F-35 RAM panel colour change?

[keithjs]

Probably a long shot but does anyone know roughly when F-35s were starting to be given an all over scheme of FS16170 instead of having the RAM panels painted in a lighter colour?  Thank you.

[tsepajev]

It's actually FS36270 Haze Gray.

It's the same darker gray as in previous F-35 scheme.

I saw first F-35s with FS36270 RAM panels in 2019.

You can check from this huge USAF photo database:

https://www.af.mil/News/Photos/igsearch/f-35/igsort/PhotoDate/

 

BTW: Depending on light, F-35 seems to have semimetallic finish.

It's available as clear varnish MRP-278 HAVE Glass Special Matt Varnish from MRP.

FS16170 is available from Russian Akan manufacturer and MRP (MRP-039 Haze Gray FS36270).

[Tojo72]

Thanks good info.

[keithjs]

Ah, right, thank you. So about 4 years ago then. All I need to work out now is which is the best one to use. I've read good things about the MRP system.

[Steve McArthur]

7 hours ago, keithjs said:

Probably a long shot but does anyone know roughly when F-35s were starting to be given an all over scheme of FS16170 instead of having the RAM panels painted in a lighter colour?  Thank you.

What are you trying to accomplish?  Why is the date important?

 

Googling "F-35 change to RAM colors" it took just a few seconds for me to push the date back to at least 2018, but the change probably happened sometime in 2017 to allow for the time it would take for the change to be captured by plane spotters and circulated in the civilian world.  

 

The current panels have a different sheen than the main surface treatment, so depending on the lighting they are virtually invisible or stick out like the old panels did. 

 

4 hours ago, tsepajev said:

It's actually FS36270 Haze Gray.

 

The F-35 primary color is FS36170 with FS36270 being called out by some kit makers as the lighter RAM panels. FS36270 is the light gray in the two-tone F-16 color scheme, so pretty light compared to F-35s.  In Mr. Paint's line it's MRP-280 Camouflage Grey FS36170 that has (F-16, F-35 use with HAVE Glass) printed on the label

Edited December 21, 2023 by Steve McArthur

[keithjs]

The date is only relative as the aircraft I'd like to build has the lighter RAM panels and the photo is dated 2018. I was simply wondering/guessing whether that same aircraft has now been repainted all over 16170 as I really can't be asked to mask all the panels. Although I suppose they'd still need to masked to spray them 36270.....

Edited December 22, 2023 by keithjs

[Steve McArthur]

1 hour ago, keithjs said:

I was simply wondering/guessing whether that same aircraft has now been repainted all over 16170 as I really can't be asked to mask all the panels. 

Now that's the question you should have led with, since it's really what you care about. I can't find any info on F-35s being stripped and repainted which is what would be required. Which leads me to believe it's rare for now. Their coatings are supposed to be more durable than previous paint technologies. 

 

Have you tried to find newer pics? Sites like airliners.net or jetphotos.com are searchable by tail number. The US (assuming a US plane) military's media sites are constantly adding new photos, look for photos of the unit or base its stationed at. Did the unit deploy, are there news stories with plane photos?  Typically all the planes in a unit will be of similar age if not sequential serial numbers, so the build level and mods are the same for the squadron.  If you find a current photo of a plane with a close tail number or a plane from the same unit odds are your plane is configured nearly identically.  But, it's also reasonable to assume that eventually the fleet will get the new scheme as they go through repaint (no idea how often that is). 

 

Finally it's your model, so you can paint it how you like.

 

BTW, I did run across this article that quotes a Lock-Mart memo dated April 13, 2017 announcing the change in RAM color to employees.  The article also concludes that eventually the fleet would receive the new coatings during depot maintenance. It also had this image of the first plane off the line in the new scheme.

 

 

[keithjs]

Thanks for your time and input Steve.

It seems strange I can't find any up to date photos which is why I asked. Yep, looked on all the usual sites. The aircraft in question is from VMFAT-501 (dated 2023) from Furball sheet 48091. The one with the white rudder. The colour they say is all over 16170 so I can only assume they have evidence to prove it? Interestingly on their sheet 48069 there is my second choice of  VMFAT-501 (dated 2018) and its shown with the lighter RAM panels. Also one of the options in the Italeri kit.

But, like you say I can build it as I like. But I would like to get it right if I can. 

[Steve McArthur]

1 hour ago, keithjs said:

Thanks for your time and input Steve.

It seems strange I can't find any up to date photos which is why I asked. Yep, looked on all the usual sites. The aircraft in question is from VMFAT-501 (dated 2023) from Furball sheet 48091. The one with the white rudder. The colour they say is all over 16170 so I can only assume they have evidence to prove it? Interestingly on their sheet 48069 there is my second choice of  VMFAT-501 (dated 2018) and its shown with the lighter RAM panels. Also one of the options in the Italeri kit.

But, like you say I can build it as I like. But I would like to get it right if I can. 

You give more info about what you are trying to do and it's easier to provide relevant answers.

 

Doing a training squadron, you are going to have some of the oldest rattiest looking F-35Bs out there.  Also the Marines started getting F-35s before the other services, so they probably have more planes with the old style RAM. If you want a clean new plane I'd look for a squadron that transitioned after 2017.

 

The exterior color is 36170 (flat) not 16170 (gloss). If the finish is glossy it's more of feature of age and cleanliness of the F-35s  I posted in another thread showing a difference in one squadron 2.5 years apart. 

 

Another nit to pick is the white should be 17925 and not 17875 Furball has in their instructions. You can look it up yourself MIL-STD-2161C Notice 1  2161C refers to 17875 as Glossy White and 17925 as Insignia White (untinted).  In MIL-STD-2161C 17875 is only called out on the C-40 (Boeing 737). In all other cases the white called out is 17925. The problem is a color named "Insignia White" has been around since WWII as ANA 601 and went into MIL-STD-595 as 17875 but the names are not official. Many of us grew up with Model Master paints where Insignia White was 17875 and it was much later they came out with 17925 as Gloss White in their Model Master II line.  I prefer to use Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer White thinned with MLT as my untinted white.

 

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7052909/vmfat-501-shop-photo 

 

Feb 14, 2022 

 

June 22 2023 If you zoom in you can make out the white rudder and stars on the tail.

 

August 3, 2023 - Note the VM on the tail is different.

 

[keithjs]

Morning Steve,

                             Thanks for the photos. I did actually find those myself and I think they must be the latest available. 

I'll see what turns up when I get to the painting stage.

Again, thanks for your help and have a great Christmas.