Not having any Revel colours I have really enjoyed mixing tiny amounts of Vallejo Air paints to get the colour I need, or in many cases prefer for small components. I know we have flexibility in this area but its more fun than I thought. Mixing Rust with Signal Blue and a touch of black to get a good engine component colour was great. I dont really want to buy paints I might not use again just for one job. But thankfully there is Modelshade which is quite superb at giving comparisons. And where some aren't really close enough I make a colour up. Even RAF stations must have run out of standard paint and improvised sometimes :smiling5:
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Gary,
colours can be controversial - people insist that a RAL, BS, RLM, FS specification gives the exact colour. That may be true in the spray booth, but as soon as normal life starts, colours change, due to weather, chemical contamination, and especially ambient light! This is without considering 'scale effect' on colour. The best you can do is 'does it look right?' - and treat 'experts' with caution!!!! :tongue-out:
Dave -
Still, it’s good to know what the colour is supposed to look like according to the real-world specifications, because that way you’re not making things ip just because they look right to you. Sure, if you want, you can put a medium green paint on your model of an M4 medium tank in US Army service in Normandy, June 1944, and there’s nothing really wrong with doing so if this is how you like to paint your model. However, trying to claim any kind of accuracy is kind of pointless at that stage because these tanks simply were not medium green in the real world
Knowing the official colour will help a lot in picking a paint colour that suits your perceptions of what it should look like on the model you’re building. Any deviation from the exact official shade is then a matter of interpretation of the shade, the effects of weathering, of scale and so on to get something that looks right to you.
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Absolutely agree Dave, if it looks right it is right......Comment
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I do agree that its valuable to know what the colour was supposed to look like and I'm really talking about not having that exact colour to hand. When I say that I mean in the paint manufacturers opinion. So a mix of a different make can give a close match which I would suggest is good enough. I bet in all cases colour charts weren't to hand or even the right paints in "the field" so people had to be creative whilst sticking to the colour as best they could. So for me a bit of creative flexibility is fine. I'm not trying to make the exact model as often suggested.
Making the exact model with colours and fittings that match the original and in many cases specific tank or plane is admirable and a great way to make a model. For me thats not the case but I am full of admiration for those that do. It's artComment
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Two magic words - Artistic License!Comment
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Gary,
To give you an example of how I work -
This is a Panther tank currently on the bench, work life & man flu seem to get in the way at the moment!!
Any hoo - all of this is brush painted -
The white color is supposed to be "Elfbein" an ivory color used in German armor WWII.
The instructions call for A.Mig 046 Creamweiss. I have no Mig colors at all so improvised with
two of the 150 ish colors I have - Matt White and then gave it a coat of Lifecolor Dust Type 2.
A better lighted picture would probably show this color better.
The gearbox and other internals are supposed to be A.Mig008 Dunkelgrau - but the nearest I have is Slate Grey No 34 its normally used on aircraft or British vehicle camouflage.
And so it goes on.
Its not the best picture either - lighting not too good where I am working at the moment.
As Peter says it's artistic license.
HTH
Paul.
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And that looks fantastic as well. Keep looking at tanks as a build but the weathering that people do puts me off to be frank. But I love detail work and that looks excellent and a real challenege. Colours look well suited to the build.Comment
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Gary,
Don't let the weathering put you off - I don't :-
Most of my kits are painted as if they are straight out the factory - with minimum wear or
weathering.
Bergepanther - painted as if the camo was just out the factory then a little dust applied
and then some little chips added with "pencils". Tracks have some light mud applied.
The best thing to do is not go overboard there are a lot of other muggellers on this forum that can help you achieve far better results than mine,
Paul.
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I'm building myself up to have a go. Less is always more I know on this sort of thing. Can't help to try...... :flushed:Comment
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Next time you construct a model and you really make a serious mistake - don't bin it.
Keep it - use it as a test bed for any painting, shading or any weathering you want to
incorporate on a newer build.
Paul.
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I agree Paul there is always a need for test piecesComment
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