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 Author  Topic: I need some torpedo color help!
ducati650

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of ducati650   Send Email To ducati650 Posted on: Mar 24, 2007 - 7:10pm
I need some torpedo color help. I just painted the rear sections brass and the warhead is grey. The brass is pretty bright. Were they really brass and not painted or something? I could tone it down with some clear flat and maybe a dark wash, I guess. I've seen some models with the torpedos black with red or white warheads. Are these acceptable? Did the colors on the warheads mean anything. Were there practice or dummy torpedo colors I need to avoid?
Thanks,
Ed



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  Jerry Gilmartin

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jerry Gilmartin   Send Email To Jerry Gilmartin Posted on: Mar 25, 2007 - 5:39am
Hi Ed,
I have been working on restoration of some of the actual items mark 13 torpedoes, and they are not made from brass at all. On some of them the warheads are made of phosphor bronze (the ones with explosives in the warhead) while other training shot warheads are made of steel. The reason why is the training warhead is not re-enforced by the cast TNT/torpex inside the bronze warhead, so the steel warhead being mostly empty has to be stronger. The midsection and tail sections on most all of these torpedoes are made from steel. I know the Italieri Model supplies some of these parts made from brass, but it is not what the real things were made from. I have been also talking to several of our veterans working on PT658 and some of them say thiers were painted to match the camo pattern on their boat, while others just left them grey or black so they would not stand out (and help the enemy spot them) I dont think many PT Boaters would have left the warheads painted yellow, although yellow is what color high explosives are normally painted, simply because they would be too easy to spot while on patrol. We are painting our torpedoes good old haze grey. see the photo. Good luck Ed, I hope this helps! Jerry.





Jerry Gilmartin

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ducati650

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of ducati650   Send Email To ducati650 Posted on: Mar 25, 2007 - 5:50am
Thanks!! That is most helpful. Time to strip off that brass paint.
Thanks again, Ed


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  TED WALTHER

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: Mar 25, 2007 - 6:27am
Ed;
Jerry of course is right, look at his first photo, that is the natural look of the torpedo, so painting the body a dull silver would be correct, then use a light black wash to bring out the details. The only yellow warheads I have seen(color photos) is Ron 31 stateside and PT 564(hellcat), of course all these photos were taken on Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans, La. Most were painted grey, or black.
Take care
TED



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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Mar 25, 2007 - 7:53pm
Ed: I have a couple of photos of torpedoes painted in the same cammo as the boat, but I think these were rare occurances....

Will

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ducati650

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of ducati650   Send Email To ducati650 Posted on: Mar 26, 2007 - 9:52am
I have a color photo with the torpedoes painted to match the 31/5P scheme on a boat leaving Elco. Not sure how common this was.

In this photo is this grease or some varnish on the steel body to give the tint it has?

Thanks,
Ed




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David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: Mar 28, 2007 - 5:33am
Hi Ed,
Great photo and I think that's the look you want to achieve. This could be a job for Alclad II for the main torpedo body. I'm wondering how it would hold up to a wash though. I'll do a little research for you.
Regards
Dave

David Waples

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