Final top coat

Hello all. I’ve hit a bit of a mental block. I can’t remember what sort of finish I should put on my modern jets. I know WW2 is matt, post 'Nam is gloss, but what about after that? All replies appreciated.

Cheers

Shaun

Erm, I think you got that sideways…[oops] WW2 is gloss or matt, depending on who, when, and where. The P-39, for example, was always painted in gloss. Post 'Nam is flat, mostly…

Look here, among other places.

I’m curious, what P-39s were painted gloss?

To the best of my knowledge, they were flat, in most of there color schemes.

As far as post-Vietnam the USAF was still using flat colors up into the late 1980s, and then there were some schemes that called for a semi-gloss. The only full gloss paint jobs I can thing of, are those aircraft used by VIPs.

Of course, there were some gloss gray birds used by the ANG (ie. F-4s, F-106s), but most combat ready squadrons that were to be deployed world-wide, wore a flat paint job.

See! Told you I had a mental blank. Thanks for the replies. Specifically I want to finish off my F-15 & 16, & so needed to refresh my memory whether to spray a semi-gloss or not. The gloss finish I took from our RAN references. Our A-4’s were in gloss colours.

From memory, the Aussie A-4G’s were initially finished in the “standard” USN Light Gull Grey (FS 16440) over Insignia White (FS 17875) scheme (both gloss finishes) - Late in the life cycle, they wore a blue-grey/grey camouflage scheme (not sure about the colour numbers), which appeared to be a semi-gloss in many of the photos that I’ve seen.

Thanks Phil. Yes the first scheme you mention is the version I’m talking about - don’t remember or have any refs for the other scheme you write about.

Leon, you’ve just saved me some embarassment with that question! [oops] I went back to my references so that I could give you specific information—and I can’t find it anywhere! Yet I remember taking particular note of it, because—if true—it would be unusual. I was so certain of this that a nearly complete P-39 is sitting on by bench with a nice semigloss finish, satin on the fabric. Now I have to apply a coat of flat [banghead]. Since this model is almost the only one I’ve completed in the last fifteen years, you can guess my chagrin and frustration.

Thanks! [bow]