Calling all USS Lexington CV-2 fans

[Mike W]

Thanks Marijn, that's some very useful tips and info. I was trading at the Scale Scotland show last Saturday and while I was there I picked up a copy of Warship Pic 33, I had the one with Lex and Saratoga already but I thought it can't hurt to have more info on the Lexington.

That confirms what I thought about the director and the railings. I've got the Model Monkey bridge but can't quite stretch to buying the funnel, besides the funnel is mostly stuck together and painted and has bits of the gmm etch glued on. I guess until clear deck pics are available (if there are any!) I could put some on or leave them off and no one could say I'm wrong for sure either way.

thanks
Mike

[Mike W]

One thing I've noticed in the Warship Pictorial no 33, is that late 41, it appears Lexington's flight deck was stained in the Dark Stain, would this also be correct in May 42? I've painted the flight deck in the lighter stain as I thought the Darker stain was introduced in 44.

thanks
Mike

[Mike W]

One thing I've noticed in the Warship Pictorial no 33, is that late 41, it appears Lexington's flight deck was stained in the Dark Stain, would this also be correct in May 42? I've painted the flight deck in the lighter stain as I thought the Darker stain was introduced in 44.

thanks
Mike

[MartinJQuinn]

The stain used by Lexington was different than the stain used mid-war and late-war.

She - and the other USN carriers in 1941 and 1942 - used 250N Norfolk Flight Deck Stain. It's not as dark as deck blue. She wore this stain until she was sunk at Coral Sea. I used Colorcoats 250N on my 1/350 Lexington (the photo below).

[Mike W]

Thanks Martin. I found something to that effect on Ship Camouflage but it wasn't where I thought the info would be so I missed it and then found it by chance, I'll have to see if I have any 250N enamel left as I don't think I have it in my acrylics.

thanks
Mike

[Mike W]

Good news, I've found a part used WEM Colourcoat 250N Flight Deck stain, I think it was only used to paint the deck on my Hornet. I tried to keep the colourcoats that I couldn't replace with acrylics. Hopefully that means I can paint Lex's deck with the correct colour.

thanks
Mike

[MartinJQuinn]

FYI, the stripes on the deck were similar in color to Ocean Gray.

[Jon C Ryckert]

Were not the color of the markings that matched 5-0 Ocean Gray supposedly called 251-N?

[Mike W]

FYI, the stripes on the deck were similar in color to Ocean Gray.

Thanks Martin, that's what I thought!

I see you like my Vittorio Veneto . Do you still need to email pics in to the admin for posting on the gallery here?

thanks
Mike

[MartinJQuinn]

I see you like my Vittorio Veneto . Do you still need to email pics in to the admin for posting on the gallery here?

thanks
Mike

Yes, that's the best way to get them included in the gallery!

[Mike W]

The Model Monkey bridge has no doors. Did the doors open inwards or outwards? If they open outwards, do they open to the left or right as you look at them?

thanks
Mike

[ModelMonkey]

Hi Mike,

Doors opened outwards, hinge forward.

Thanks for your patronage!

[Mike W]

Thanks Steve. I'm working on detailing the bridge with etch from the GMM set and a few kit parts. I built up the kit bridge as a comparison and to help with parts placement etc. I've got the first coat of 251n flight deck stain, I wish it was available in acrylic, it would be loads quicker to do and far less smelly!

thanks
Mike

[anj4de]

Hello all

I have a MENG Lexington that I plugged togther th eother day...no glue so far...just to see how it is. The fit is excellent and the parts are nicely detailed it seems. Are there any expert comparisons to the Trumpeter Lexington...which seems a scaled down 1/350 ship? Which is the better over all?

thanks
Uwe

[PetrOs]

I got a question - I plan the MENG Lex with wood deck and some china-made PE soon, as she was in dec. 41.
Shipcamoflage.com tells me that she was in MS12. MS12 Wood Decks listed there as

Wood Decks.

Wood decks except on submarines and carriers shall be darkened to the color Deck Blue. Deck Blue paint shall be used in lieu of stain for this purpose.

Does that mean the Lex had natural wood decks by this time? Or stained?

[Elvis965]

Does that mean the Lex had natural wood decks by this time? Or stained?

See Martin's post about halfway up the page:

The stain used by Lexington was different than the stain used mid-war and late-war.

She - and the other USN carriers in 1941 and 1942 - used 250N Norfolk Flight Deck Stain. It's not as dark as deck blue. She wore this stain until she was sunk at Coral Sea. I used Colorcoats 250N on my 1/350 Lexington (the photo below).

Lex had the stained flight deck at least as early as October, 1941.

HTH

Bob

[Jon C Ryckert]

Petros,

From what I have always heard or read, all horizontal steel surfaces on American WW2 aircraft carriers (steel decks, tops of turrets, tie down strips etc..) were painted 20-B Deck Blue. Early WW2 American carriers such as Lexington had the flight decks stained with Flight Deck Stain 250-N. Later during the war, it was replaced with Flight Deck Stain 21. Hope this helps you.

[Tracy White]

Norfolk 250N is your best bet but it's probably wrong. In fact, almost everything we knew about 1941 carrier decks is wrong, but we don't 100% know what's right yet and likely won't for every carrier.

We've known for a bit that Ranger was conducting camouflage flight deck stain in the Atlantic during 1941, but in the last few years we've learned that the Pacific Fleet was also performing camouflage experiments, at least on Enterprise. I came across this September 3, 1941 memo from Admiral Halsey, serving as "Commander Aircraft, Battle Force" to the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics indicating that she was likely painted in an experimental deck paint by late August of 1941. Just a little over a month later he updates them. I haven't found the source letters that are referenced to know if they was only sent to Halsey or were also sent to other carriers.

The earliest reference I have for "250N" is actually December of 1942: directives issued in December of 1941 actually reference a formula "L-81-3M." If you compare the two side-by-side, they're largely the same ingredients, but in much different quantities. L-81-3M has about 80 lbs of "Ultramarine Blue" to 7 lbs. for color versus 6.4 to 8, respectively. Are the two Ultramarine Blues the same, or was 250N much more of a hint of blue, and what are the S&S paint chips we've been using based of of?

We know from this article that Lexington had painted over her pre-war maroon stain over painted by some sort of blue by October of 1941. We know that that for L-81-3M, "The original production of deck stain was shaded to match standard samples of No. 20-B paint and the marking paint to match No. 5-0 paint."

We don't know for sure what the Pacific fleet was doing.

[PetrOs]

Thanks!

A question is then - when did she had the wood colored deck last time, maybe I would backdate her

[Tracy White]

Fitting out, I think.