Mr Color match for Boeing and Airbus gray

[Doom3r]

Hi,

 

Hasegawa calls out Mr. Color 315 as the aircraft gray for A320 and 737-700. However I've noticed on few forum posts people recommend using 338 for Boeing. So I've got both colors and the colors look quite similar except 315 is a bit warm. What are your thoughts on which color should be used for gray? Due to work schedule I wouldn't be able to get to the airport in a day time for a week 😢 so can't compare to the real thing. Do both manufacturers use the same color or one could be a better much for Airbus and another for Boeing? Is it the same color that is used on USAF RC-135 Rivet Joint?

 

Thanks!

[Dave Swindell]

7 hours ago, Doom3r said:

Do both manufacturers use the same color

Pretty sure it's the same grey used by both Airbus and Boeing, IIRC @XV571 quoted Airbus drawings giving the same paint spec for the grey used on wings etc. Can't comment on Mr Color paints, but Testors Voodoo Grey and Halfords Racking Grey are supposed to be good matches, Xtracolor do both Boeing grey and Airbus grey, veryu little difference between them.

[Doom3r]

Well, Testors Voodoo Grey is seems to be an enamel and I prefer to avoid it (I usually prefer Tamiya Acrylics or Mr Color Lacquer paints and I don't have a patience to wait 3-5 day till it would cure unless it is Alclad Gloss Black before applying metallizer paints). Halfords seems to be a UK (I am in US) thing or at least I cannot see it either in my hobby shops or closest Autozone ;(

[dnl42]

37 minutes ago, Doom3r said:

Well, Testors Voodoo Grey is seems to be an enamel and I prefer to avoid it (I usually prefer Tamiya Acrylics or Mr Color Lacquer paints and I don't have a patience to wait 3-5 day till it would cure unless it is Alclad Gloss Black before applying metallizer paints). Halfords seems to be a UK (I am in US) thing or at least I cannot see it either in my hobby shops or closest Autozone ;(

FWIW, I've had good luck using Mr Color as bases for Alclad.

[Skodadriver]

19 hours ago, Doom3r said:

Hi,

 

Hasegawa calls out Mr. Color 315 as the aircraft gray for A320 and 737-700. However I've noticed on few forum posts people recommend using 338 for Boeing. So I've got both colors and the colors look quite similar except 315 is a bit warm. What are your thoughts on which color should be used for gray? Due to work schedule I wouldn't be able to get to the airport in a day time for a week 😢 so can't compare to the real thing. Do both manufacturers use the same color or one could be a better much for Airbus and another for Boeing? Is it the same color that is used on USAF RC-135 Rivet Joint?

 

Thanks!

The general view seems to be that Canadian Voodoo Gray FS16515 is a close match to Boeing Gray.

 

Do a Google search for "The Ultimate Model Paint Conversion Chart" and use that to match FS16515 to whatever paint range you want to use. 

 

Don't get too hung up on the "correct" colour. When your wings look like this the exact underlying shade is pretty academic.

[Doom3r]

On 5/16/2019 at 6:50 PM, dnl42 said:

FWIW, I've had good luck using Mr Color as bases for Alclad.

Hmmm... now I have to try it. I guess I need to visit my hobby store and pick one more Airfix 1/72 Mustang to run one more metallizer technique...

 

18 hours ago, Skodadriver said:

The general view seems to be that Canadian Voodoo Gray FS16515 is a close match to Boeing Gray.

 

Do a Google search for "The Ultimate Model Paint Conversion Chart" and use that to match FS16515 to whatever paint range you want to use. 

 

Don't get too hung up on the "correct" colour. When your wings look like this the exact underlying shade is pretty academic.

Wow... I've seen such wings only on the military cargo planes... At least the airlines I am trying to build (from my own experience of flying past few years with them) have their planes in a pretty good shape (there are only smoke marks next to the reverse). As well as according to the google the 737 I am modelling was built in 2018...

 

Basically I am trying to figure out a good base color and then go from there. Especially since I have on the list EC-135 & C-141 (in a white/grey  scheme). And if EC-135 were kept as RC-135 then it was almost spotless.

Edited May 18, 2019 by Doom3r

[CT7567]

The gray used on RC-135s (USAF and RAF, to the best of my knowledge) is actually FS 16473 - a darker, bluer color than "Boeing Gray" (which as noted above is most closely matched by FS 16515, aka "Voodoo Gray").

 

Colorserver comparison for reference (Approximation only)

 

FS 16473 is the overall gray used by Air Defense Command (F-102, F-106, and the F-4s assigned to that role). KC-135s used an overall 16473 scheme from the time they abandoned raw corrogard until adopting the "Baby Shamu" scheme, which for 135s retained 16473 bellies with FS 36081 dark gray upper surfaces (for those wondering, the much larger KC-10 was "Shamu").

 

FS 16473 is also the standard gray used on airlift and other support types in the white over gray scheme during the MAC era (RC-135 /EC-135 series, C-141, C-5, etc), and as an overall finish on some FAC aircraft such as the OV-1 and OV-10 in Vietnam - thus sometimes also referenced as "COIN gray" for the COunter INsurgency mission.

 

FS 16515 is a very light, slightly warm gray, sometimes mistaken for white.  For military applications this color is pretty much exclusive to the E-3 Sentry (USAF and NATO, gray with white trim) and E-8 JSTARS (overall gray).

[XV571]

On 5/16/2019 at 8:47 PM, Dave Swindell said:

Pretty sure it's the same grey used by both Airbus and Boeing, IIRC @XV571 quoted Airbus drawings giving the same paint spec for the grey used on wings etc. Can't comment on Mr Color paints, but Testors Voodoo Grey and Halfords Racking Grey are supposed to be good matches, Xtracolor do both Boeing grey and Airbus grey, veryu little difference between them.

Hi, everyone, sorry for the delay in answering (blame work demands) and for some reason I didn't get Dave's notifcation. Yes, both manufacturers call up BAC707 on their drawings and although Airbus now prefer to use the internal code M9001 it can easily be traced back to the original Boeing Standard reference if you know who to ask with the right documentation.   I've put out some feelers to try and get a sample for comparison with the various options mentioned above, so fingers crossed this comes through.

 

Xtracolor X301 was originally a good match (I understand a sample of BAC707 was actually provided to Hannants along with a lot of the other Boeing colours they issued) but the last couple of tins I've bought have a distinctly 'concrete' tinge completely unlike the actual shade, I don't know if there is a better later batch since recently I've tended to use X150 Voodoo Grey instead. I'm not sure about the Mr Color options but 315 is FS16440 Light Gull Grey and 338 is FS36495. The first is probably a little too 'brown' as BAC707 is quite neutral and the latter has been mentioned as a good match for American Airlines grey when used with Tamiya TS65 Pearl Clear (see here for a comparison to BAC707: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/306028-aa-new-colors/) but is slightly darker than BAC707. Adding a little white to 338 miight bring it nearer to the correct shade.

 

GSI Creos did actually do a Mr Color BAC707 paint once but it was in a special All Nippon Airways livery set (number CS-571) and appears to be long gone now. Maybe they'll re-release the set one day, or better still, as separate items since the white is also a standard Boeing colour. Perhaps now that the RAF and other Air Forces are acquiring P-8 Poseidons more choices for BAC707 could become available from other paint manufacturers. Here's hoping...

 

HTH,

 

Jonathan