[quote user="Sergeant"]

jgeratic

Don't know if this really helps, just noticed that the Vallejo I have is the correct number 71.016, but is labelled as US Dark Green.  I bought it back in 2013 when it was part of their RAF/FAA set (16 bottles), and it was instructed to be used for RAF day fighter scheme. 

No idea if they changed the formula when relabelled as USAF Olive Drab, but comparing to the digital chip it looks very similar.

 

regards,

Jack

 

 

Harold

Gamera

Whoops, my mistake. I didn't enlarge the photos- now I can see where the paint came off... 

 

Harold

Hello Harold, the new mix looks good, it certainly appears to be from the same 'family' of SCC.15.   It is a bit darker, but Mike did mention this.

Also, good job on the windshield.

regards,

Jack

jgeratic

Hello Harold, the new mix looks good, it certainly appears to be from the same 'family' of SCC.15.   It is a bit darker, but Mike did mention this.

Also, good job on the windshield.

 

regards,

Jack

 

Harold

To lighten the colour, I'd not go with grey as it's fairly dull mix already.   I would actually try either XF-71, which was from the original formula, or maybe XF-21 Sky.

I did a quick digital study with XF-21, and would aim between 10 to 20% added to your mix.  Go less if plans are to follow up with weathering.

I used this online blender tool:

https://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/color-blend/#:::rgbd

The resulting blends are 100% pure colour at the top and bottom, while the sample increments are at 10%

If you use XF-71, it will take it closer to the original mix.  The results progress to a more visible green, which is how SCC.15 was described the more it aged.

regards,

Jack

Wow Jack that is some great tool you have for mixing paint. As it turns out I didn't have any of these Tamiya colors, so I ordered XF-71, XF-21 and XF-53 tonight and they should arrive by Friday.

Thank you for all your help.

Harold

The online colour blender tool is handy, but is really meant for digital colours.  Viewing online and real paint is not the same since the screen is backlit, resulting in a bit brighter colours.  It still is handy to give an idea of colour mixes, but one should still rely on hand mixing paints to make final decisions.

Anyhow, this is what I meant about using grey to lighten the SCC.15 mix.  It does get lighter, but the colour becomes overpowered once past the 10% point.

THe RGB values for Tamiya were obtained from this site by just typing in the paint number xf53 for their Neutral Grey:

https://encycolorpedia.com/search?q=xf53

regards,

Jack

That's interesting, I think I used XF-57 Buff to lighten the colour for the upper surfaces on my Comet. 

Hello Cliff, yes Tamiya's Buff is another option.  The results, at least digitally, would be the same as using XF-21 Sky.  The Buff does give a bit more yellow overtones the more it grows in percentage.

regards,

Jack

Thanks Jack! 

I may give XF-21 Sky a shot when highlighting the upper surfaces of the Conqueror. 

Sorry i am not getting involved but i don't really have anything to add. Some great information going up here, nice to see WW2 British colours getting some discussion.

I sent Mike Starmer a photograph and let him know how the mixture he suggested turned out. Mike asked me to try increasing the XF-3 just a little and add one-part neutral grey. I did not have neutral grey, so using a pipette I put 100 drops (5-parts) of Tamiya XF-61 Dark Green, 40 drops (2-parts) of XF-62 Olive Drab, 50 drops (2.5-parts) of XF-3 Flat Yellow and 20 drops (1-part) XF-66 Light Grey in a mixing bottle. Below is the result compared to my original mixture. What do you think?

Harold

I like the second sample better because it is lighter, but both still look like they are the same colour - which is good.  Once you get Mike's book you can compare directly, but it doesn't need to be an exact match. I've read paint standards could vary as much as 10% and still considered acceptable.

regards,

Jack

While waiting for the paint to cure on another build, I cracked open the Challenger 2.  All of these subassemblies were basically done in one sitting:

And everything all mocked up:

The way this is falling together, I will probably spend more time going back and browsing the past builds of this GB than building.  That's ok, the painting and finishing will slow me down since I am a brush painter.

jgeratic

I like the second sample better because it is lighter, but both still look like they are the same colour - which is good.  Once you get Mike's book you can compare directly, but it doesn't need to be an exact match. I've read paint standards could vary as much as 10% and still considered acceptable.

 

regards,

Jack

 

Harold

Harold, looking forward to seeing that paint on your Matador.

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At long last got news that the photo-etch I had designed for my Humber Scout has finally been shipped.   So another 2 weeks or so and can continue my build. 

Here is a sample of the artwork without frets before it is switched to what is used as the 'photo tool':

Black reprensents the solid brass, white is full etch, red half etch front, and blue is half etch backside.

regards,

Jack

jgeratic

Harold, looking forward to seeing that paint on your Matador.

---------------------

At long last got news that the photo-etch I had designed for my Humber Scout has finally been shipped.   So another 2 weeks or so and can continue my build. 

Here is a sample of the artwork without frets before it is switched to what is used as the 'photo tool':

Black reprensents the solid brass, white is full etch, red half etch front, and blue is half etch backside.

 

regards,

Jack

 

I started painting the finish coat tonight and it feels good to have a paint color selected that I know is historically accurate. I just got the first coat on one side of the major subassemblies.

Harold

Yes, that vehicle pictured in the foreground is exactly what I'm building.

Paint looks really good on the Matador.

regards,

Jack

jgeratic

Yes, that vehicle pictured in the foreground is exactly what I'm building.

Paint looks really good on the Matador.

 

regards,

Jack

 

I received a reply from Mike Starmer regarding the paint mix we have been working on, that you and other members might find interesting.

Harold, that is an interesting quote from the veteran Sherman driver.   It could be his first Sherman had some major work on it to prepare for Normandy, such that it required a repaint in SCC.15.   Another possibilty is a different Olive drab paint applied at the factory.  Either way, the vet would not be able to answer this, as his vehicle would have been delivered to the unit ready to go. 

regards,

Jack

Robert, nice work, that was quick.

Robert,

the Challenger came together really quickly. If it was a one night effort, it must have gone together really well?

Jack,

Do you get the photo etch done by someone - you just send the artwork?

Harold,

Your colour mix looks good on the Matador. For my Achilles, Tamiya suggested XF 61 straight and I reckon it looks dark:

I did do lighter coloured highlights on the horizontal surfaces before adding the decals. But the use of a gloss coat also made the scheme darker all round, which was frustrating.

lostagain

Harold,

Your colour mix looks good on the Matador. For my Achilles, Tamiya suggested XF 61 straight and I reckon it looks dark:

I did do lighter coloured highlights on the horizontal surfaces before adding the decals. But the use of a gloss coat also made the scheme darker all round, which was frustrating.

 

 

By the way, which clear coat product did you use? I normally use Vallejo gloss and matt varnish regardless of which acrylic paint I use.

Harold

Lost, good going with the Achillies.  The overall darkness should decrease once a flat coat is applied.  The paint underneath does not specifically change, but it's the amount of light that reflects back to the eye depending on the surface finish.

--------------------------

The photo etch company I'm dealing with is in Scotland:

https://www.ppdltd.com/

I sent my artwork in vector format.  You can just send in drawings of what you want and have them do the vector work, but the costs would balloon.   I shudder at the thought of what the final price would have been had I gone that route. 

Started working on my PE project mid-July, and sent it in beginning of October.  They quote a turn around of a minumum 2 weeks or up to 6 weeks to get the finished product sent back to you.  Also they quote prices on a minimum size of 150 x 300mm,   so was researching a lot of extra subjects to fill out those dimensions.

Here's what the whole project looks like:

regards,

Jack

Robert, Harold, Piers, and Jack: Those look great guys, please keep us updated! 

Gamera

Robert, Harold, Piers, and Jack: Those look great guys, please keep us updated! 

 

(2) I had read that changing the psi on an air compressor can change the surface texture of the paint. Vallejo varnish is a heavy medium, the viscosity is much thicker than Vallejo Model Air paint or Tamiya acrylic paint. I tried applying the varnish at 17 psi and noticed it was textured almost like orange peel. So, I applied 3 coats and it just became more noticeable. After it dried, I applied one coat of matte varnish at 35 psi and the texture began to smooth out. neither the gloss nor matte varnishes were thinned.

Conclusion: the perceived color will change with a gloss coat and the psi must be increased with heavier mediums like varnish. Thinning the varnish will allow application at a lower air pressure. Perhaps if I had a smooth gloss coat to start with one or two matte coats would have restored the paint to its original color. The gloss coat is only needed to provide a smooth surface for decals. If the finish coat of paint is smooth enough it may not be necessary to have a gloss coat.

Harold

I am almost done with assembly and the base coat S.C.C. 15 Olive Drab paint. I have a little more to do on the interior then I can glue the cab together. The next step will be to install 28 gage, dead soft, copper wire on the canopy as tie-down rope. This will be threaded through the holes on the sides of the canopy and secured on exterior truck bed hooks. Then I can glue the canopy to the truck bed. Once that is done, I can install decals and add the camouflage in Nato Black which will represent S.C.C. 14 paint.

I have practiced free-hand camouflage painting for a couple of days on art paper and decided to use a combination of forest camo airbrush stencil template and free-hand to apply the Matador camouflage. The stencil set is shown below.

Harold

I have some good news and bad news. I have completed all the assembly and base coat of S.C.C. 15 paint. Waiting now for the camouflage stencil template to arrive so I can complete the rest of the painting and decals. The bad news is I did not take a photograph of the interior painting before I glued the cab together. I did remember to remove the masking tape on the inside of the windows, but I am afraid the interior will need to wait until the painting is all done to be seen.

I also received Mike Starmer's books today and was pleased to see that my S.C.C. 15 Olive Drab paint matches his colour chip perfectly. However, I was surprised to see that his book British Army Colours & Disruptive Camouflage in the United Kingdom, France and NW Europe 1936-1945, updated in December 2019 did not include the Tamiya mixes in his article https://www.mafva.org/british-vehicle-camouflage-1939-45/?v=79cba1185463. But I have no doubt that Mike is the kind of person that will help modelers find the best Tamiya paint to match whatever British colour we are trying to represent. I am a big fan of Mike Starmer and highly recommend his books for British military colours and camouflage patterns.

Harold

Pic of the inside or not, thats looking very nice harold. look forward to seeing the camo on and how you get on with those stencils.

Bish

Pic of the inside or not, thats looking very nice harold. look forward to seeing the camo on and how you get on with those stencils.