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  Super Detailing - COLOR SCHEME AND PAINTING

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  There is an old adage in the Navy that warns recruits to salute everything they see, if it doesn't return your salute, paint it gray! Well just about everything on the USS Crockett is painted gray.  The accurate color of gray is "Haze Gray". 

  Haze gray can be found in a water based acrylic Polly Scale in ½ oz. bottles.  If you can not find this brand of paint, Testors Model Master™ paint color Dark Ghost Gray is a good match.  The bulk of the ship is painted in this color. 

  The following list will identify those things that I did not paint dark ghost gray.

Black Boot Topping
Tops of Funnels
50 cal. machine guns
Turbine Intake Grill
Olive Drab Inflatable life rafts
.50 cal ammo boxes  Seats on Bofors mounts
Dull Orange Tops of cans in jettisonable gas can stowage
Red Life rings
Foam nozzles and axes

Port (left) running light lens
Safety circle around 3"/50 mount
Hull Red Hull below boot topping
Gunship Gray Weather decks
Green Starboard (right running light lens Stbd side)
Gun Metal .50 cal machine guns
40 mm Bofors
Brass Ships bell
40 mm Bofors ammo
3"/50 ammo

 

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  Navy boats are painted with a fairly glossy paint. However, most models look much more realistic with an almost flat finish.  If you paint a model with gloss paint, it tends to make it look more like a "toy" and not a model.  To solve this problem, you need to tone down the reflectiveness of the finish by adding a dull clear coat. 

  Roger's Notes: When you use Testors Model Master™ paints, you can use the FS number to determine the reflectiveness of the paint.  Look at the first number of the FS number, 1 is a gloss, 2 is a semi-gloss  and a 3 is a flat.  The FS number for Dark Ghost Gray is 36320, the three identifying it as a flat.  So in this case, I have to increase the reflectiveness of my final finish.  

  Since I will be working in flats, I will be increasing the reflectance of the paint.  I will be using a semi-gloss top coat to provide a protective coat to the finish.  The entire boat will get a protective clear coat.  The bulk of the ship will get a semi-gloss top coat.  Leaving the weather decks that are painted with non-skid (gun ship gray) and the tops of the funnels with a flat top coat.  Spray your top coats before you add the clear plastic, which will gave a most realistic finish. Not to confuse you more, but before I apply the decals, the areas where they will be applied will get a coat of clear  "gloss" top coat.  When dry, the decals are applied and then sealed with a semi-gloss clear coat.   Be sure to apply light coats over the decals.

  Plan your painting strategy as you build the ship.  The ship can wear only a coat of primer allowing you to run and enjoy the boat, leaving the color coats for later.  Getting from the building board to the water doesn't need to be held up as along as all of the wood is SEALED.  The picture below shows the uncompleted model ready to run.  Superstructure only has primer gray, small amount of black.  first1a.jpg (15418 bytes)

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