Ive started airbrushing, I mixed the deck blue per the formula with their paints. It appears to be really dark compared to the box rendering and what I “think” it should be. Can anyone direct me to an online source with a color pic so that I might make a comparison. Thanks in advance for the help
20-B deck Blue is a very dark blue with a hint of green in it. Here’s a photo of fresh 20-B on the deck of the USS Missouri. The lighter color up near the bow is 5-O Ocean Gray.
Just remember that the 20-B deck stain tended to fade rapidly, and between 1944 and 1945 her decks faded away to almost a tan color…here’s another photo showing that…
Hope that helps!
Jeff
The second shot is after the war so this would have been after the Missouri started stripping the deck stain off when they transited back to the US. You can see how some of it still persists even then.
Go to:
www.shipcamouflage.com
Don
Although the second shot is post-war, she was involved in Magic Carpet operations until late October, when she took President Truman aboard at NYC for the Navy Day celebrations, after which time she she headed into NYNSH for an overhaul. According to some of the vets I’ve interviewed, she didn’t strip her decks until after Navy Day.
So although this photo is post-war, her decks were not yet stripped, it’s a result of weathering and fading.
Jeff
jeff, where did you get the pics, they are great?! can you tell me what the “lighting” ratios are for 1/350 scale or where I could find them. IE the ratios of a lighter color to make the color more “scale”
Just a quick correction: the USN blue-grays during WW2–including Deck Blue 20-B–were "purple-blues, with no green in them.
Cheers,
John Snyder
Historic Paint Specialist
White Ensign Models
http://WhiteEnsignModels.com