A question for the naval aviation ordnance guys

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Building the trumpeter Avenger in 1/32. What colors are the torpedo? warhead/body/props? any guidance greatly appreciated… Damn Chinese kits offer zero color references!

thanks

Claude

2

I have seen wartime color photos of them being either a steel color body and dark gull gray (or similar color) warhead (early war), or black body with steel or gray warhead (late war). DO NOT paint the warhead red!!! or the body white.

3

Search here at FSM. There is a thread about torpedoes that shows color photos of TBD’s with torps mounted. It is from '04, I think, as I saved the photos, but lost my harddrive and lost them. AS I remember, the head was a bronze color with the body being gray. These are Mark 13’s.

Edit: check for TBM-3 torpedo color thread-from 2005

4

Here are some museum pieces.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/051021-F-1234P-010.jpg

http://www.vectorsite.net/Ywtpd_1m.jpg

http://www.vectorsite.net/Ywtpd_2m.jpg

and a wartime B&W shot you can interpret yourself

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g290000/g298609.jpg

And this shot from the Hornet shortly before Midway

http://www.centuryinter.net/midway/Carrier_Squadrons/Torpedo_Eight/t5_may42.html

5

thanks everybody! A wealth of information as always!