"USN Navy Blue and Deck Blue in acrylic paints?" Topic

Can anyone recommend acrylic hobby paints that are good matches for USN Navy Blue 5-N and Deck Blue 20-B?

Scale Colors produce naval colours for all combatants. Including the two you need.

scalecolors.com

Some handy little articles on that site. It does depend what scale you are dealing with, though. What works on a 1/350 scale model won't do for 1/3000 models. I still have a lot of the latter awaiting paint because I haven't found what works for me. I'd be really interested to hear what others have used!

Oops, I mean to mention that I am painting 1/2400 ships. Scale Colors paints look great, but they're solvent based, and I'd prefer using a water based paint.

From a standing start my approach would not be to find a company who produces a paint that espouses to be any particular color. I would get several pictorial presentations of the color in question; books preferably.

Compare what you've found. I'd wager there will be more than a little variation amongst what you're seeing. Even if you get an official paint chit of a color, the reality is that in actual use there will be subtle variations, even before you start factoring in wear and weathering.

Once you've settled on what you think is the right color, take several examples with you shopping. Don't start at your Friendly Neighborhood Game Store. Start at Walmart, then go to Michael's, Hobby Lobby and the like. Buy at least 1 bottle at each. Yes, you are investing in waste. Deal with it.

Now get 1 or 2 examples online from companies that claim they are producing the definitive color.

Then, visit your FNGS and pick up 1 or 2 close approximations. Some of the newer paint lines have amazing stuff. Now, it's time to get to work.

Shake the crap out of all of them and experiment on a primed surface to see what you've got, and how they look when dry vs your paint example pictures. Be sure to denote which is which.

Brace yourself.

You're going to see a lot of differences, even/especially between "official" versions. Pick one that you feel best matches your pictures, AND which has dried leaving the most pleasing surface. I know there will be those who will disagree, but I don't really like the way many Vallejo and Tamiya colors dry. It seems too semi gloss. I dull coat seal, so this isn't insurmountable, but still…

Don't be surprised if you opt for the Walmart. If you do, go back and buy several more. Their suppliers have 0.0 color control. That's why their bottle names keep changing. Their resupplied Burberry Blue won't match the old stuff and it will have to be relabeled Carnaby Blue.

Choose your personal favorite and try it on a model. Don't try to compare the result to color photographs of actual ships. Down that road, madness lies.

When you get a result with which you are pleased, you're done. Remember, you're NEVER going to get a DEFINITIVE example of any ship's appearance, so don't bother trying. Strive to get a result that, when you look at it, makes you think, "that looks good," knowing you tried to get as close to right as you could.

LifeColor makes two sets of USN WW2 camouflage paints. Set 1 is the one the contains Deck Blue and I believe 5N. I believe Set 2 contains both Flight Deck Blue and the wood stain used on carrier decks.

AK Interactive makes a Deck Blue but I've found their sets harder to find.

Both are acrylic. I believe Last Square carries Lifecolor.

Thanks folks. Scale Colors and LifeColor are just what I am looking for.