F4F-4 Wildcat wheel bay color question

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

I’ve just started on a Tamiya 1/48 F4F-4. It’s going to be a Marine bird on Guadalcanal in 1942. I’ve goggled photos of restored A/C that have the wheel bay area painted white as well as reading several build reviews on the net on which they were painted white. Is this accurate for the early war time period? It’s a beautiful kit of an important airplane and I’d like to get it right.

Thanks in Advance

Tom

2

The aircraft wheel bays were usually painted with zinc chromate primer, which is a yellow color. They may have been painted white in the field, if they ran low on paint. Many times the paint was mixed at the air field. The paint was white and pigment bags mixed in to reproduce the color needed. If they didn’t time or pigments they might have painted with straight paint. So unless you can find an account it will be difficult. Also avation gasoline, motor gasoline, and diesel fuel were used as paint thinner they can alter the color also.

3

This article may help.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/05/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us_part3.htm

I did mine white inside.

4

Thank you both very much. I appreciate the information. I’ve saved the IPMS Stockholm articles because I’m sure I’ll refering to them again and again.

Tom

5

I am currently building this same kit. I am using the Squadron In-Action and Walk-Around books, plus Bert Kizney’s Detail and Scale book on the Wildcat. These books suggest a light grey wheel well for the early war period, which is how I have painted mine.

6

Thanks, all, for the information. I’m glad I asked. Otherwise I’d probably have sprayed it with zinc chromate primer with an interior green cockpit. Now to find a good match for bronze green.

Thanks again,

Tom

7

Humbrol makes bronze green. I got it from Squadron.

8

Sorry for the delay in responding, but thanks, I’ll check that out.

Tom