What color was the Mk 13 USN torpedo?

Folks, I’m currently constructing Accurate Miniatures’ excellent 1/48th scale TBM-3 Avenger; the kit comes with a torpedo. I’m depicting the plane in after-market decals, circa spring 1945 in the Pacific. Any hints on what color to paint the torpedo? The instructions call for painting the torpedo in gun metal. Do you agree? Should the torpedo be all gun metal, or should the warhead section in front be painted yellow or red? Any thoughts on this would be highly appreciated. Thanks, Terry

Terry ;
Am old Submarine sailor long retired and of fadeing memory…But WW II torpedos we still carried into the sixtys were painted black with unpolished bronze war heads. Screws were bronze also.Paint was pretty scuffy but they had been repainted several times before I saw them. As I recall these were models 9 & 11. Hope this gets you started: Chief John

I have the Avenger Model in Detail book from Bert Kinzey at home…I seem to remember some pics in there of torpedoes-- I can give it a look-through tonight if you’d like.

Well-- the pics in the book are in B&W, but a color scheme can be deduced from them. All in all, the colors varied. In my book, I see one torpedo that looks to be all sea gray in color…in another, there is a black tip and in another there is a white tip.

Here is a website with a pic of one:

http://www.microworks.net/PACIFIC/armament/mk13_air.htm

I’ve seen photos of: all silver(gunmetal?) Mk13’s; Silver rear and black nose; Black rear and lighter nose(bronze?). There is a color photo on aircraftresourcecenter.com under the walkaround section for the TBF Avenger. Just remember to put a wooden box around the fins. I believe (don’t have info in front of me)they did this to protect fins from water impact and “box” would break apart on impact with water. Post photos when done.