SPA Modeler

I've been doing a bit of preliminary research before starting my next model, the Tamiya 1/48 F4U-1A Corsair. I've encountered a lot of conflicting advice that seems to be chronologically arrayed. Suggestions made years ago have been refuted and updated as new evidence comes to light. For example, I read an article by Tom Cleaver (knowledgeable man, but an unpleasant person, amhik...) from several years ago asserting that the cockpit, wheel-wells, inner gear doors, etc. were all yellow zinc chromate. This came after years of claims by people that the cockpit was black, or interior green, and the wheels and door faces were aluminum lacquer.

Now, more recent articles assert that the early model cockpits were never black at all but bronze-green, and the wheel wells and gear door faces were done in the underside color on the F4U-1A birds. A man on Hyperscale recalled meeting a gentleman who had painted the planes when new and described how they sprayed the wheelwells free-hand, and didn't mask anything. Kinda confusing I guess. Even the engine cowling's inside color is debated and now I find claims that regardless of paint scheme, the cowling interiors remained sea gray well past the WWII period!

Okay. I turn you the experts here. What is the consensus (is there one?) regarding cockpit and other interior colors? I feel like going with the latest claims, but who knows? Will I be wrong by painting the cockpit interior green and the wheels and door faces, and gear legs, insignia white? This will be the 3-color scheme for VF-17, November 1943. Thanks for any help my friends!
Gary

Standard USN practice of that time was to paint the gear legs and wheel wells to match the underside colors. Period photos tend to show this on F4Us as well. As far as the cockpit color goes. I like to follow the information form the IPMS Stockholm site and Dana Bell that is both on there and in his various books. There was a LOT of variation in US aircraft cockpit colors that varied by year and company. I think that I used either Dull Dark Green or Bronze Green in the cockpit of my F4U-1 based off of those sources. I know there is discussion about "salmon" (red tinted zinc chromate) being used by Vought on F4U interiors, but that is going to be in other areas not easily seen.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2 ... _part3.htm

How about a quote from Dana himself? Taken from his newest F4U-1 Corsair Vol 2 Aircraft Pictorial. (this volume deals specifically with the "F4U-1A" and F4U-1D)

"Corsair interior colors were changing as the first raised cockpit aircraft were introduced. The pink/orange "salmon" primer might have been found on some subcontracted components, such as outer wing panels, but it would quickly be replaced in production by one or two coats of yellow zinc chromate on most surfaces. Most cockpits were painted Interior Green (with a small number of F4U-1As wearing Vought's "candy-apple green" aluminized zinc chromate). However, well into 1944 Dull Dark Green continued to appear on subassemblies, as was found during the restoration of the National Air and Space Museum's F4U-1D (shown inside the back cover). In March 1945, Goodyear agreed to paint cockpits flat black above the side instrument consoles. Two months later, NAS Jacksonville reported that its reconditioning of older Corsairs included repainting all cockpits Interior Green, while in August 1946 MCAS Cherry Point reported refinishing its Corsair cockpits flat black with Glossy Sea Blue from two inches below the cockpit rails to the fuselage top"

and

"One last note concerns landing gear colors. In February 1945, Goodyear noted the requirement that landing gear mechanisms were to be painted Glossy Sea Blue. Subcontractor Chrysler, however, still had a five-month supply of the the Light Gray lacquer (then being used for landing gear) which would continue in use nearly through the end of the war. Cherry Point again used its own postwar variation, refinishing main gear legs in Interior Green while painting tail gear Glossy Sea Blue."

I've quoted Dana because I am sure he won't mind,,,,,since he is one of the few that I let critique my own color research work. (if there is a note from Dana on my site, the post he was talking about gets edited,,,,,,if there is no post from him, he agrees with me. I also get a lot of supporting posts from him whenever I post color details on public forums)

And this part is gonna be bad.

The "Tri-color scheme" of modeling fame and fortune, was actually what Dana calls the "graded, four toned camouflage."

That is because "Despite their similar names, the Non-Specular and Semi-Gloss Sea Blues were slightly different colors." (quoted from Dana's F4U-1 Vol 1 book.) So, despite all the online info to the contrary, we shouldn't just paint the dark blue and "gloss this, flat that, and satin over there" with those three colors of Sea Blue, which are close, but actually different colors. (Dana's research matches mine, Elliot's and Munsell's)

Thanks for the great information gents. I appreciate that pic Stik because "Big Hog" is the plane I'm doing. Is that radio aerial hanging slack in the picture? It's a bit hard to see, I would've expected it to be taut.

Rex, that is interesting re: the "three color camo". Do I understand correctly that there are actually 4 colors? Is there a diagram or drawing that I can use for a reference? Thanks for all the help guys.

Yes, four colors.

In any painting instructions that you find for the "Tri-color" scheme, just change their info to the different color instead of just the sheen when they say to "gloss here, semi-gloss there, and flat there."

You can still use those guides except for that part.

Tamiya's instructions call for "U.S.Navy Blue (darkest color), next is U.S. Navy intermediate blue, with the lower fuselage and bottom in insignia white? How would I change these directions to be more accurate?

The Intermediate Blue and the White areas are already okay.

I need to dig out a set of Corsair instructions that show where the Sea Blue is different sheens. I could swear that there is a guide online somewhere,,,,,,,,but, I sure can't find it right today.

Okay,,,,,,,,this is easy to see in person, but not so easy to type out. Let me try, though.

The fuselage is Non-Specular Sea Blue on the top part, as we all are used to, with the grading going down to the Intermediate Blue and then the White.

The wings are where we need to watch out, they are the commonly known White and Intermediate Blue on the bottom. The tops are Semi-Gloss Sea Blue from the trailing edge forward, with a Non-Specular Sea Blue front edge starting at the 5% chord line and forward. (this color matches the fuselage color)

5% chord line? You got me there Rex. Don't forget, I'm just a dumb ol' Aggie ex-teacher...