"1:2400 WWII Naval & Color Accuracy" Topic

Some gamers try to match historical colors for naval vessels. Some don't paint their models. Some feel any gray and any tan will do. Some spray-paint their models gray and are done with it.

On a scale of 0 (least accurate) to 10 (most accurate), how historically accurate are your WWII naval paint jobs?

Mine are about a 7.34. I make a reasonable effort to use colors that are close and use color schemes that are like those used in real life.

I understand colors fade, rust takes over, things get dirty. I have toured many naval ships and even worked in harbors a few times and seen a lot of real ships.

My USN for example will have the right colors but perhaps this particular camouflage scheme was not used on this specific ship, or maybe was not used on this ship in 1943 but used in 1944.

Close enough is good enough.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

I'm pretty much with Bumkermeister. The measures changed, sometimes several times a year, paint faded and so on. I used Poly S naval paints as long as they were available. Now, one tries.

Mine are pretty darn close. I use the White Ensign Models Colourcoats range of paints. A bit pricey, plus postage from the UK, but they are made according to the color specs (e.g. U.S. Navy WWII 5-H Haze Grey). Well worth the investment IMHO. I would rate mine an 8+.
WhiteEnsignModels.com

A reasonable attempt to paint the ship accurately for the time period I plan on gaming. Since they did change over the course of the war, one ship will do not one for each different version of the ship.

I do miss Poly S paints

Probably a 6-7. I'll get the different colors and patterns if camo is involved but between paint brands and scale effect it would be very difficult to have a 100% match. I don't sweat it that much.

I was in a chat on a wargaming and modelling forum where a modeller was getting abuse from "experts" on paint schemes, and an elderly wargamer who supported the modeller was getting similar abuse from the paint gatekeepers. "Completely the wrong shade of grey" they were told and then some pretty vitriolic stuff when they tried to defend themselves.

I offered my own experiences, asking the experts what would they use for the decks of a modern RN frigate and was told in no uncertain terms EXACTLY which expensive pro paint was the only one to use and how the makers had used exhaustive research to prove exactly that. So I mentioned that I was the project naval architect for the Type 22 frigates and that as an example, during an inclining experiment on HMS Cornwall I notices that the newly painted areas of the deck were almost black, areas that were aged a year or so were similar to Humbrol 27, some older areas were so faded that it was difficult to tell them from the light weatherwork grey used for the superstructure – all on the same ship at the same time, so how was that EXACT colour worked out then?

When I started out 5 was the best you could really hope for. Testers Gray, Brown and Tan were the only options, unless you wanted to get into oils. Pactra expanded things some.

With the advent of acrylics in a dizzying array of manufacturers, all the way up to 10 became possible. But, 10, all too often, looks like crap on a game table. My "thang" is Guadalcanal, where most US ships were wearing Measure 21, Dark Blue overall. On a Blue mounting base the model tends to disappear, which is sort of the point.

Western Approaches, US Measure 32/33 models, and European "Dazzle" can end up looking kinda silly.

This is where artistry and accuracy gotta sit down and hammer out some compromises. At the end of the day accuracy has to bend a bit in the service of presentation. Primer choice, shading, highlighting, diluting are all tools that can improve appearance at a certain sacrifice of purest accuracy.

7 is probably the ideal target. And yes, Poly S is sorely missed.

I'm like Lou from BSM, I try to get as close as I can with the available resources (i.e. books by Mal Wright). I guess I'm an 8. I'm currently stuck on a bunch of Japanese transports. Ya, they will probably end up grey. I'm a Colourcoats and Lifecolor paint guy.

I try and get as close as I can using the Lifecolor and AK naval paint sets and a variety of sources for scheme. As my ships are 1/4800 and 1/6000 for WW1 and WW2 and 1/2400 or 1/3000 for various periods from 1905 to 480 BC, I am painting simply for my amusement. Call it an 8.

the scale of the models makes it very difficult to reach total accuracy. Furthermore, if like me you use washes to enhance your models, things get more complicated as the wash will further darken the base colour. So I try to find various pictures and colourplates of the ships I paint, and aim for a good look with a reasonable accuracy : I'll say I should be around 6-7 on your scale. For instance, the USS Montpelier

The dazzle scheme is not exactly what it was historically, not sure the deck blue is accurate… but on the whole, IMO, it achieves the look of a 1943 US Cl…

Nice USS Montpelier – foxbat

@ Schlesien

My research on Japanese transports suggests that they enjoyed a colorful existence, unlike their warship protectors.

link

link

+1 Foxbat on the washes. Got plenty of 6mm and a few 1/2400 that are much darker than intented. I think I found the right balance of lighter paint and thinner wash, I use oil paint. In the end I think most players of naval games are just happy to find opponents, and of those many are more than pleased to find someone willing to paint ships.

Now to keep fighting the urge to expand my WW1 fleets.

I try to be as accurate as possible when painting my 1/2400 scale ships for both WWI and WWII.

However, there are lots of variables such as changing measures/paint schemes during WWII especially and the other factors of weather on the paint.

An American ship painted in measure 21 (overall Navy Blue) looks a lot darker and bluer when leaving the base than when it has been at sea for a while.

Many ships were repainted over the course of the war. When I paint my ships, I paint a specific ship for a specific time frame but understand the ship will be used for all gaming regardless of how accurate it may be for a specific period.

I did a lot of painting for GHQ over the last number of years and always tried to be as accurate as possible with the limitations of 1/2400 scale and the limitations of what I could find in researching.

A couple pictures.

Admiral Hipper 1942

Italian Cruiser Pola

"An American ship painted in measure 21 (overall Navy Blue) looks a lot darker and bluer when leaving the base than when it has been at sea for a while."

Thanks for the tip, certainly it goes in the way of giving more leeway regarding accuracy. And your models look fabulous. BTW,
I didn't know who was painting for GHQ, nice to know you are, please accept my congratulations!
Cheeers!

Thank you very much, foxbat! The blues that the U.S. Navy used during WWII had a tendency to "gray out" after time at sea from what I have read and you can see it in photos as well.

I did a lot of the painting for GHQ from 2010 until about 2019-2020. They decided to go with unpainted minis after that to show the new models coming out.

USS Helena in Measure 21

Fletcher Class Destroyer in Measure 21

In both cases, I opted to paint them as if they had been at sea for a while rather than fresh out of the yard. I actually used Humbrol Royal Air Force Blue as the color on these which is lighter and a bit more of a blue-gray color.
In 1/2400 scale I think it is a good color for weathered Measure 21.

I'd be a 2. The apparent colour changes between daylight and night time and in the latter case whenever you buy new light bulbs.