I am working on a Marshalls/Carolines SBD-5 diorama and want to get some input on the pierced steel runway I painted. Too must rust? Right colors? Suggestions?

I think the rust and dirt side by side need a bit of blending. Either the rust needs to bleed a bit into the dirt, or the dirt needs to be 'kicked' up over the sheets.
If the weather is bad enough for rust it would wash the iron color into the surrounding dirt (IMHO)

Just heard from a Jar Head pilot from that era who says they were a deep rust color. Anyone else got photos?

Hi Bill, on Wikipedia under references is an Army Corps of eng. manual on the production and uses of psp.
According to them the psp steel had a high manganese content and didn't rust readily. Of course in the Pacific with all the salt water and air anything is possible.
The manual stated that after production in the factory, the psp was painted Army green. After being deployed in the field it was usually left to it's steel color after the Army green wore off due to the traffic and the rapid tearing down and rematting on another island.
I guess you can get away with Army green in low traffic areas - steel & rust in higher traffic areas.
These pics. are b&w but look very light [ steel ] in color to me.
Glenn

Edit : Almost forgot, the mats were placed on crushed coral, then covered with crushed coral so don't use any traditional dirt colors. I have some more pics somewhere in my thousands of uncategorised files l.o.l.
Edit : Edit : Ooooops, small island air fields - coral - larger islands with runways in the islands interior - dirt - muck and mire - lots.





This last pic. the color looks a little darker and may be the Army green spoken of.

Great photos, Glenn, thanks!

I'm thinking maybe a wash of green around the edges where the original paint might have not worn off?