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First post updated with Middle East British Vehicle Camouflage, NATO MERDC and Flesh sets. :)

Ooh, they've bought out a set for caunter camoflage - very brave! I love my Tamiya acrylics, but think I think I'm going to have to check these out soon.

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Ooh, they've bought out a set for caunter camoflage - very brave! I love my Tamiya acrylics, but think I think I'm going to have to check these out soon.

Mike Starmer was dismissive of that set, and I suppose he's the expert, but they look pretty good to my amateur eye.

I'm quite interested in the new WW2 Soviet armour set they have in the pipeline.

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Great review Mike, I've used these paints for a few years now and find them very user friendly. One thing, UA022 is too grey for Dark Sea Grey, UA108 is a better match IMO and is labelled Dark Sea grey.. Dal, out of interest which colour did you use for the foliage green?

Tony :clif:

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G'day, Tony.

Dal, out of interest which colour did you use for the foliage green?

In the end I left the Lifecolor for the Foliage Green and used Xtracolor's RAF Dark Green. There's a visible difference between the two, though whether that will survive a flat coat is another matter. I've since sprayed the Lifecolor RAF Dark Green and RAAF Foliage Green onto white plastic card and got the same result- they seem to be the same colour. I did the same with their Earth Brown and RAF Dark Earth and got a visible difference, so not sure what I did wrong the fist time- probably not mixed enough.

I do like the Lifecolor paint, especially now I'm getting the air pressure and thinner type (I use tank water) and ratios sorted out.

Dal.

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Also, the one UK stockist I've seen (Graphic Air) sells the sets at £13.27 but the individual pots at £1.96 - surely it makes more sense to buy them individually? Or am I being thick?

Also here in Australia the sets go for about A$34 but buying the same colours individually costs about A$24!!??

peter

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Also here in Australia the sets go for about A$34 but buying the same colours individually costs about A$24!!??

Yes, I contacted Frontline Hobbies (they are the Australian distributors) and they agree that it doesn't make any sense, but apparently it's LifeColor themselves who insist on that pricing structure. So you pay about $10 for the "convenience" of getting a bunch of colours together in a box (as well as the cost of the packaging itself). It is convenient, but I'm not sure that it's worth $10 a box!

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I use these for spraying, but as they are acrylics some colours need quite a few coats, I have found that using Lifecolor cleaner works just as well when thinning the paint, I also mix my paints in the spraygun as the Lifecolor cleaner has a droplet top so you can put the amount in you need with the paint

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Mike,

I enjoyed the review on Lifecolor. However, do you know anything about the set of USN colours Lifecolor is said to have released? Other than one post on "Steelnavy", I can't frind any info on them.

Best Wishes,

Will.

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Hi Mike,

I enjoyed the review on Lifecolor. However, do you know anything about the set of USN colours Lifecolor is said to have released? Other than one post on "Steelnavy", I can't frind any info on them.

Best Wishes,

Will.

Hi Will,

They're on their way - I think they should hit us in the UK either side of Christmas... I forget which side at present :)

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Is it just me or do others find the LC paints dry up in their pots very quickly? in fact I've bought some from my LHS & they've been dry2 days later when I opened them! Apart from that they good

Edited by sinnerboy
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Is it just me or do others find the LC paints dry up in their pots very quickly? In t I've bought some from my LHS & they've been dried 2 days later when I opened them! Apart from that they good

I've never had that at all, and I've got a lot of their paints. Just be careful to clean the lip of the pot and nip it up tightly before you put it away :)

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  • 2 months later...

Some great new sets have been added to the original review - US Navy sets 1 & 2, which should interest the ship builders big time, and Finnish WWII Army, which is a real niche one! :)

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Being a hairy stick devotee I can vouch for these paints being brushed. No streaks, opaque and matt down with no change of hue.

DSCF1311-1.jpg

MH

Looks really good, Max! Infact I think the green is spot.

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  • 2 months later...

The problem I had with Lifecolor was that all the Gloss White flaked/peeled off from my F-111A undersides when I wet sanded the top sides, i.e. the Lifecolor paint got wet. Drying time was around two days and I thought that to be sufficient for the paint to dry up to be water-resistant.

That was a very bad experience as acrylic paints usually dry rather fast.

Next I tried interior green on another model, waited 3 days, then exposed it to water. This time the paint resisted the water.

Just a hint to be careful when it comes to water meeting Lifecolor paints.

Ingo

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Just a hint to be careful when it comes to water meeting Lifecolor paints.

Why on earth would you want to expose any unsealed acrylic paint to water? Are there any brands of hobby acrylic paint that claim to be water-resistant? (Gunze "Mr Hobby" paints, maybe, but they're not water-based.)

I'd expand the hint from "be careful" to "don't do it!!".

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Greetings

These paints look good but does anyone know if they cover well on Halfords primer? I am looking at trying to move on from enamals!

Cheers now

Bob

Used them plenty of time on Halford's white primer and they did very well.

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I've just recently started using them (last two kits and current). Started with Humbrol Acyrlics, but they go like thick soup quickly once opened and I find difficult to brush (as a novice). LC paints are more "fluid" and although they do take 3-4 coats, they are easier to apply and rarely leave brush strokes (and strokes are a technique / brush factor, as well as paint).

If I were to fault them, is that they are fragile on early coats, so careful handling is necessary to avoid some flaking. nothing that cannot be remedied with technique.

I don't thin - well only on the top of my head, only use brushes and do not use flow enhancer, certainly not with LC.

One wish - that we could somehow get a better system of matching FS/BS stds with paints by manufacturer by name by type against scale effect! I know there are numerous sites trying to do this (except for scale effect), but some are way off (Revell Aqua NATO Olive = LC Israeli Green - in a coal bunker maybe).

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