F4F Wildcat Interior color

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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Question for the resident experts-what is the interior color of the F4F Wildcat, Pacific theater. Tamiya instructions call for a mix of ‘flat yellow & flat green’. I’m hoping it is zinc green (I have a bunch left over, already thinned and ready to shoot!). Also, the interior of the lower fuselage (where landing gear would reside during flight) is to be painted ‘flat white’ per the same instructions. Is that correct?

Thanks in advance.

edit-bad spelling

2

As far as the green goes, tamiya tells you to mix a ratio of 2:1. That is their version of interior green, AKA zinc chromate. I was pondering the same thing as i thumbed thru the directions of my f-4uD Corsair. I don’t know about the white, but someone else will!

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thanks

4

Hey guys, I have been doing research on Grumman F4Fs for about 15 years and have amassed more references than any one person should have. For Grumman built F4Fs, the interior cockpit color is a “Grumman Bronze Green,” and its pretty dark, way darker than the generic zinc chromate. I use either Testor Model Master “Euro I Green” or Humbrol #88 “Deck Green.” All other interior surfaces are a ““Grumman Gray” which has been matched to FS 36440, and this would include the gear well area that Tamiya calls out as “white,”. Good luck and let me know if ya need any other assistance and enjoy the Tamiya F4F, its one of the best kits on the market (but then again, I am biased!!”

BW

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thanks BW

6

As I can tell Interior and Zinc Chromate Green are two different colours. Interior being a little on the darkish side where as Zinc is more of a brighter shade with a hint of yellow.
I myself would go with the Interior Green.
Flaps up, Mike

7

I’ll second the “Grumman bronze green” colour already mentioned. Alot of the restored aircraft I’ve seen are painted with the lighter interior green. But, all of the un-restored and wartime shots I have seen show a darker colour. Some later Wildcats probably had interior green cockpits (especially the ones built by General Motors).

Go with grumman gray for the wheel well interiors too. All other interior surfaces apart from the cockpit would be this colour too. The small scalloped areas behind the wheel wells would be the camouflsge colour of the underside.

hope that helps.

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thanks all

9

I’m not to sure if I would go with the Grey in the wheel wells - Navy practice during that time period was to paint the wheel wells the same color as the exterior around the wheel well, which would be white on the F4F.

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That depends on whether you are doing the blue-grey over grey scheme or the later tri-colour scheme. If you’re doing a tri-colour Wildcat, the wheel wells could have been white. But if you’re doing the earlier sceme (which alot of wildcats were delivered in), I’d definitely stick with grey.

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thanks all-lot of good info here.

12

I have found that with Bronze Green there is considerable variation, as with all WW II interior colors, and especially greens. But one thing a true bronze green has that other greens don’t is a tiny hint of blue in it. Sometimes this blue is very noticeable, such as on many North American componants of the period, and sometimes it’s just a tad, like on Grumman products. So for the latter, to the green I add just a couple of drops of MM French Blue or any other true blue color depending on what brand of paint I’m using. The reason it’s called “bronze green” is because it resembles the patina of oxydized bronze, like the light Nile green color you get from oxydized copper (i.e., the Statue of Liberty).
TOM