The Ship Model Forum

Help with paint color, please! My current model project I am working on is converting a 1/350 Gallery Models USS Wasp LHD amphibious assault ship into a What If hospital/humanitarian relief ship. Problem is this: I don't want the ship to be all white with just a few red crosses on it. I found some pics that show a LHD type hospital ship with a green stripe going down the length of the hull. I want to have the same green stripe on my model, but am unsure what color paint to use. I will only use acrylics. Testor and Tamiya don't seem to have the color I am looking for. Are there any other brands and specific colors I could try? Lifecolor LC11 Matt Light Green seems to be close, but I'm still not sure.

The Geneva Convention only mentions the following, no specific shade of green.

ARTICLE 5

The military hospital-ships shall be distinguished by being painted white outside with a horizontal band of green about a metre and a half in breadth.

From photos, the shade looks to be a dark or medium green not a bright light green.

Found this dated to 1943: http://www.shipcamouflage.com/painting_and_cementing_chapter4.htm#Hospital%20Ships.

Formula 40 Red and Formula 12 Green

Haven't found any references as to the exact shades or mixing instructions though.

They discontinued the green stripe at some point and the current pair of ships don't have them, just the red crosses.

_________________
Drawing Board:
1/700 Whiff USS Leyte and escorts 1984
1/700 Whiff USN Modernized CAs 1984
1/700 Whiff ASW Showdown - FFs vs SSGN 1984

Slipway:
1/700 Whiff USN ASW Hunter Killer Group Dio 1984

Article 43 of the 1949 Convention requires that "All exterior surfaces shall be white. One or more dark red crosses, as large as possible, shall be painted and displayed on each side of the hull and on the horizontal surfaces, so placed as to afford the greatest possible visibility from the sea and from the air."

Interestingly, the Chinese hospital ship appears to be in standard navy grey not white. I prefer the older scheme with the green stripe as it makes the ship look less like a giant floating fridge.

I think the green stripe, at least for U.S. hospital ships, was discontinued sometime in the 1950's or early 1960's.



I prefer the green stripe as well as I want to add a bit more "color" to the ship so it's not so plain looking and boring. As for the Chinese ship, it is white. It just looks grey during different sunlight periods and angles.

After doing a bit more research and trying to find color photos of actual 1940's to 1960's hospital ships (Which aren't many.) and/or looking at artist drawings, paintings, and sketches of hospital ships, I came across these two color charts which might help.
Chart 1:
http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/bo ... sn2-01.jpg
Chart 2:
http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/bo ... sn2-02.jpg

Green 3A or Green 4A from Chart 1 are close to what hospitals ships had.
5-OG Ocean Green is also close to what hospital ships had.

But out of those 3, which might be correct or come closest? 5-OG Ocean Green IMO seems to be closest. But the Colorcoats paints are discontinued and hard to get. So therefor, anybody got suggestions for Testor, Tamiya, or other brand equivalent?

Colourcoats are back, now sold by Sovereign Hobbies: http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk/colle ... cean-green

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De quoi s'agit-il?

Sovreign Hobbies have taken over the Colorcoats range.

http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk/colle ... cean-green