blue angels blue

This is later than the era you're asking about, but it may be relevent information research-wise:

The Monogram Painting Guide to US Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft; Vol 4 contains paint chips for six shades of "Blue Angel Blue", identified by year from 1974 through 1986. That's as far back as the Guides reach.

From what I've heard, "Blue Angel Blue" really isn't a "standardized" color; no FS numbers are given in the Monogram Guide, which contains the most variations I've ever seen gathered in one place. The colors vary slightly in gloss, some in shade, some in both. I've even heard from some McDonnell sources that one year the BA jets were simply painted with some blue Krylon paint that came from a local hardware store.

Bottom line is that I wouldn't particularly sweat just using Testors BA Blue and adjusting it for gloss based on any pictures of the particular airplanes you are modeling.

Yes - drastically. I was hoping that another volume of the Monogram Guide (I have the complete set) might have contained the earlier color chips, but I looked and they don't.

According to a message posted several years ago, "Blue Angels Blue" is actually the same color used on U.S. Mail boxes. Having seen the Blue Angels several times in person, I tend to agree. The blue color is definitely lighter than the so-called Blue Angels Blue FS 15050 sold by Testors. So run down the corner mailbox and check out its color (I'm not kidding!).

Martin

In the UK its period red

At one time, at least about 15 years ago IIRC, "BA Blue" was a commercial aircrat paint. "JetGlo" made by Alumigrip, which was a DuPont holding then & may still be, I think. Don't remember the name or number of the blue, but I got a color chart from an aviation supplier (Aviall for those curious) for a guy doing a series of articles in Scale Modeler mag. If you can find refs to those issues, late '80s - early '90s, he wrote a series going back to the BAs in the late '40s to the then current use.

I've heard in some circles that the INS boxes in the F/A-18 are painted gold to induce the folks handling them to treat them more "gently"...