1/48 Grumman Avenger TBF-1C - Pacific Theatre of Operations II

[Airframes]

For Bronze Green, just look at, or visualise, the traditional Land Rover green, as seen on the Series II and Series III vehicles - and it's actually called Bronze Green, and is fairly close to the US colour spec.
On my monitor, the swatch posted by Andy looks rather blue/grey, with a hint of green.

 

[T Bolt]

Going along good Jan

 

[Wurger]

In my reference I found that the Bronze Green was of FS 34052 number. As memo serves the colour was made by mixing with the Yellow Zinc Chromate primer with an aluminuim powder initially or a black colour later. To my experience at mixing colours a such mix should look like almost the one below. It was also in the USAAF's color pallet as Bronze Green 9.

However other net sources say it was FS 34058 that looked like Andy's colour sample.

Additionally - the source - IPMS Stockholm site....

"In earlier production models TBF-1 and TBF-1C, the crew compartment was finished in two colours - Bronze Green forward from the bulkhead in front of the turret with Interior Green for the rear crew areas. Grumman Grey was used inside the cowling.

In a later set of Erection Maintenance manuals, Dull Dark Green replaced the Bronze Green in the cockpit.

The TBM-1C and TBM-3 series aircraft built by the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors had everything from the inside of the cowling all the way back painted Interior Green.

In common with the general Navy practice the wheel bays, undercarriage legs, wheel hubs, landing flap bays, etc. were all finished in the lower surface colour throughout the Avenger production."

The Dull Dark Green - FS 34092

The Interior Green - FS 34151

 

[Wurger]

Oh and the Bronze Green 9... http://www.alliancecoatings.com/warbird-us-army-air-service-air-corps-colors.php

 

[Airframes]

This is what Bronze Green actually looks like. The camera flash has lightened the colour slightly.

 

[Wurger]

Pal, which area should we look at ?

 

[Airframes]

A shade roughly between those indicated by the yellow arrows, in the pic below, is about right. It's actually a little darker, more like the steps in right and left foreground, but if the actual shade was used in 1/48th scale, it would look much too dark.

 

[Wurger]

Now I see that my friend. Yes, I agree, that's the Bronze Green colour. I think the quite nice equivalent of the colour can be the Model Master FS 34079. May be some of of green or black with some of the YZC primer colour would be a nice addition for getting of a better tinge.

Also the Model Master FS 34096...

 

[N4521U]

Dam I wish I could get MM paints here.

 

[Wurger]

Bill just find other brand equivalents for the MM paints.

 

[Lucky13]

How's this for a test, acceptable, or?

 

[Airframes]

Looks a tad dark and emerald/blue old chap. Although it is close to the real colour, to allow for 'scale effect' and not look too dark inside the model, maybe lighten it a little.
I've normally mixed it using a RAF Dark Green, a spot or two of Dark Earth with a spot of black, then just a touch-ette of blue.

 

[Crimea_River]

Could be the lighting making it look dark. I kinda like it.

 

[Lucky13]

True gentlemen, the blasted lighting makes it look a lot darker than it is....annoying!
They should invent a modeller friendly camera, something that takes all this and automatically fix it!

 

[Airframes]

And dispenses bacon butties and beer at the same time !

 

[mikewint]

Even if the camera did take a totally accurate color pic it still has to be displayed on a monitor whose color balance may or may not match the camera. It was the same for film in the olden days of yore. So unless one of you has a calibrated spectrophotometer and wants to post angstrom readings...

 

[Lucky13]

That fella Ångström has a lot to answer for....

 

[Wurger]

Especially for bacon, right?

 

[Airframes]

Just so happens I have one here, with my old Kodak stuff, along with a sensitometric comparator, grey scales etc etc ................

 

[mikewint]

Can't trust them Swedies any further than you can throw bacon!! In any case human color perception is determined by a specific, non-unique linear mapping from the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space Hcolor to the 3-dimensional Euclidean space R3color.