This is not just a paint chip book. It is a time machine. Let’s open the cover. First, a word on credibility. The "Official Monogram" series carries weight because it is built on primary source documents. Author John M. Elliott and the team at Monogram Aviation Publications didn’t guess by looking at faded warbirds at airshows. They went into the National Archives and pulled the actual BuAer specifications, drawing numbers, and color standards .
When you hold this book, you are holding the actual standards that came out of the Bureau of Aeronautics. You are holding the directive that sent thousands of blue angels (lowercase 'a') screaming across the Pacific. This is not just a paint chip book
If you have ever stood in front of a model shelf or stared at a grainy black-and-white photo of a Corsair on Okinawa, you know the pain. Is that blue Insignia Blue or Midnight Blue ? Is that interior Bronze Green or Dull Dark Green ? And what, in the name of Grumman’s ghost, is Squadron Blue ? First, a word on credibility
Yes, they are printed, but the color correction in this edition is legendary. Monogram used a five-color process to match the original BuAer lacquer chips. Compare the chip for Insignia Red (used on the national insignia) to any hobby paint—you will be shocked how "orange" the real red actually was. Elliott and the team at Monogram Aviation Publications