[Raven]

I was looking at the VF-101, VF-21 and VF-154 Tomcats on TFM website and they all seem to have a real blue tint to them. I realize that this may be due to the lighting conditions but I was curious if a) the pictures acurately portray the model and, if so b) is that blue tint accurate to real life? I know that the various gray paints change with the lighting conditions but how accurate is that?

I also remember a 1/64 Corgi F-14 that also had a blue paint job.

Anyone?

[David Hingtgen]

The paint used on the top of a low-vis F-14 is coded "35237". That is officially a blue (5 means blue). The other two shades are greys, but the top color is so blue it is officially categorized as blue. Century's the only company to get it right.

Here's a pic showing just how blue they can look, even in bright sun:


As they fade, they turn very greenish and more greyish, like this:

This picture is also very good for showing some of the paint separation lines. Look just below the canopy, where the RIO's seat is----that is where *this particular plane* has the 36320/35237 separation line. The sides of the nose are 36320, the upper fuselage is 35237. You'll also see the h.stabs are 35237, but the rear fuselage just above them are 36320, outboard of the v.stabs---but between the v.stabs, it's 35237 again. There's more I can point out, but that's enough for now.

[Raven]

Thanks! That was very informative - more than I expected!

[ZS-VAN]

Originally Posted by Raven

Thanks! That was very informative - more than I expected!

Agreed Raven. I'm always surprised at just how clued up some folks are around here.

[Cardinal]

Originally Posted by ZS-VAN

Agreed Raven. I'm always surprised at just how clued up some folks are around here.

Agreed, for those of us who are clueless at times, it can be very enlightening .