Yiannis Mitzas

WORLD WAR II
Early War (1940-42)

On 30 December 1940 the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) determined that the standard color for all ship-based aircraft was to be overall Non-spectacular Light Gray (non-spectacular referring to the matt sheen). This ended a period of experimentation that had taken place earlier in the year, and also the colorful aluminum and yellow scheme which by now was obviously inappropriate for combat conditions. Patrol aircraft would be finished in a two-tone scheme consisting of a topside color (wings and upper fuselage) of Non-spectacular Blue Gray although the exact color was not initially specified. Later, from 20 August 1941, it was ordered that all ship-based aircraft of the Battle Fleet would use NS Blue Gray topsides and the order was extended to the entire fleet a few months later, on 13 October. Aircraft with folding wings generally had the underside of the folding part painted in the same color as the topside, although this only applied to aircraft where the underside was exposed after folding. So, for example, early Corsairs used Blue Gray on the outer part of the lower wings since they folded upwards. However, the backwards-hinging fold of the Wildcat meant that the entire lower wings were left in Light Grey. As was typical with many USN camo patterns, the colors were sprayed freehand and very inconsistently across units, resulting in some oddities like some Dauntlesses having the tip of their cowls in NS Light Grey.
Neither of the two colors corresponded to a later ANA number and were based on a specification known as M-485 issued on 6 December 1940 (NS Blue Gray was added in 1941 in a revision known as M-485a). This has led to the colors often being referred to as ‘Light Grey/Blue Gray M-485’. NS Light Gray is also often designated M-495 but this is incorrect, being based on an unfortunate typo that has been extensively propagated. As to the colors themselves, NS Light Gray is the least complicated of the two since it is a light gold gray that is often compared to ANA 602/620 or FS 36440 although on many photos it appears much lighter. NS Blue Gray is tricker and there is considerable controversy over its exact shade, particularly since the formula was changed in late 1941 and a third version may have been issued in late 1942 as well in preparation for the three-tone scheme (see below) although it is believed it was merely an interim color and not used extensively (if at all). The original Blue Gray faded very heavily in the Pacific sun and had a distinct bleached appearance compared to a freshly painted aircraft. The later version maintained its original color better but was darker and grayer. An experimental Dark Blue was also known to have been used on some aircraft in a handful of carriers in 1942 in order to better conceal them on deck. Its closest post-war equivalent is FS 35189.
Paint guide:
NS Light Grey: Few paint ranges have precise matches for these two colors, although Light Gray is so close to FS 36440 that any equivalent is good enough.
NS Blue Grey: Blue Gray is a trickier color to match as it does not approximate any other color expected FS 35189 and that is questionable. Complicating matters is that no paint range specifies whether the earlier or later versions are being represented. Model Master, Colourcoats, Mr. Paint, and AK Real Color all offer unique matches, although the Colourcoats and AK versions appear much closer to a very faded version of the original and thus far too light for a fresh coat. Matches to FS 35189 are listed in parenthesis unless they make some explicit reference to the wartime color in which case they are listed with an asterisk. Vallejo (71.109) is labeled as Faded PRU Blue and also matched to a BS shade and so accuracy is in question.

Paint guide:

• NS Light Grey: Few paint ranges have precise matches for these two colors, although Light Gray is so close to FS 36440 that any equivalent is good enough.
• NS Blue Grey: Blue Gray is a trickier color to match as it does not approximate any other color expect FS 35189 and that is questionable. Complicating matters is that no paint range specifies whether the earlier or later versions are being represented. Model Master, Colourcoats, Mr. Paint, and AK Real Color all offer unique matches, though the Colourcoats and AK versions appear much closer to a very faded version of the original and thus far too light for a fresh coat. Matches to FS 35189 are listed in parenthesis unless they make some explicit reference to the wartime color in which case they are listed with an asterisk. Vallejo (71.109) is labeled as Faded PRU Blue and also matched to a BS shade and so accuracy is in question.