stonewaller Posted March 23, 2012 Share #1 Posted March 23, 2012 Hey guys, I'm soon to start restoring a beat up FSFB shell. I would like to paint it in a USN scheme. So I have a few questions. Firstly, I assume the paint used, was what ever was kicking around on board? Is there a consistent shade with this? Also, is this a gloss or Matt paint? Secondly, I would like the helmet to represent that of a crew member of an LCP (L), so does anyone have images of these crews and would they have a particular metho painting? USN/blue bands? Any info/reference pics welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonewaller Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share #2 Posted March 23, 2012 Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sigsaye Posted March 23, 2012 Share #3 Posted March 23, 2012 Hey guys,I'm soon to start restoring a beat up FSFB shell. I would like to paint it in a USN scheme. So I have a few questions. Firstly, I assume the paint used, was what ever was kicking around on board? Is there a consistent shade with this? Also, is this a gloss or Matt paint? Secondly, I would like the helmet to represent that of a crew member of an LCP (L), so does anyone have images of these crews and would they have a particular metho painting? USN/blue bands? Any info/reference pics welcome! The answer to all your questions is yes. What ever paint was closest to the paint locker door. It may have been straight from the bucket or mixed with something to stretch it a bit. some was gloss but most was flat, depending on the shade. There were only two markings that were ever standardized for helmets in the USN. The white spots for Beach Battalion Corpsmen and the markings used by the Normendy Beach Battalions. Every thing else was made up locally, either some command wide thing like a nuymber to account for the thing, or something a Sailor did to mark a specific helmet as his. Hope that helps Steve Hesson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaDog30 Posted March 25, 2012 Share #4 Posted March 25, 2012 The answer to all your questions is yes. What ever paint was closest to the paint locker door. It may have been straight from the bucket or mixed with something to stretch it a bit. some was gloss but most was flat, depending on the shade. There were only two markings that were ever standardized for helmets in the USN. The white spots for Beach Battalion Corpsmen and the markings used by the Normendy Beach Battalions. Every thing else was made up locally, either some command wide thing like a nuymber to account for the thing, or something a Sailor did to mark a specific helmet as his. Hope that helps Steve Hesson Red Lead and paint....................the Navy way to keep you busy at sea! LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uplandmod Posted March 25, 2012 Share #5 Posted March 25, 2012 Sounds like a great project. Could you be more specific on what campaign you are interested. That would help narrow down what markings you might be interested in. Steve is rigt about official markings but there were literally hundreds of personally marked and camoed helmets used. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topdcnut Posted March 26, 2012 Share #6 Posted March 26, 2012 Skip the primer (Red Lead) and lean toward one of the shipboard greys ( i would lean towards gloss) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaDog30 Posted March 26, 2012 Share #7 Posted March 26, 2012 Skip the primer (Red Lead) and lean toward one of the shipboard greys ( i would lean towards gloss) It was a joke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1917 Posted March 26, 2012 Share #8 Posted March 26, 2012 I had an old swivel bail pot with most of the finish gone that I decided to restore as a helmet my Dad would have worn. He was a Coxswain on an APA and drove LCVPs and other small landing craft. I found some photos of boat crews in the Pacific and determined that a common marking was the APA number on the back. After cleaning up the helmet, retexturing and priming, I chose a Testors "Battleship Gray" (kind of glossy) and sprayed it on. I then hand lettered his ship number on the back. When he first saw it, his eyes opened wide and he asked "Where did you get this?" I told him I made it up and he said it looked just like his except he also had his boat number on the front. I have not gotten around to adding that yet but by his reaction, it must have been pretty close to the helmet he wore. As far as other photos I have seen when looking at boat crews, the golor seems to vary from what looks like standard OD to any shade of gray. Hand-applied or stenciled markings usually were white and appeared on the back, front or both. My assumption is that the markings were more for the in charge of loading the boat with soldiers and the passengers themselves to make sure everyone was in the right place! Hope this helps a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1917 Posted March 26, 2012 Share #9 Posted March 26, 2012 I had an old swivel bail pot with most of the finish gone that I decided to restore as a helmet my Dad would have worn. He was a Coxswain on an APA and drove LCVPs and other small landing craft. I found some photos of boat crews in the Pacific and determined that a common marking was the APA number on the back. After cleaning up the helmet, retexturing and priming, I chose a Testors "Battleship Gray" (kind of glossy) and sprayed it on. I then hand lettered his ship number on the back. When he first saw it, his eyes opened wide and he asked "Where did you get this?" I told him I made it up and he said it looked just like his except he also had his boat number on the front. I have not gotten around to adding that yet but by his reaction, it must have been pretty close to the helmet he wore. As far as other photos I have seen when looking at boat crews, the color seems to vary from what looks like standard OD to any shade of gray. When visible, hand-applied or stenciled markings usually were white and appeared on the back, front or both. My assumption is that the markings were more for the in charge of loading the boat with soldiers and the passengers themselves to make sure everyone was in the right place! Hope this helps a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uplandmod Posted March 26, 2012 Share #10 Posted March 26, 2012 I was going to suggest Testors various matched spray paints for painting the helmet.... Coo that you did that as well.... LF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1stusmcdiv42 Posted May 5, 2012 Share #11 Posted May 5, 2012 Maybe this can be of some help. This is a helmet I painted up for my Shore Party naval gunfire coordinator impression in my USMC collection. The grey is airbrushed over the OD and the letters and numbers are hand painted. This helmet is NOT a WW2 Helmet. When I build my helmets the ones I paint up with camo and markings are only those olive green 1970s produced helmets so that in the future if it ever works its way out of my collection it can never be sold as original. Here is the completed uniform. Both jacket and trousers are originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
124cav Posted May 16, 2012 Share #12 Posted May 16, 2012 cool love navy HBT stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt_Rock_EasyCo Posted May 25, 2012 Share #13 Posted May 25, 2012 Or you can just send it to me and I'll paint it for you :thumbsup: I've been painting Leather and Cloth Jackets locally. I'll get some good pictures put up next week so you can see some of the stuff I do. Here's a short samples Black A-2 Korean War Rakkasan's Jacket Back Custom Nametape Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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