I am going to say this and it may not be popular. I absolutely hate the tricolor scheme of the Pacific during WWII. It may be becasue I hate applying it. I don’t enjoy all the masking and I really don’t like the intermediate blue. I guess I haven’t learned to work with it yet.
I like sea blue and 100% sea blue or maybe sea blue obver white.
Does anyone agree with me? Come out of the closet.
Although I’ve never attempted it, I do like the Tricolor Pacific Scheme… Swanny’s PB4Y is gorgeous in that scheme!
Don’t mind the all blue scheme either. However, I find the ‘basic’ RAF scheme quite boring… Possibly because I built and painted so many RAF aircraft in my youth…!
Worse is the basic Olive Drab/Neutral Grey scheme of the USAAF as well as the Green/Light Blue of the Soviet Air Force…
However, it’s the US Navy Low Viz schemes that top it all for me… Yuk!
And that PB4Y-1 is all free hand - no masks!
Even better!
funny, I always liked the tri-color. I deliberately use early war markings so that I’m not stuck with the boring overall sea blue. Like swanny, I also do it freehand (I hate to mask) and I’ve never had trouble. I always thought that it was one of the easier multi-color schemes to do. I dread that marines F-16N scheme that I’ve been avoiding. What seems to make the scheme difficult to apply for you?
I for one hate different schemes of WW1 aircraft. Guess thats why I never really got into that period of aircraft.
The tri-color Pacific scheme is a favorite of mine. I have a Wildcat, Hellcat, Corsair, Avenger, & Helldiver in those colors.
The schemes that I find “ugliest” (read:boring) are the current grays with low-vis markings. Very bland to my eyes, and not much of a challenge to paint. It may be easy to paint them, but I don’t learn anything in the process, and thus have less fun. I want to have fun when I build, not just successful results.
Li’l Gramper, the 491st Bombardment Group’s assembly ship
I actually think that a convincingly weathered modern low-vis scheme is very difficult to replicate. I’ve seen only a couple well done examples. If you just painted it all gray It would never look right.
I’ve never been much for the aggressor scheme the Japanese put on their F-15s these days. It looks like they just grabbed a couple of cans of whatever was handy and went slap dash over the low vis grey.
I’ve also never been fond of plain aluminum oversprayed aircraft, that’s as much of a yawn as the current overall Gunship Grey schemes.
I think that some of the ugliest were those experimental schemes used in the late 30s and early 40s. The ugliest, however, was the small black and white splinter schemes used on some of the early Mustangs (A-36?). [xx(] Very similiar to the “dazzle” scheme used on ships during WWI.
That scheme would really be a masking nightmare. [banghead] I would classify anyone who could model that successfully as a Master Painter. [bow]
Pete
I would have to agree with the USAAF olive drab/light gray scheme… but there’s a perk: if you do a lot of USAAF aircraft, you only need to buy those two colors and you’re set!! [:p] I must’ve gone through 3 bottles or each color already…
The more “ugly” or “bizarre” the scheme is-the better. Modern greys are pretty dull- but I guess a chartreuse F-16 would be impractical!
Hey Guy’s & Gal’s:
I think the most boring Paint Scheme is the New Schemes for all Military Planes in the U.S’s inventory; Grey’s not Euro 1, not SEA, or Bare Metal but Grey
I always liked the tri-color, but that modern low-viz grey-YUCK! Anyone remember the pink spitfires? LOL[:)]
The pink spitfires are high on my list too, but I vote for the “Red Bull” scheme on G-CVIX. I know the aircraft wouldn’t be flying without the sponsorship but she’s the only airworthy sea vixen left and it’s a shame. If I new how I would put a picture up, but I don’t, so I won’t.
Multi-color natural metal. Pretty to look at; pain in the butt to accomplish well! Possibly not the ugliest “paint” sceme, but one of the most aggravating. (I should know: I just spent over 6 months planning and painting a B-36, and even then I don’t think I got it right.)
What about the JAWS (joint attack weapons system) scheme used on the A-10 Thunderbolt? The one with gray or tan base with brown, green blotches or spots all over.
Regards,
Joe
you guys are forgetting the pastel laden F117s! before the military said “real men don’t fly pastel aircraft, they fly black aircraft”
the best low vis camo is pastel colors