6G: FN398 (4.1.45) R 6H: FN422 R 6J: FN396 (4.1.45) R 6K: FN439 (4.1.45 and 24.1.45) R 6L: JW731 (4.1.45 and 24.1.45) R 6M R 6P: FN378 R 6Q R 6R: FN430 R 6T R 6W: FN359 (4.1.45) R 6X: FN436 (4.1.45) TH: JW860 (Harrington, 5 wing Leader) Ignore the dates in brackets - these are just my notes of reports by these aircraft during Operation Meridian Thank you both for this. I will probably use R 6P: FN378 because its easiest to create a P from an R. Did all of the squadron use the same nose numbering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Graham Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Grumman used such a nose number system as part of its production process. It would be therefore be different on each aircraft, but normally it would not be visible at all. Presumably if FN430 carried 430, then FN398 carried 398. I think you are safe to omit it, in the absence of any photograph proving otherwise. Personally, it looks a little too neat for the loose cyphers on other (USN) examples I've seen, but I presume it is based on a photo. Grumman could have had more than one signwriter, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernando Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 "Grumman Grey" can be mimicked by using any 36440 Light Gull Grey Fernando Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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