[R Leonard]

Well, I see now that this is supposed to be a representation of plane that Jimmy Thach flew in the morning escort mission. His nominally assigned plane was #1, which he flew in the afternoon. In both cases, you left out the squadron insignia which was present on that six sided access hatch located below and slightly forward of the cockpit. A Felix the Cat on a white circle is appropriate. You can look here to see placement, it is the small circle below the windscreen:
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g60000/g66154.jpg

Another shot of the insignia placement, if you don’t mind upside down; it is right above the edge of the dolly in front of the edge of the windscreen:
http://www.users.bigpond.com/pacificwar/Midway/TomCheek/RingofCoral/Return_Yorktown.html

Also, this plane would not have been particularly weathered. Thach’s VF-3 F4F-4s had been arriving at Kaneohe NAS over the course of late April to mid-May 1942. These planes did not see action at Coral Sea. The Yorktown planes that saw action at Coral Sea were F4F-3’s that belonged to VF-42.

As for the blue, see below on one of those six-sided access panels. This one is from VF-11. The gent who did most of the work on the insignia design told me that he liked the way VF-3 placed it’s insignia on this panel (having had the experience if flying a VF-3 F4F at Midway) and since the VF-11 CO, who had been his CO in VF-42, made it his choice, that’s where he decided the VF-11 insignia would placed. This particular panel, one of a matched pair, is from b/n 11985, side number white F-21. At one time they had an oxidizing white/pale pale pink powder on it, but he cleaned that off when they were finally brought out of storage in the 1980’s. Anyway, this is the USN non-spec blue grey.

And here’s my favorite VF-3 F4F taking off from Yorktown on 4 June 1942, side number white 13; my father’s plane.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g310000/g312016.jpg

Rich