Scaleing down the "color"?

[FujimiLover]

Is it necessary to scale down the color? If your trying to match say a particular silver or gray-ish color, do you want the smaller model to be darker, or brighter than the real thing? Or do you just simply match the paint to the real thing your trying to replicate? Remember, color and shape work together. Black is slimming, et'c, et'c. Please refer this question to my 1/43 scale thread where I posted a picture of my real Honda Insight with a small 1/43 scale die-cast model from Ebbro.

Hope my question isn't confusing..............

Edited March 15, 2009 by FujimiLover

[Guest Davkin]

My opinion is that scaling down the color on a model car body is not necessary unless you are doing a weathered car. You might want to tone down some of the detailing colors if they are very bright on the real thing, at 1/25 scale, (much less 1/43) something like an emissions decal really shouldn't jump out at you. In a nutshell, you are just trying to avoid having the model end up looking toy-like. That brings up metallics. I won't use automotive paint for metallics, the flakes are too big, so in a sense you should scale down the paint there as well by scaling down the flakes. Even some of Testors laquers have flakes that a bit too big for my tastes.

David

[FujimiLover]

Thank you. I suppose it's the metallics that are more in question as basic colors such as white's, red's, yellow's, et'c dont' really have an issue of size. I think maybe pearls might also be an issue?

[Scalefinishes]

Some silver and grays use a pretty large flake, and can be a little noticeable on a model car. The problem is that the flake size is a part of how the color looks. Change the flake size and you end up with a different color.

Pearls are so fine that they really won't be an issue.

I have never "scaled" a paint color with darkening/lightening them. IMHO, The 24th cars are big enough that the color shift is unnoticeable.

Hope this helps.

Jameston

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Like Dave said, metalics are the big problem I see on a lot of models. Auto paints usually have way to large flakes to really look good on models. What I usually do is allow the metalic to settle and use the tinted clear part of the paint and add some pearl or spray it over a pearl base.

[FujimiLover]

Thank's guys!

[j_nigrelli]

model railroad paint (Floquil brand) prided itself on making "scale paint" by grinding their pigments many times finer than average model enamels. maybe it's dated technology now, but the theory certainly was valid.

i think that's why silver paint looks more like "scale chrome" than chrome plated plastic.

[FujimiLover]

I wonder if that stuff is still available some where? Thank you for that info. Would be nice if Testors could get into that.

[Olle F]

i think that's why silver paint looks more like "scale chrome" than chrome plated plastic.

I have noticed the same thing. Many finishes seem to be way to glossy to be realistic in 1:25 scale, and the bling and glare gives it that toy-like appearance. I have tinkered with this for a while, and have used duller finishes for engine compartments and interiors for quite a while. I guess it's a matter of opinion, but it looks much more realistic to me. The same thing goes for colors: The brighter they are, the more toy-like they will be.

[buffalobill]

I wonder if that stuff is still available some where? Thank you for that info. Would be nice if Testors could get into that.

I'm assuming that you were asking about Floquil paints. . .

If so, Testors now distributes the entire Floquil line of paint products. Floquil is considered by most model railroaders as the best paint for painting model trains in scales down to 1/160th (N) scale. I have been using Floquil for over 30 yrs, and swear by it - at least for HO scale (1/87th scale) models. Floquil colors are mostly of RR prototypes - both generic colors such as Reefer Orange, BoxCar Brown, Caboose Red, Weathered Black, Grimy Black, Engine Black, Rail Brown, etc, but most of their colors are those for specific prototype railroads - both those that no longer exist, as well as those still around. A few of their colors are available in rattle cans, but most are only sold in 1.0 ounce bottles.

Floquil also offers some vibrant marine colors for boat/ship modelers, as well as some specific for those folks modeling figures and busts (not the girlie-girl kind! - lol).

Note that all Floquil paints are available in a flat finish only. (I've never used a gloss clearcoat over them, but don't see why that some clears wouldn't work just fine. Dullcoat works super over Floquil after the Floquil has dried thoroughly (I wait about 24 hrs). Floquil does sell a gloss clear coat in 1.0 ounce bottles for those applying decals, and after the decaling has been done, a light coat of Dullcoat makes the decal film disappear, and restores the original Floquil flat finish.

The older Floquil formula paints, which were made for many years until recently, were a very 'hot' type of paint that wasn't suitable for brushing on styrene, or most other plastics, without a Barrier (Floquil's product name) coat under the Floquil color coat. Floquil's newer production paints can now be brushed, as well as airbrushed, on styrene w/out a Barrier coat. The quality (incl color fastness, resistance to fading, shelf life of open or sealed bottles, color accuracy, drying time, have not been affected by the newer formula. I still have some bottles of the old stuff that are 20+ yrs old, and as long as they're kept in a cool environment, and tightly sealed, the paint is as good as new. If it thickens up a bit, it's easily thinned w/ Floquil's thinner - I've also used lacquer thinner to thin it. . .

And, the same folks also offer a similar range of colors in an acrylic formula (sold as the Polly Scale brand) - terrific for layering paint, as the acrylic and the solvent-based paints do not attack or mingle w/ each other.

Do I like Floquil paint? You betcha!

www.Testors.com has the entire Floquil product line - incl paint chips - on their website. It's available @ most model RR shops, HobbyTown (make sure it's the newer formula, as the labels are different than the old stuff), and from online sources, incl Testors.com and Walthers.com.

Edited July 31, 2009 by buffalobill

[cruz]

I love Floquil paints also, my favorite is their primer, it goes on smoother than any primer I have ever seen. About the scale color, I don't think there is such a thing unless you are talking about the size of the flakes in metallic paints. Bright or dark, if you use the right color on any model it will look great. You also have to remember that the orange peel that is formed after painting will always be out of scale on a 1/25 scale kit or smaller, it is always important to rub out the finish to be able to get a more realistic look. The use of an airbrush reduces the chances of getting orange peel but the model still has to be wet-sanded nevertheless.

What I have noticed is that it is also important to darken your panel lines. I have seen a lot of great paint jobs out there but I have also seen panel lines full of paint giving the model a very toyish appearance.

[nitrojunkie]

The Floquil paints are great I use the Engine black for resin tire sidewalls and the Grimy black for the tread areas.Most well stocked hobby shops should have them.