I a little confused about the interior colors. I have yellow and I have green chromate ( I’m at work so I don’t have the paint bottle to spell it right). In the instructions I read green interior, but in some photos I see (sometimes right on the box) that they used yellow. Can someone please explain this.[:(!]
chromate is an aircraft primer and comes in different shades from almost yellow to a light green so check refrences on what aircraft you are makeing to see what the closest shade is
Zippy, in my research I’ve found that usually WWII aircraft interiors are either green zinc chromate or interior green, while sometimes wheel wells, bombays, and some other interior spaces (like in a bomber) are yellow zinc chromate. I guess you just have to research a whole bunch and do what your refrence material says!
Yellow tended to be used on surfaces that would be exposed for prolonged periods. Generally, greenZ was for areas that were inside the aircraft. It is important to check specific resources due to the “whatever we can use we need it done yesterday” manufacturing that had gone on.
A somewhat related question. Does anyone sell yellow or green zinc chromate in a spray can?
-dave
Dave, you could a lot worse than going to IPMS Stockholm’s website & flick through till you get to the section on WW2 US Interior Colours. This will give you as good an idea as any of where to use green z, yellow z, or int green. To confuse matters they also discuss a couple of other greens, but you’ll see that when you go to the site. No they don’t come in a spray, but MM do both green z chromate & interior green in their enamel range. If you prefer acrylics, I think Gunze do similar colours in their range too.
HTH
Zip,
the difference is that the Green Zinc Chromate was used in the cockpit areas before Interior Green color became the standard as with the Yellow Zinc Chromate would be used in the rest of the areas that where primered, but during WWII alot of the Zinc Chromate primering was discontinued because of weight savings (to gain distance) and the rush of production (trying to get a few built in one day) and ALCLAD Aluminum was introduced (thus no need for primer protection)
So here is a basic rule of thumb, green for areas that flight crew (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, navigater) are and the others for rest of the crew
Here’s the link I had it in my favorites[:D]
http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/02/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us_part2.htm
Interior green was produced by adding black dye to the yellow primer. In paint there are several types of black, red-black, blue-black, etc., but the most common is blue-black. Add blue to yellow, and green results. Before I retired, one day, when I was at a loose end, in the company’s spray shop, I experimented with present-day yellow primer, by adding black paint. First, I got a very good approximation to interior green, then, with more black, a bronze green, then a pretty good olive drab. It doesn’t mean a thing, with regard to what was available 60+ years ago, though.
Edgar Brooks
The colour you are decribing was called Yellow-Green. A variety of colours/paints were used on interior surfaces. For example Mustangs supplied to the British had wheel wells in Aluminium or Aluminiumed lacquer dopes. The rear face of the wheel well (mian spar) Zinc Chromate Yellow protective anti-corrosive material, bright yellow in colour F5595/33481. Pilots seats Medium Green 42 Dull Dark Green FS595/34092. ANA612. Floor of cockpit, dull metal or wooden slats also ANA612. Walls and bulkheads of cockpit up to and including Mustang IIIs Yellow Green. Yellow Green was specified as 1 gallon Zinc Chromate (Yellow) Primer, 1 gallon Toloune Substitute, 1 gallon Black Enamel or paste. Originally 4oz of Aluminium powder was also included. The mixed colour resulting was ANA611 FS595/34151. On Mustang IVs this mixed colour was replaced by Interior Green finish which matched ANA611 34151. So although they looked the same Yellow-Green and Interior Green were different paints but may well have used similar pigments.
In February 1944 Wright Field suggested that Zinc Chromate primer be tinted to match Olive Drab. One light-weight coat would protect exterior surfaces while offering some camouflage. Although it never got to the production lines a few aircraft were painted with this material.
To simplify, since nobody consistantly followed the tech orders on this, and we’ve argued chromates on this site ad nauseam, green chromate was, as per tech orders – and this one was usually followed – but green chromate was used in crew areas because it obviously produced less glare than a yellow protective coating. Yellow was fine for, say, the aft fuselage behind the waist gunners on a B-25 (look at your photos), but not for the radio operator’s station. So basically most B-25’s are painted yellow from the rear bulkhead behind the waist guns back.
Just follow the crew area rule, and you’ll be generally safe in the absense of any interior detail photographs of the bird you are modeling.
TOM
Hey Shark;
I’ve seen the interior of the B-24’s & B-26’s and most of which their aft sections where left Natural Metal, but I’ve seen pix of the B-24’s to have Yellow Zinc Chromate from the bomb bay aft and Green forward, and for the B-26 it pretty much was NMF except for the cockpit and that was either Green or Black, and the most confusing one is the Fort it has so many different interior colors it’ll make you nuts, Green up front and NMF from bomb bay aft with either Green or Yellow Ribbing, or completely Green through out, or completely Yellow aft, I think you get the picture, but like I said before a basic rule of thumb is flight crew areas Green (up front) and the gunners areas (rest of the plane) Yellow or NMF