Lincoln Futura Interior color

[gtx6970]

Have a question in hopes someone can answer.

Another one of my started  but not yet completed builds has been calling my name more and more lately. So I think its needs to move to the front of the line. I have the body assembled and plan to cut the chassis out so I can do the body right and install the interior from below  then glue the chassis plate back in

I think I know what color to do the body ,,,but for the life of me I cant make out what colors the interior was. Its looks like black,,with the seats and areas on the doors  in either a silver leather or vinyl ????????

 

any ideas ?

[JTalmage]

I didn't have any problems with mine assembling it with the interior in first as it shows in the instructions. My only complaint is all the sink holes in the body. Looks to me the interior is a leather/vinyl of similar body color with what looks to be a charcoal or gunmetal opposite color.

I guessed when I built mine. But I also built it in it's "movie" configuration. I definitely want to do a stock version like the pic above.

Seeing this picture though, lets me know I need to do more bare metal foil on the interior next time lol

[gtx6970]

Agreed,,,

99% of the pictures I can find of the car are in black and white, which makes if difficult to pin down the exact interior colors .

I am leaning towards a slightly darker silver with maybe a real dark grey contrasting color .

I have the body in primer now and will concentrate on fixing sink holes in it this weekend maybe

[JTalmage]

I was googling pictures of it as well, and all the pictures I could find it seemed they just changed the silver/white to red and nothing else just for the sake of ease. So I'd say for sure it's a dark black/charcoal, but as with the rest of this car I'm sure it's got a hint of metalflake in it. 

I would even maybe look towards a buffing metalizer, and perhaps either leave it unbuffed, or buff it then scuff it with a red 3m scuff pad. Gives it a metal look without the overbearing shine.

It would be nice if someone offered the Futura and Lincoln scripts in photoetch... to really add that next level of detail to the body... since it's devoid of pretty much any dash/interior detail, and any script besides the one on the nose. 

Edited March 30, 2016 by JTalmage

[Art Anderson]

I was googling pictures of it as well, and all the pictures I could find it seemed they just changed the silver/white to red and nothing else just for the sake of ease. So I'd say for sure it's a dark black/charcoal, but as with the rest of this car I'm sure it's got a hint of metalflake in it. 

I would even maybe look towards a buffing metalizer, and perhaps either leave it unbuffed, or buff it then scuff it with a red 3m scuff pad. Gives it a metal look without the overbearing shine.

It would be nice if someone offered the Futura and Lincoln scripts in photoetch... to really add that next level of detail to the body... since it's devoid of pretty much any dash/interior detail, and any script besides the one on the nose. 

As built, the Lincoln Futura dream car was painted "Ice Blue Pearl" which Ford's historical people described to me as being what became that really pale, almost white color of blue seen in 1963-64 across the Ford line.  That was coated with clear lacquer having ground up fish scales in it to give the pearlescent sheen.   All the known color photo's of the Futura from Ford's archives show the car as being a pale green, like the Revell box-art, but I was told that was due to yellowing of the original transparency either during, or after the fire that destroyed the Ford Rotundra in Dearborn in 1955 or 1956.

It was Barris Customs who painted the Futura bright red for a Hollywood movie.

Art

[gtx6970]

MCW lists the Lincoln Futura color called silver mink ?

Looked it and Ice blue pearl up on TCB Globals website.

Silver mink might be ok for the seats, but definitely not for the exterior.

Cant find any color chips for the Ice Blue .

 

I've decided to just spray it Tamiya pure white with a testors white lightening over coat and call it good . The few color pics I can find of the car they ALL look white to me .

The interior  on the other hand,,,I'm not so sure about yet. My Plan is go out today and ck out the testors metallizer line.

[Art Anderson]

MCW lists the Lincoln Futura color called silver mink ?

Looked it and Ice blue pearl up on TCB Globals website.

Silver mink might be ok for the seats, but definitely not for the exterior.

Cant find any color chips for the Ice Blue .

 

I've decided to just spray it Tamiya pure white with a testors white lightening over coat and call it good . The few color pics I can find of the car they ALL look white to me .

The interior  on the other hand,,,I'm not so sure about yet. My Plan is go out today and ck out the testors metallizer line.

You won't find a color chip for the "Ice Blue Pearl" that Ford styling used on the Futura, as it was NOT a production car color in 1955, plain and simple.  What Patrick Mulligan of Ford's licensing arm came up with for  the Johnny Lightning diecast Futura was 1964 Ford Skylight Blue ( http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/aclchip.aspx?image=1964-Ford-pg01.jpg ) which appears a bit darker than it actually is in this jpg of the Ditzler color chart, oversprayed with pearlescent clear as on the actual Futura for its 1955-56 auto show career.

I sent a chip of Skylight Blue to the factory which produced virtually all Johnny Lightning diecasts back in the 90's-2004, with instructions to overcoat it with pearlescent clear--and then sent Ford one of the test shot Futura's--it was approved in a heartbeat (and back then Ford's licensing people were pretty demanding!).  They went on to tell me that the "Skylight Bue" of the early 60's was inspired by the paint on the Futura of 8-18 years earlier but without the pearl coat.  Since almost no one knows or remembers exactly what shade of light blue was on the Futura, I'd say they came pretty close when they helped us out at Johnny Lightning.

Art

[Art Anderson]

Have a question in hopes someone can answer.

Another one of my started  but not yet completed builds has been calling my name more and more lately. So I think its needs to move to the front of the line. I have the body assembled and plan to cut the chassis out so I can do the body right and install the interior from below  then glue the chassis plate back in

I think I know what color to do the body ,,,but for the life of me I cant make out what colors the interior was. Its looks like black,,with the seats and areas on the doors  in either a silver leather or vinyl ????????

 

any ideas ?

Were I a betting persson, I'd say that the interior was a metallic very light silver-metallic or pearl.

Art

 

[JTalmage]

It almost looks to me that if you painted all the vinyl/leather parts with Tamiya Mica silver followed by Tamiya light blue pearl as just a far away mist coat to give it some blue/pearl effect that might work.. 

[gtx6970]

Were I a betting persson, I'd say that the interior was a metallic very light silver-metallic or pearl.

Art

 

Thats  what  I was thinking , a medium silver with a very light/thin topcoat. A lot of the early vinyls back then had a pearlessance to them .

I keep thinking a metallizer color  would/might/maybe  work

 

Then with maybe a pearl off white on the steering column ?, decisions, decisions, decisions . Who said model building was easy .

But I really want to do this car just once,,,but right . at least as close to right as I can within reason .

[peteski]

To me that interior looks like pearl white. Slightly warm pearl white. There are many nail polishes out there which look very close to that color.

[gtx6970]

I never thought about a nail polish.

 

I guess I'll have to stop by Walgreens later today while I'm out

[peteski]

Walmart and Target also carry good selection of nail polishes.

[sjordan2]

The interior doesn't look anything close to white to me. I'd say it's a medium/light gray with a dark charcoal (not pure black).