I have started building a series of 1/700 scale WW2 USN destroyers. I have references that tell me what time period each measure was used, but I can’t find any references that cross reference the old colors (for instance Navy blue 5-N) to any modern model colors. The brands available to me in my area are Testors acrylics, enamels, and Tamiya. Is thee any help out there?? Thanks, Rob Davis
Navy blue 5-n is available in Model Masters enamel in addition to 20-B weather deck blue. check the FS number to cross referance
A little back story
During most of WWII, the US Navy’s paints were based on a purple/blue system. The colors were based on the 1929 Munsell color notation system. These paints were also not part of the wartime ANA color specication.
In early 1945 the paints went to a neutral scheme. This was due to wartime shortages of blue pigments.
The Fed-Std-595 color specification system is a product of the 1950s. The WWII purple/blue paints were cconsidered obsolete. The failed to make the cut into the new standard system
There is no direct 1:1 correlation between the US Navy’s purple/blue paints and the modern Fed-Std-595. What there are is one-or-more people’s opinions as to what FS color may be closest to the desired color. And if you put six modelers in a room discussing colors you get 12 different opinions.
John Snyder and Randy Short developed a set of color paint chips based on a copy of the original 1929 Munsell standard. See shipcamoflage.com, Snyder & Shorts website. These paint chips lead to White Ensign Model’s Colourcoat line of paints. White Ensign has gone out of business and the paints are currently unavailable. (However the rights to produce these paints has been sold and they will once again see the light of day).
According to their press-release at the time, the original Testor’s Acrylic marine line of paints was based on the Snyder and Short paint chips. Testor’s really didn’t support these paints well to the hobby shops, requiring the shops to buy additional racking to sell them and fantasy colors. These paints didn’t sell well and were discontinued.
With the rise in the quality and number of ship kits there was a re-interest in naval ship colors. Testor’s also saw that WEM’s enamel Colourcoats had a following. Within the last year they re-released some of the former Marine Acrylics in enamels. Smarter this time, they worked them into the existing enamel sales racking system so that the hobby shop owner didn’t need to buy a new one.
Go to shipcamouflage.com. Read Allen Raven’s excellent monograph on the development of naval camouflage for a good grounding. Review the SHIPS-2 camouflage instructions. Check the database of known camouflage measures applied to US Navy ships.
1928, actually, but that just shows how sad of a paint geek I am…[clwn]
The current ModelMasters colors are also not really well supported and I have complained to Testors / Rustoleum (their owner) about it. I can’t find them on any of the major distributors’ sites (Dragon, Great Planes, Hobbico, Merit, Stevens International, Squadron for example). That said, there are online companies like BattleFleet Models and Freetime Hobbies that carry them if your local hobby shop can’t get them.
Tower Hobbies also carries MM’s navy paints; for example:
I’ve found that my local hobbytown has them, you can also order online in the US.
Groot
HobbyTown franchisees carry Model Master, too. I’ve seen it in each of the locations I know of in SE PA.
Had the similar question. Seems everything is a little bit more clear now
I just checked my local HobbyTown, and while you are correct that they carry ModelMaster, none of the ship paints were in stock or carried.
If you haven’t already, I’d ask the owner and see if he could order them.