SPA Modeler

This has been discussed quite a lot, it seems.

This thread here seems to indicate that “Interior Green” for the cockpit, sidewalls can be either Black or Interior Green, and that the rest of the stuff like wheel wells and the interior of the gear bay doors were oversprayed with white.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hypersc ... 13893.html

That adds an interesting dimension to this, vis: I could, technically mix-up a Zinc Chromate as per the original article, lay that down in the cockpit in the mottled fashion I do with my Black Basing, then mix interior green and over-spray the cockpit components with that for the blend coat. Following along with that, I could basically do the same with the wheel wells and interior of the gear bay doors- spray them with the same Zinc Chromate mix, and then lay down the white on top. Just like they may have done at the factory.

That is, if they’d started doing that by 1944, when old “122” was tear-assing around the Gilbert Islands looking for a fight.

44 minutes to add to yer playlist:



Deja vu on cockpit interior colors. I did not click the link you posted yet, due to fear of rabbiting down a king size hole into a nicely furnished living room the end of 2001; and in this room are model builders from all decades poring over swatches and source books... oh that’s the internet isn’t it... I decided with the Stang to study when the frame was built and where it was shipped and even how it was shipped for clues to the way it was factory painted; two primary assembly centers in two states in this case adds to the interest... but... you got this. Only maybe paint tests first. That is what I am gonna end up doing. Tests on plastic card. John suggested practicing on real estate signs or at least I thought he suggested this, and I started collecting a bunch of these and cleaning them up ready for practice....

Hey Bruce, this is great stuff! Thank you!

And yep! Test paint, test paint, test paint. I’ll work-up a custom, slightly lighter interior green match as best I can. Then mottle it over a black and blend it in like I do. That should get me well inside the ballpark.

I’ll read more about gear bay door interior.

As to the actual build commencement, let’s take the butchers as what I’ve got so far:



It became apparent right away that my normal method of building the cockpit module first and then painting it and weathering it won’t be optimal for this build. Look at the detail on the forward bulkhead! It’s begging to be washed. And check out the detail here:



Yep. That’s a dry-brushers dream-come-true right there. It’ll be far easier to tackle this is segments and I’m comfortable with that.

In terms of the rudder pedals, I put it in place and glued it to the brace it attaches to, to ensure good alignment in the bulkhead, let it dry, then removed it so that I could paint and weather in there without interference. I’ll gwt to priming them either later today or tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’ll be researching Zinc Chromate and Interior Green some more.

The trouble I have with Gunze is, it isn’t readily available to me out here. I can get Tamiya paint quite easily and have been using it pretty much exclusively since I started out. I’m a bit hesitant to try new paints.

That said, I have been shopping around online for new clear coats to try out. Certain washes and other products do better I’ve read, with a lacquer clear coat. So I have some Mr. Color stuff arriving sometime between the 20th. of this month and the 5th. of next month.

LOL I hate waiting for the mail.

Got a distributor who ships stuff fast, and reliably?

Using Tamiya paints to mix Interior Green, start with Light Yellow or Yellow Green, I forget the name offhand and I’m at work now so I can’t look at mine. It’s a puke yellow color and a great match for yellow zinc chromate. Then just add black to taste, just like they did for the real stuff. That Tamiya cockpit green is a Japanese color, for Nakajima built aircraft. It is also close to RAF Gray Green for any WWII Brit builds you may do. But not good for US cockpits.
On my Birdcage Corsair build, I used Dull Dark Green for the cockpit.

I have that color.

I also have the flat yellow and flat green the instructions call out.

I was thinking of using the yellow-green, sprayed thin over black. But yup, according to the article, they mixed the black in with it, and I figure if that’s how they did it, then Hell, that’s how I’m gonna do it!

Rock.

Just eyeball your mixture to match a good reference of the original and you’ll be fine. Fun stuff.

Got plenty of those my man! And note the one with the darker sidewalls. That’s normal according to the article. I rather like that. It’s something I may consider.





Fun stuff indeed.

I would not trust restored aircraft photos too much. 1) there is often color shift due to lighting, printing, etc. and 2) not all restorations are created equal, or using 100% faithful colors and materials. Model Master and Humbrol both make a good interior green, not to confused with green zinc chromate... which is different than yellow zinc chromate... you’re chasing rabbits now!