Illustrious Project - Out of the Yards

HMS Illustrious has completed her time in the yards and is ready for action. I finally put the finishing touches on the carrier’s paint job and got it in place for a few photos.

HMS Illustrious ready to sail

As I mentioned in my previous Illustrious post, the colors are light grey hull, with a medium grey disruptive pattern, and a dark grey deck with a solid yellow stripe. Here are some comparison photos of my version compared with the schemes from Mal Wright’s book.

Starboard camouflage

Port camouflage

Deck view

Overall, I’m happy with the paint job and how it compares to the illustration. Although my attempts at adding some weathering don’t seem to show up in the photos. But I guess that is a fairly minor problem.

Swordfish flyby

I should have finished the carrier a while ago, but I've gotten behind on some projects for work and others. I often seem to take on more things than I really should. But next up for this project will be an escort for the game.