Humbrol paint range reductions

[Seahawk]

Judging by the half-price sale at my LMS, Humbrol have culled their enamel range yet again.  Not sure many will lament the passing of the 24x series of Luftwaffe colours (which I found plain unusable) but also in there are 250 Gulf War pink and 168 Hemp (aka Nick Millman's acceptable out-of-the-tin mix for IJN Ame-iro).  You have been warned!

[Steve Noble]

Loads of paint ranges available these days and add in the fact that Humbrol quality on the ones I've tried most recently has been pretty shocking at best and I for one won't miss them. I've not really used them properly for years to be honest...

[Space Ranger]

I have two recent but undated Humbrol color charts. "Humbrol Enamel Paint and Conversion Charts" (P1158) lists 168 and the Luftwaffe colors 240 through 253 but omits 250. "Humbrol Paints and Accessories" (Chart code AZ2155) lists 168 and 250 (but calls the latter "Desert sand") and omits the Luftwaffe colors.

 

Sometimes I think that not even the powers that be at Humbrol know what they've got!

 

I've gotten around the quality control issue by buying up stocks of new old stock Humbrol paint, including Authentics, where I can find them and on ebay. I now have over 600 tins, including such discontinued colors as Eau-de-Nil 1 (11 tins!), Pale Cream 6, Yellow 8 (5 tins), Sky Blue 13, and Sky 28 (pre-1974; 6 tins).

 

 

[Steve Noble]

11 hours ago, Space Ranger said:

I've gotten around the quality control issue by buying up stocks of new old stock Humbrol paint, including Authentics, where I can find them and on ebay. I now have over 600 tins, including such discontinued colors as Eau-de-Nil 1 (11 tins!), Pale Cream 6, Yellow 8 (5 tins), Sky Blue 13, and Sky 28 (pre-1974; 6 tins).

 

 

Yes but you shouldnt have to do that, buying old tins because the quality has gone downhill. Humbrol should care enough to sort out the issues..

[Space Ranger]

17 hours ago, Steve Noble said:

Yes but you shouldnt have to do that, buying old tins because the quality has gone downhill. Humbrol should care enough to sort out the issues..

I agree completely that Humbrol should do something about quality control. Most of the paint I have acquired have been discontinued colors from their regular range for which I have a use, as well as many from the Authentics range. And the quality of these has been excellent. Some of the paint is over 50 years old and as fresh as the day it left the factory. That says a lot about Humbrol's control of quality in those days when it was an independently owned manufacturer and not part of some conglomerate.

Edited September 9, 2018 by Space Ranger
Clarification.

[Graham Boak]

I can understand why Humbrol may have found Hemp to be a poor seller, and thus wish to discontinue production.  However, it makes less sense given that Airfix are just releasing a Victor tanker.  Modellers of Japanese subjects can still buy Colour Coats more exact matches.  I suspect that Hemp is also available in other paint ranges, judging from the older tins I still have.

 

[Seahawk]

On ‎9‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 6:45 PM, Steve Noble said:

Loads of paint ranges available these days and add in the fact that Humbrol quality on the ones I've tried most recently has been pretty shocking at best and I for one won't miss them. I've not really used them properly for years to be honest...

I'm really quite with you: buying Humbrol paint nowadays is the triumph of hope over experience.   It's like buying a McDonalds: you despise yourself afterwards.

 

On the other hand the Chairman of my local IPMS branch with monotonous regularity obtains airbrush-quality finishes brushpainting new Humbrol enamels.  Maybe it was that same witchcraft that got him made chairman in the first place.

[sapperastro]

Perhaps he fills new tins with old Humbrol enamel. But seriously, you can get very good tins of the new stuff. The problem is, you don't know if you have won the lottery until you get it home and try it.

 

The last ones I bought several months ago were of the 'dooesn't want to dry/ hardly sticks to the surface' variety. Then i tried revell enamel. So, Revell, plus Colourcoats, plus Tamiya enamel makes up a formidable arsenal. I don't understand how it can be so hard to make a decent enamel paint that is consistent, but there you go.

[Space Ranger]

There's a new brand of enamels here in H.M.'s Former Colonies: True North Precision Enamels. Distribution is limited at the moment, however, and I've not had a chance to try them.

https://www.truenorthpaints.com/

 

Another new brand of paint in the last year is Tru-Color, an acetone-based paint, so I don't know whether it's an enamel or a lacquer: http://trucolorpaint.com/

 

I've not had a chance to try it either, but it seems to be a descendant of Scalecoat, a brand which concentrated on railroad colors and which I have used.

 

And with Colourcoats becoming available here through a well-known Interweb retailer, U.S. modelers who prefer enamels seem to have plenty of choices. I just wish Xtracolor was available.

[spaddad]

Where are Humbrol enamels made?

[Space Ranger]

7 minutes ago, spaddad said:

Where are Humbrol enamels made?

According to Humbrol's web site (https://www.humbrol.com/us-en/about-us) they have been made in London and Manchester since 2012. The original factory in Hull closed in 2006, and the manufacture was shifted to China after Hornby acquired Humbrol in November of that year.

[Graeme H]

Like Michael, I have a lot of older stock, including quite a few of the original Authentics,, the modern stuff went south big time when it went to China, and it did not improve one bit when it came back to the UK, it does airbrush OK for the most part, but I can't get it to brush paint at all, just no opacity, I'm not sure of the time scale of the lead being taken out of paint, maybe late '80's early '90's, but the older stuff with the lead in it is just great, just saying.  

[Space Ranger]

30 minutes ago, Graeme H said:

Like Michael, I have a lot of older stock, including quite a few of the original Authentics,, the modern stuff went south big time when it went to China, and it did not improve one bit when it came back to the UK, it does airbrush OK for the most part, but I can't get it to brush paint at all, just no opacity, I'm not sure of the time scale of the lead being taken out of paint, maybe late '80's early '90's, but the older stuff with the lead in it is just great, just saying.  

I've always thought Humbrol was lead free; it was advertised as "non-toxic."

[degsye39]

On 07/09/2018 at 21:35, Space Ranger said:

I have two recent but undated Humbrol color charts. "Humbrol Enamel Paint and Conversion Charts" (P1158) lists 168 and the Luftwaffe colors 240 through 253 but omits 250. "Humbrol Paints and Accessories" (Chart code AZ2155) lists 168 and 250 (but calls the latter "Desert sand") and omits the Luftwaffe colors.

 

Sometimes I think that not even the powers that be at Humbrol know what they've got!

 

I've gotten around the quality control issue by buying up stocks of new old stock Humbrol paint, including Authentics, where I can find them and on ebay. I now have over 600 tins, including such discontinued colors as Eau-de-Nil 1 (11 tins!), Pale Cream 6, Yellow 8 (5 tins), Sky Blue 13, and Sky 28 (pre-1974; 6 tins).

 

 

I'm in the same boat ive just bought a rather large stock of the older tins instead of entertaining the new stuff! Its the dogs!

 

Regarding new tins i have had varying success.. i tried a new tin of 90 beige green and a pot of 155 olive drab both of these tins were very nice to use if a little thick.. But here is the qaundary some are awful.. So why take the risk when the old stock is available and very cheap?! (in the uk at least)

 

Cheers chaps