Even though it carries USAF markings, it sure doesn't appear to be ADC gray, as was the standard FS color. It looks more white (at least to me) than anything else. Even the lightest gray still doesn't look 'right'. Could it be that the photo is washed out? The other colors seem to be spot on. What's the general consensus here, folks?

Someone from that "other site" sent these pictures that don't appear as 'washed out' as the one I had. There is a definite trend toward ADC gray as is apparent here. The text below is from yet another modeler that was most helpful:

"...I can give you a 100% iron clad, all American guarantee that that airplane is absolutely 100% bog standard FS 16473 ADC Gray. It belonged to the 48th FIS at Langley when the pic was taken. That image is probably 4-10 generations removed from the original, so trying to second guess the color is futile. I know the crew chief at the time, and it was a standard like bird fresh off the Convair line..." - and the pic(s) :

Craig, the image you posted originally had its contrast increased a bit too much, thereby washing out all the light colors. If you compare it to the pics you posted later on, you can see a white sticker next to the left-most guy, a detail that got completely obliterated in the initial pic. Everything I learnt so far about ADC gray tells me this color hardly faded or weathered - if you do a Google image search for "F-106 boneyard", you will notice that even these poor birds still wear their ADC colors somewhat proudly.

Here's a 'stream of consciousness' based on colour and photography, not knowledge of jet colours!

The white is very overexposed in the 'non-grey shot' - the photo has been changed digitally. The sky colour doesn't look at all natural either. On the other versions detail is not lost as much on the tail. The flight suit colours look different too, they are certainly toned slightly more yellow/green in the 'whiter' shot.

The unframed shot could be interpreted as a digitally 'cooled'/processed version of the framed photo. The grey therefore looks a little blue - cooler. The signed framed shot looks to have the 'correct' warm colour balance for direct sunlight - given the shadows on the aircraft, aircraft in the background and the crew faces, and the long shadows in general, a lowish sun with warm light produced the colours in the 'original' shot.

The exposure in the 'framed' shot prioritises the aircraft, so the crew look a little underexposed as a result.

Looking at the exposure of the crew in the 'overexposed shot' it may be that in order to make the humans look better, the plane looks worse!

Craig - I have no real knowledge of this, but weren't these painted a grey-blue color, not gray? From the few I've seen on display, photo #2 seems closest, though the entire photo does look overly blue.

I'm no expert by any means!