Hi I want to mix a Zinc Chromate Green. I have Revell Aqua colour 364 leaf green as a base colour. Does anyone have a mixing recepe to get the right colour?

thx!

gr TC

Hi Lars

There isn't one colour. Zinc Chromate Green is of those awkward names, in that it covers a wide range of colours from quite muted yellowish olive tones through to vivid, grass greens. They all are "correct" - depending on the paint manufacturer and era.

If you give us some more details of what aircraft you're building, it might help folks narrow down a useful match for you.

All the best

Rowan

Try yellow with a touch of black, you'll be amazed.---John
making green paint by jvandeu53, on Flickr

Hi Guys,

it is for P47 Thunderbolt.
I read about the yellow black combo but is it fitting for the thunderbolt?

gr TC

From what I have read the Zinc Chromate Green was made using Zinc Yellow Chromate and black and exact mix would vary so as long as you come up with a shade that you like, you will be fine!

Cheers, D

I used yellow and came up with EXACT results as using Testors little bottle of Chromate Yellow. Don't waste your money, there's no "MAGIC" in using ZCY versus yellow. That's how it was done back in the 40s....they dumped black into the chromate yellow and came up with the odd ball green color.Just look at color photo from your time period and lighten or darken to the shade you're representing for your time period.---John

Thunderbolts were mostly yellow Zinc Chromate inside, except for the cockpit area which was a kind of dull dark green (About the colour of Europe One Green FS 34092). Here's a lovely informative article about interior colours if US aircraft.

OK my bad,OP said Chromate Green, then in another post said P-47 which was Chromate Yellow except as Jess said dark dull green for the cockpit, as stated I also used MM Euro Green for dark dull green. My Detail and Scale P-47 book shows the dark dull green and it's almost a dead on match for Euro One Green.---John

These are the most common two colours that I see used on P-47 builds, and the two that I choose between based on what references I have available.

Dull Dark Green


Zinc Chromate Green or Interior Green


I tend to use the Interior green more frequently and dull it down with a black wash if required.
Once again, it really is a case of personal preference and trying to filter through references for hours can get you nothing definitive.

Cheers, D

Hello Guys,

thx for the input. What do you think of this shade? Pic is taken in daylight. No washes applied.


gr TC

It should be a slightly darker, bluer green than that, but that's a pretty close base coat. If you go over it with a transparent filter and washes it would probably work.

I'll go along with what Jess said about it being a tad on the light side, but a few dark washes and you're home free. Nothing stayed clean very long in a cockpit to really be that concerned with.

You could also read through the P47 Heaven forum as it's an incredible resource to anyone building a Jug.

Joel

Finish specifications for P-47 "Thunderbolt"

(as described in Scale Models August 1971)


Section VII, Finish specifications of Technical Order AN 01-65BC-2, 20 July, 1943, revised 5 October 1945, details the factory finish to be applied to P-47 aircraft:


1. Camouflage paint used was Olive Drab 41 on top surfaces and Neutral Grey on lower surfaces. No masks were used to separate the colours.

2. The T.O. states: "Cockpits shall be finished with one coat of tinted primer to eliminate glare resulting from untinted primer."

3. The formula for tinted primer is given in the T.O. as one part black and one part Zinc Chromate (yellow) primer. No exact match can be found in FS 595a, the colour being about halfway between O.D.41 and Medium Green 42.

4. Armoured plate was also finished in tinted primer to "match the interior finish of the cockpit".

5. Interior surfaces of the wing, including the wheel-wells and landing gear doors and fairings were finished in yellow Zinc Chromate primer.

6. T.O. AN 01-65BC-2 also states "Alighting gear oleos struts shall be furnished with one coat of Zinc Chromate primer and one coat of camouflage lacquer, Shade 41 of Bulletin 41, Specification number AN-L-21".

7. Shade 41 of bulletin 41 was, of course, Olive Drab 41 and photographs confirm that many P-47s had the main gear legs painted O.D. However, many photos also show that many Jugs came through the assembly line without having the gear legs painted. The only solution seems to be to check, if possible, photographs of the specific aircraft to see if the painted gear legs apply.

8. The firewall was not painted either side.

9. Engine mounts were tinted primer.

10. The interior of the engine cowling was not painted, according to the T.O.. However, the aluminium was anodized and this resulted in a light grey or a very dull aluminium colour.

11. Anti glare panels on un-camouflaged aircraft were painted Olive Drab 41, as well as the rear deck on the "bubble top" P-47 .


This way......


Wheel wells, gear doors, wing spar : Zinc Chromate yellow

Lower portion of cowling, supercharger, oil cooler ducting: Neutral grey

Cockpit and Canopy frames : Interior Green or Tinted Primer (*)

Instrument Panel: Black

Cowling Interior : Aluminium anodized, i.e., Light grey or a very dull aluminium colour


(*) - Tinted Primer - 50/50 Black + Zinc Chromate yellow

Hope this will help !!!!

Cheers from Portugal!

@ Armando, thx for the broad input. I hope I do my best with it.
@ Joel, thx I will check out the site.

Here are the parts after some blu/black filters and a black wash...

I will open a build log after this weekend. I hope to see you all there :-)

gr TC