Martin Dytrych (@naviatik)
Hey Martin. I have been watching you work your magic on this from the very beginning. Next to the Corsair, the Hellcat is my favorite US Naval aircraft. I am VERY impressed with your CAD work and 3D printing. It looks extremely professional. I wish I had half of your skills.
I have been very fortunate to be around a full size F6F-3 as it was being restored. I have a bunch of pictures that I took if you need anything.
The Grumman Gray color is close to the Federal Standards number you mentioned. This particular Hellcat was a treasure trove of original colors. The guys who restored it used a digital camera and specialized computer software to match the original colors they found during the disassembly, to the colors that were eventually sprayed onto the plane. This one is as close as it gets to being as authentic in every aspect. Plus they have an original WW2 era ANA color card set. These "late war" stamped wheels were eventually replaced with the more traditional style spoked wheel, and a set of diamond pattern tires were also fitted.
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1. Grumman Gray is visible here
I took this picture shortly after the "Grumman Gray" was sprayed on the rear fuselage just below where the vertical fin is eventually bolted to. The rear fuselage interior is the same color as what you see here. It's close to the FS 36440, but not quite exactly.
I have a Federal Standards color chip book and personally confirmed this. FS 36440 has a little more of a "Tan" look to it, and is not quite as Gray, at least to my eyes.
This picture here should give you a good idea as to what the Grumman Gray color looked like. It was actually the same color as the rest of the undersides would have been, if the aircraft was wearing the early War color scheme of Blue Gray over Gray.
The proper camouflage name for it is M-495 Light Gray. This color was the standard US Navy lower camouflage color until mid 1942 and the tri color schemes were being adopted. It was used along with M-485 Blue Gray as the upper color during this era.
But like Tom pointed out, there will not be too much visible when it's all assembled.
However, if you are like me, you will know it's there, and that's what matters.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or need a picture of something in particular. If I have what you need, I will share it with you.
