The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

Wartime USAAF paint experts needed please.

I'm building Airfix's C-47 Skytrain as an RAF Dakota IV in the usual Olive Drab/Medium Green/Neutral Grey colour scheme.

The airframe in question is KK138/S of No1 PTS,March 1946.

The one and only picture I've found of her is a B/W shot of her in-flight on a training sortie,she is pretty faded and grubby.

Now,while I've got the faded O/D nicely sorted(many slightly varying shades through the airbrush),I gather that the Medium Green weathered somewhat better than O/D,question is which way did it go?,did it go lighter in colour or darker?.

Some schools of thought seem to reckon Humbrol No.30 Dark Green is a good match for weathered Medium Green(makes it darker),others seem to indicate lightening the base colour slightly.

Like O/D,it seems to weather slightly differently on fabric surfaces compared to metal(KK138's rudder trim tab stands out a mile).

What do the Massiv reckon?

While I am no expert on weathering,Hu 30 sounds about right to me.

Ta celt.

I shall be having a bit more of a gander,but if that's what yer reckon,then the Gooney will be so bedecked.

I don't know really but doesn't weathering and fading mean lighter?. Or lighter and dirtier!?.

MarkyM607 wrote:I don't know really but doesn't weathering and fading mean lighter?. Or lighter and dirtier!?.

Well,that's what I would've thought too.

When fresh,Medium Green stands out quite well against the O/D,but doing a bit of research tonight and looking at
O.D B-17's,the colour does indeed darken down,less so on fabric control surfaces though mind.

I know the O.D/M.G/N.G three colour scheme was largely phased out on B-17's by late 1943/early '44 to just
O.D/N.G and rapidly gave way to Natural Metal,but transports were left in the cammo colours.

The one pic.I have of KK138(built in 1943)which is dated as March 1946,clearly still shows the variation 'twixt
pretty faded,grubby Olive Drab and the (faded/weathered out)Medium Green.

As I say,both colours weathered out/faded quite differently on fabric so that KK138's rudder trim tab(metal)
actually stands out like a sore thumb,so it's a good guess the elevator and aileron tabs do likewise.

Think I'll try a 50/50 mix of Hu.30 and Hu.101 to see where that gets me for the faded/weathered out Middle Green patches
on the airframe and the trim tabs,then add a whiff more 101 for the rudder,elevator and aileron patches.