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New Humbrol Luftwaffe enamels: any good?


Seahawk

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Colourwise I'll take it as read that the 5 I bought a couple of weeks ago are correct.

I've only brushed out a sample swatch of each on paper just to see how they are and the finish is absolutely matt.

2 weeks from their last stir and the pigment is still in suspension and looking good,no sign if skinning over.

I think we might be back to decent paint at last.

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I've tried them this week, colour wise I think the greys are a little dark but otherwise look good.

Brush painting them I've found a little tricky, I've needed multiple coats and I'm still not that happy with the finish, but I think I need to practice a bit. Not sure if they will replace xtracolor enamels for me just yet.

They do dry very matt

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Used 245 and 246, can't speak to accuracy but I also found them difficult to brush paint with being both very viscous and translucent. They also dried to a good mat but in a very short time.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I've been waiting for these to arrive for some time, and had to do a 40 mile round trip to collect them from my LSP. So far, I've only had time to try the RLM 02. It was stirred thoroughly with an electric strirrer, my favourite gizmo. Consistency seemed ok, and it flowed ok off a brush without thinning, but, the transparency of the paint was a big surprise. I can only compare it to the sorts of results obtained with DayGlo Orange or Yellow. I'm really not sure how many unthinned coats it would take to get a good finish. I was a bit surprised at this.

Recently I've been using a lot of old Humbriol Authentics, and generally, they cover beautifully with two thinned coats giving a lovely smooth, even finish with a brush! With new formulas being as they are, I wasn't expecting that sort of perfomance, but I was hoping for a lot more than what I've seen so far with the RLM 02. I need to try the other paints that I picked up, but reading the above, I'll not hold my breath. Are these brewed just with airbrush users in mind?

Regards;

Steve

Edited by fightersweep
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Unfortunately my FW-190 suffered a Grandson-induced crash and burn, but it was brush painted with the acrylic versions of 74/75/76 and they went on very nicely in 2 thin coats with a couple of drops of Humbrol acrylic thinner to help them on their way:

FW32_zps2bc3023b.jpg

FW33_zps78eb3004.jpg

John

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Just thoroughly stirred the RLM 76 and RLM 70 colours. Same issues. After brushing the paint out smoothly the colour was so transparent that it could be barely seen. Is there any pigment at all in these new paints?

Regards;
Steve

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Just thoroughly stirred the RLM 76 and RLM 70 colours. Same issues. After brushing the paint out smoothly the colour was so transparent that it could be barely seen. Is there any pigment at all in these new paints?

Regards;

Steve

If they really are that bad, I'd get in touch with Hornby. At the last Cosford show the Airfix reps said how keen they were to get to the bottom of Humbrol quality control issues but they needed to be told about them. You'll need to quote the batch number.

In an act of faith in the new Hornby regime, I've just bought 5 of the new colours but didn't have time to try them before the Christmas break: I shall be more than miffed if I've wasted £11-odd on products which cannot be used for the purpose for which they were sold.

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Hi Seahawk;

I have to say that the batch I just bought are pretty dire. Unbelievably transparent in their coverage. It would seriously take a lot of coats to get a uniform colour with the paints I have. Like you, I spent £12 and did a 40 mile round trip to pick them up, so a bit miffed too.

I'm a big Humbrol fan. I've always used their paints, but if this how the new formula is supposed to be, I'll have to look elsewhere. I will contact them though as the batch I have just doesn't seem right at all.

Regards;
Steve

PS...Please do let me know how you find the paints yourself. I'll be very interested to compare notes.

Edited by fightersweep
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I don't think they've arrived here in the US of A yet. I've been curious to try them, but if there are quality control issues with them as reported, I'll use White Ensign paints instead. I don't do many Luftwaffe models anyway (just examples of captured aircraft without swastikas).

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Guys;

I've fired off an email to Humbrol, so I will let you all know how I get on. I have tested all of the colours I bought now, which was RLM 02, 70, 71, 74, 75 and two tins of 76. The results were all the same with a brush. Good brushing qualities with a good drying time to a matt finish. The problem was with the colour. They all looked like clear varnish with a hint of streaky colour...very translucent. All colours were mixed thoroughly with an electric stirrer. I managed up to five unthinned coats of 76, and I still don't have a uniform colour. Surely a problem?

Regards;
Steve

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Guys;

I've fired off an email to Humbrol, so I will let you all know how I get on. I have tested all of the colours I bought now, which was RLM 02, 70, 71, 74, 75 and two tins of 76. The results were all the same with a brush. Good brushing qualities with a good drying time to a matt finish. The problem was with the colour. They all looked like clear varnish with a hint of streaky colour...very translucent. All colours were mixed thoroughly with an electric stirrer. I managed up to five unthinned coats of 76, and I still don't have a uniform colour. Surely a problem?

Regards;

Steve

Sounds like a manufacturing issue to me; too much vehicle and not enough pigment.

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Hmmm, there goes my plan to add them to my RLM comparison chart. That is until they sort out any issues. No point buying them now only to find they change something and need to rebuy them to compare that batch!

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Hmmm, there goes my plan to add them to my RLM comparison chart. That is until they sort out any issues. No point buying them now only to find they change something and need to rebuy them to compare that batch!

You could try it with the acrylics Peter, they've had good reports & I'm aching to see someone do this. I'd have a go but we haven't seen them out here yet.

Steve

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This may well be the case, if it is then it might have been nice fir Humbrol to say this either on the tin, on there website or in the publicity for their release.

It took 5 coats of Hu236 to get any sort of depth of colour on my Ju290.

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Agreed, there should be an alternative for either hairy sticks or airbrushes. Most youngers wont use an AB and this newer paint isnt really that usable from the tin.

It could be also a mixture problem but until a new batch is made and obtained we wont know.

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Hi John/Hardtarget;

I have to agree. I do use an airbrush, but I also get a lot of mileage out of my hairy sticks. I usually build 1/32, but enjoy a lot of 1/72 builds too, and for these I prefer to use a brush.

It's all very well formulating paints for airbrush use, but I bet the majority of users are still using brushes. As you rightly say, perhaps we need two different formulas for both applications.

Regards;

Steve

Edited by fightersweep
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this question of air brush paint started 20 or more years ago when compucolour 1and 2 which morphed into extra colour and now white ensign

.the older paints .airfix ,gloy and original humbrol were 100 per cent better for coverage than any of todays paints . I have tried the new humbrol and find them a little better than the last batch of chineese rubbish

regards

greycap

Edited by greycap
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Have to agree Greycap! I've been buying up loads of old Airfix, Humbrol and Gloy paints off of Ebay, and I love them. Some are easily 40 years old and still perform perfectly. I especially love the Gloy paints...smell great too!

Regards;
Steve

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its nice to have someone who agrees about paint, I didn't realize that the old stuff was still about. its a shame that the new paint is not as user friendly because some of the modern stuff seems to have good colour matches.

regards

greycap

1/72 the one true scale.

enamel the one true paint .

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Hi Greycap;

Kindred spirits it seems! Keep a regular watch on Ebay and around the model shows. Airfix paints can be sought after as collectors go for them too, but they can be found. Gloy paints and Humbrol Authentics do turn up and I also managed to bag several of the boxed authentic colour sets such as the RAF overseas set and FAA set for example. All of these paints have been un-opened and unused and after a good stir are just superb. As I said, I've been very impressed with Gloy..better than I remembered them to be. Nothing quite like building my retro kits and painting them with retro paints!

Regards;
Steve

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this question of air brush paint started 20 or more years ago when compucolour 1and 2 which morphed into extra colour and now white ensign

Can I ask where your information comes from?

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No problems encountered with enamels or acrylics. Good colour density & brush easily. Far superior to Xtracolour both in regard to colour density AND drying time. As for "accuracy", I cannot comment. I assume Hornby has done its research & that works for me! I have (admittedly) yet to try the Luftwaffe colours but, so far, I'm well satisfied

Allan

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