US Navy and USMC „high-viz” Paint Set

Decks that shone with orange and white

American naval aviation went through two great changes of appearance after 1944. First the carrier machines received an overall very dark blue finish, which lasted until the middle of the fifties. Then a two-color combination of gray upper surfaces and a white underside replaced it, and brilliant elements were added to it that were called high-visibility markings. It is from there that the nickname of the whole selection comes.

Box contents

• Dark Sea Blue — the overall color of the carrier machines of the years 1944 to 1955
• Light Gull Grey — the upper surfaces of the attack aircraft after 1955
• Insignia White — the lower surfaces of the same generation of machines
• Seaplane Grey — helicopters, seaplanes and land-based naval aircraft
• International Orange — the whole airframe of the early jet trainers
• Night Black — the anti-glare panels and small details

Which machines wore it

The dark blue fits the Skyraider, Panther, Cougar, Banshee and Tigercat. The gray and white pair covers the later carrier generation from the Phantom II and the Intruder through the Corsair II and the Tomcat to the Crusader and the Viking. The orange belongs to the trainers and to the aircraft of the search and rescue service.

The paints of the Blue Line are acrylic and will take very low pressure, so even narrow anti-glare panels can be sprayed without masking. A tinted base is recommended, because both the white and the orange cover more slowly over a dark surface than the other tones.