USN Carrier Aircraft WW2 3-Colour camoflage?

[Dave Ward]

I'll be waiting for a replacement canopy for my Ariacobra for a while, so I'm looking at picking up on one of my many part started models - I've got a HobbyBoss 1/48 Hellcat, with some AM decals.
Has anyone any experience with the dark blue/intermediate blue/white camoflage schemes? are there any pitfalls in painting? which painting sequence is best (does the normal light > dark work)?
As far as I can see this is a soft edge scheme, so I'll be using a 0.2mm airbrush at low pressure to get that overlap.
I've never attempted this scheme before, so it's unknown territory!
Dave

[Guest]

I painted an F4U Corsair that way a few years ago, and no problems at all. I just gave the the underside a coat of white, then sprayed the sides medium blue and the top dark blue. As far as camouflage patterns go, it’s pretty simply and with enough variation in the exact application that you can’t really go wrong as long as the demarcations are horizontal and near the top and bottom of the fuselage, I would think.

[Dave Ward]

Jakko,
thanks for that! The Hellcat is even easier - the wings are white underneath ( the way the wings fold ) - I had wondered whether it might be easier to spray the middle first, then dk blue top, white underneath. Overspray will be the problem, I suppose
Dave

[Guest]

I get the impression the real things were painted bottom to top, so that’s what I did for my model. Overspray should be fairly simple to control, since if you spray away from the wing edge, rather than onto it, you won’t need to mask the underside at all.

[Del640]

I'm mid build through a Birdcage Corsair and by Tamiya.
Tamiya recommends:
Upper: AS-8
Middle: AS-19
Lower: AS-20

Being a Vallejo Air user I messed about with my paints and found this to be pretty spot on to the colour:
Upper: 71.087 (Steel Blue)
Middle: 71.109 (Faded P.R.U Blue)
Lower: 71.407 (Sky Grey)

I've attached a couple of pics if this helps at all?

[Dave Ward]

Del,
thanks for that! For paints, I have a Hataka USN WWII Set - which has the appropriate colours - it's been sitting in my paintbox for a long while.................
Dave