Any thoughts on the interior colors for the SDB-3 (A-24)? Cockpit and wheel wells. All the kit instructions say interior green. Seems at that time manufacturers used their own variations. Restored ones seem to use whatever Krylon was on sale at the local hardware store at the time of the latest rebuild.
I believe it’s zinc chromate primer. Or apple green. 
chromate green.
Detail in Scale shows it in chromate green. They are of course museum photos, who have been known to get things wrong. But I like to think if a guy goes through the trouble of writing a book…
Yeah, I try steering clear of restorations (and models) . Even the likes of Bovington can blow it out their arses. (Baby blue Matilda camo.) A civilian restoration, as I said, what ever Krylon is on sale that weekend. Using those for reference you are at the mercy of their research, pocket book, or “Oh.It LOOKS cool” mind set. Much rather rely on official / factory specs type info. I’ve seen research that says , especially pre/ early war, manufacturers varied colors. Curtiss used a green that was proprietary … bit darker than “chromate green” . Some were “bronze green”. Some were close to 41 Medium green. Brewster used a clear lacquer … at least on the Buffalos for export.
1 Like
On USN/USMC SBDs, the wheel wells were painted in the same color as the aircraft undersides.
Army A-24s may have been different.
If factory painted would they have used same SOP just with different colors?
Hard to say. The USAAF and USN had their typical interservice rivalries even at that approach. I do recall reading that the earliest A-24s, were left in their production USN colors, but had the typical USAAF markings of the time added. But at some point Douglas started painting the A-24s in OD and Neutral Gray, per Army specs. instead of the USN schemes.
Interesting you mention the export Buffaloes, I’ve been unsure what colour to paint the cockpit on that Airfix one I started. They call out ZC green, but it should be aluminium with a clear coating?
Or quite likely Aluminum lacquer. That was used on many USN aircraft during the yellow wings era.
1 Like
IPMS Stockholm has a 3-parter about WW2 US interior colors. Part 3 mentions the SBD at the bottom of the page:
USAAC/USAAF issued an order specifically prohibiting use of zinc chromate in crew areas. Zinc Chromate was a yellow. It was shaded with black to make zinc chromate green, which USN designated as ANA 611 Interior Green.
Dutch B-339s were Aluminum interiors (havent figured out the deck behind the seat yet. I’m thinking aluminum. Photo of a Belgian one I’ve seen looks light colored.) with black control panels. Exterior was aluminum underside with OD/ Green camo. (I’m using Vallejo 70.897, 70.823 )… Prop was dark green (same as camo green ) with no yellow tips. (blades from factory had yellow tips. Replacements didn’t) Green patches are IJN #21 Midori Iro painted over Dutch marking.
1 Like
Thanks I’ll go with aluminium for my RAF Buffalo. I might look into the aft decking colour, possible they could’ve painted green or brown to match the exterior camouflage?
" The new aircraft from the U.S. (including the CW-21Bs) had all propellers with “dark green” blades according to TD specifications, except for the B-339s. Brewster supplied the aircraft with propellers whose blades, although “dark green”, also had a large yellow tip. The ML left it that way, but sprayed the blades of spare propellers completely “dark green” for distribution and assembly." The camouflage of the aircraft of the Military Aviation KNIL in the period 1940-1942 (marsethistoria.nl)