The Little World

You know. Branches, trunks, roots, bird nests. Those things that stand there in front of the forest and obscure it. Whaddaya call ’em…starts with a ” T “. I’ll think of it in a minute…

Well modelling can be like that. You do all the research in the world – spend days on the internet and follow each cumbersome argument through the forums. You listen to everyone’s opinion based upon what they read the last week. Then you go to look at all the commercial products to see what the manufacturers think is correct. Then you are lost further in those woody things with bark than ever…

Take my resolve to get the correct paint colour for the interiors of US aircraft in WW2. Already I know the readers of this column know more about this subject than I do and look on me with scorn. I can stand scorn – I’m married – but in this case I would be ever so much more grateful if they would throw a tin of the correct colour paint at my head as they jeered.

The only thing that I got out of the net search was that there must have been two colours used for the inside of the planes – a cockpit green which was different from RAF Cockpit Green, and a yellow-green chromate colour for the rest of the plane. Some paint companies promise this, but the tins are out of stock at my local hobby shop.

And then I walked down the aisle in Bunnings…The spray paint aisle – where they keep the tins locked in a cage to prevent graffiti vandals from stealing them. And there was a can with a green undercoat and finish paint all in one – enamel. I suspect it is the chromate green I am after – I’ve purchased a can and will try it on scrap material. Then I’ll take the scrap to the local RAAF museum, pay the entry fee, and compare the sample to the interior of the USN PBY that they have there. If I am in luck and can find an original panel somewhere inside, I can confirm whether I’ve got at least one of the colours to hand.

It’s a bit of a fierce can to spray as it is intended for use on full-sized metal railings, but apparently you can decant spray cans to serve in your own airbrush…and back to the net for my next lesson…

I wonder if you could spray foliage with it…?