practice bombs

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hey everyone… I thought it would be interesting to load out an A-6 Intruder i’m working on with practice bombs. My question is what color are they painted? I know they are concrete bombs painted blue but which blue exactly? If it helps i’m working on an “e” model Intruder and my intention is to paint it up as a bird from VA-35 circa 1980… So she’ll be the typical gull gray upper with white lower and a big yellowish nose.

I’m putting bombs on it because that’s what the kit came with. I usually work in 1/48th scale so i don’t have spares in my box for 1/72nd planes. Otherwise a couple big harpoon missiles might look good.

Thanks all!

2

Practive bombs are a medium blue in color. I dont know what FS number to suggest or current paint brand shade.

3

I’d say go with a dark shade of sky blue. That’s about the best way to describe e it.

4

Blue

5

I was in the Corps in 80 to 84 and all the practice bombs i saw were a a dark shade of sky blue !

The Original

Mike Oscar Juliet Oscar

Outcast !

End Transmission - Semper Fi !

6

Tamiya XF-14 sky blue, FS 35109, cobalt blue are some of the answers I came across.

7

Just a bit more info, it may help?

John

8

Is that the same blue that is used on training sidewinders?

9

All NATO practice muntitions should be blue. That includes missles, bomb and dispencers etc.

10

35109 is available in Enamel from MM, labeled as 35109, and from PolyScale, #505216 as Blue 23 , but that is really 35109 in the jar

Mr Canberra,I have that same article printed out,is there somewhere online that I could just link to that article for people,it would save a lot of effort to just say “go here, and look at page 7” or some such

edit,oh, and they are not concrete,the Mk-76 I had and the BDU-33 my brother had were both machined by me to take a screw on base,and became lamps for my Gunny Uncle’s den

11

I think Tamiya Medium Blue (XF-18) is closer. Or maybe somewhere between 14 and 18.

12

Mine is a hard copy too, sorry.

John

13

Yes, with either Blue stripes, or the whole mssile body behind the seeker head in Blue. The fins were usually still white.

14

thanks everyone, it looks like from pictures I’ve found I’m working with 500 lbs general purpose bombs. I’ll post a picture of them tonight when I get home to confirm, but the kit includes enough for 6 bombs on each rack. so on an A-6 I would assume they are 500lbs. the color photos I’ve found show a blue bomb with an olive drab trail attached. does this sound accurate to everyone?

15

yes, it should

the fins were produced and painted, then packaged and distributed,without knowing which bomb they were going to be attached to, live or inert