Model Forum / General / Models / April 2004

Possibly, but that's not quite my point. The kit I have lists the colours
for the 1944 ADLS but

A - I don't trust the conversion (or my local shop is using an old list of
colours - that assumes that humbrol changed their numbering scheme at some
point) and
B - What if I want to use a different colour scheme anyway?

And as I said to Bill, I don't really want to be bothering you guys, kind
and helpful though you undoubtedly are, everytime I open a new box and so
need a new list of Humbrol colours...

I don't know of one.  I approach this task in a different way: use one
or several of the references already available to find out the official
names of the colours used to paint the subject originally. Then get the
corresponding Humbrol, Xtracolor or whatever paints.  Mostly these will
have the same names (The Revell range is not good at this)

For instance, I suspect the Hurricane would be in the Day Fighter scheme
of Dark Green and Ocean Grey over Medium Sea Grey.  Dark Green is
Humbrol 30, Ocean Grey 106 and Medium Sea Grey 165 (In Xtracolor, 110, 6
and 3).

The nearest thing to what you want is the very wonderful cross-reference
charts originated by Urban Fredriksson that John Walker has already
pointed you towards.  Urban has a selection of lists by country where he
gives the best matches from the major model paint manufacturers for the
various commonly-used colours by name.  I know of no finer set of model
paint colour references (and Urban should have been showered with praise
and money by grateful modellers to continue this work!)

This chart
http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/stuff_eng_colorcharts_uk.htm
contains the colours you need.

The remaining part of the research, determining which colours were
applied to your subject at the period you wish to model it, has to be
left to you, the modeller.  The comprehensive list you want to see is
beyond the resources of anyone to assemble.

And thats before you get into weathering, consistency of application (US
Army Olive Drab or German Panzer camouflage, for example) or Scale
Colour; all of which renders exact colour matching so much less relevant
to the true appearance of your subject on any day of its history.

The problem I've found with Revell paints is their makeup.  They are
described as "synthetic enamels" (I think), and unlike Humbrol or
Xtracolor enamels MUST be thinned with their specific Revell thinner.
Attempting to thin them with white spirit results in a paint that takes
weeks to dry.  The thinner seems to evaporate too quickly for my liking,
too.

Revell Grey-Blue+White    : to make Medium Sea Grey (I guess)

Revell Bonze Green+White  : to make Dark Green (I guess)

Revell Grey+White : to make Ocean Grey (I guess)

Revell Carmine Red (Guessing Markings, spinner?)

Revell Yellow (Guessing Markings, prop tips?)

Revell Anthracite Grey (Revell usually uses this for tires)

Revell Aluminium - metal bits

Revell Light Olive (interior Green, perhaps; Humbrol 151, Xtracolor 117)

Revell Leather Brown+Aluminium ??? is this right?  Lord knows what for?

Revell Silver+Iron - darker metal bits :)

Well Matt Dark Green is 30 in my Humbrol chart: 65 is Matt Aircraft
Blue.  Bright Gloss Green could have been 2 or 3; what number was
actually on the tin lid?  It could have just been put into the wrong slot.

The amount of research necessary to generate such a chart, even for one
subject, is truly enormous.  I'm in awe of Urban's achievement.

You had me going there for a minute until I read further down that '65'
was the Revell number.  In Humbrolese that's RLM 65 or the underside
colurs for many German aircraft.

MFE stands for 'Middle-aged Flatulence Emitter' and means that I've been
around modelbuilding since the Ice Age or since Testors paint came in
10¢ bottles.  There are a few of us old...er..warriors around here.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Yeah, they changed a lot around and deleted a bunch of colors over ten years
ago. If your shop has a chart that old I would imagine it's pretty beat up.
There is a book that Humbrol supplies that gives formulas and such but it
retails for around 15 pounds. Your retailer should get one.

In the old days, you could buy a kit that gave you six colours for various
countries/armed sevices and the names of the colour on the tinlet. I find the
new system less than adequate.
hth

The Keeper (of too much crap)