Hi guys,
I finally got to start my Corsair project. Later on I'll put in some 'in progress' shots.
Right now there is nothing but pieces on sprues sticking out of a piece of styrofoam with one heck of an ugly color on it.
That zinc chromate is #:-) ugly. Does anyone know why that particular color was used over any other color that could have been used? Just curious.

Well, good modeling and talk to you later.
Wayne :-)

Hi Wayne,

Which zinc chromate are you using? There are three that I know of, a red-brown, a yellow, and a green.

Zinc chromate is a corrossion inhibitor and primer to make paint stick to metal better. Dana Bell wrote about the differences once. As I recall, zinc chromate is yellowish. DoD refers(ed) to it as zinc chromate for the yellowish, and zinc chromate T, (' T ' for tinted with green). The green was used, as I understand it, mainly in crew areas, but other places as well. The yellow was only used in non crewed areas.

The red brown is heavily iron oxide. I have not seen it used on aircraft. Don't know why.

I look forward to clarification and correction on this subject.

BTW, I used to camofluage airplanes with green zinc chromate , because I think it is pretty!

All the best,

Fred

Hi Rick,
Thanks for the info. I always like to keep learning things as I go along.
The zinc chromate I am using is a yellowish color with a little bit of a green tint to it.
This particular color is for the interior or the wheel wells, the inside of the engine cowling and compartment ,and most of the interior walls and some parts of the cockpit.
First coats are good and set up and am not getting ready hopfully some time this weekend to start putting in some of the pe parts and getting the cockpit going.

Wayne

When I painted the inside of my p-61 zinc chromate, she was a light green. Then I have a bottle of chromate yellow. I kind of like Zinc Chromate, pretty color!

~Chip :-)

Hi Wayne

Are you going by references or the kit instructions?

The colour you describe sounds like yellow zinc chromate. Rick's right -this wasn't often used in cockpits. More likely colours would be Interior Green, Dull Dark Green or Bronze Green, while late model Corsairs features a lot more Black in the cockpit.

What version of Corsair are you building? - I'll post some colour cockpit pics if you like. :-)

All the best

Rowan

:-) Aparently early Corsairs may have had salmon pink wheel wells. Maybe this was a lightened version of the iron oxide described by Rick? I found out to late for my Corsair that wheel wells and lower cockpit were zinc chromate Doh!
Mal

Just venturing a guess here, but I would assume they went with the green zinc chromate because it was lighter and produced slightly better visibility within the cockpit. It was also probably the cheapest. And technically there is only one color of zinc chromate, it is a slightly greyish-white powder. The techniques to apply it vary, that is the solutions it is mixed in to apply it to the metal. I learned that just a couple days ago in Chem 107, so I guess that $300 was partially well spent.

Rob

Hi Guys,
Wow, looks like I started a good discussion on the chromate color thing. Excellent
Merlin, my reference I am using is a model painting guide I found on the internet by a modeler named Tom Cleaver . The link to the reference is below if you want to check it out. I am painting the F4U 1A corsair and at least according to this guy, the colors he lists are what he feels by his research are the most accurate colors for this version of 1A corsair. I'll be very interested in what anyone else thinks about his research and accuracy. I would like to stay authentic with colors and will definately change if what I have started turns out not to be quite right.
I would also like to see your pictures.
http://m2reviews.cnsi.net/reviews/allies/us/cleaverkep.htm

Good modeling and talk to you later,
Wayne

I forgot,
The actual color I am using is Revell 1184 Zinc Chromate enamel.

Far be it from me to second-guess the color choice, BUT the two volume set from Detail & Scale show the green shade in the cockpit. I have also used the greener chromate on my kits (which, I have never actually finished)

Hi again

I checked out Dana Bell's FSM article on US WW2 interior colours.

He says that Dull Dark Green has been confirmed as the cockpit colour for Corsairs., but that the colour began to be replaced by Interior Green from Sept. 1942 onwards.

In his opinion, the "salmon pink" is the result of age; the Navy specified triple-coat priming for some areas - Zinc Chromate, followed by Red Oxide, followed by Gray Primer. After 50+ years, the Red Oxide has migrated through the Gray to produce the mystery "pink".

Hope this helps

Rowan

Greets All,

A few years ago Model Master put out a set of US cockpit/interior colors. I think they are still available.

Thank you everyone for contributions. I am enjoying the input!

As I understand it, DoD (then War Dept.) standard was 'interior green' which was a 'green apple' color or tinted (green) zinc chromate. For whatever reason some manufactureres, with or without DoD guidance, deviated from this.

B-24 cockpits were painted 'Bronze Green', as is the canopy-covered interior of TBFs, whereas the rest of the interior crew areas are 'interior green' or green zinc chromate.

Apparently the P-51 cockpit was a specific dark green. Gull green?

This could be construded as 'rivet counting' but IMHO, most judges--myself included--at shows are too specialized to know everything and thus should not be too picky. I had one tell me my Fokker Dr.I didn't win because 'the camo had brush marks'. The Dr.I fabric was brush-streaked with olive at the factory (my model)!

Each of us always has something to learn. I look forward to more input, I've learned a couple new things on this subject.

Happy modeling!

Fred