What Tamiya Paints to get started in WW2 Tank models?

[Troy Smith]

3 minutes ago, M3talpig said:

That's why I stated primary's ....... not purplish red or warm yellow or indigo

 

While, theoretically,  you can mix all colours from these 3, in practice,  you can't, in this case  as Tamiya don't do 'primary' colours.   

More importantly If  you look at say, a watercolour painting guide, they usually have say a chrome yellow, and a yellow ochre, a couple of reds etc  as you do not get pure primary pigments.   

 

There are mixes out there for basic armour colours of different  nations.      It a lot easier to start with a basic correct colour, and then modify that.  

 

I saw you post one of those "colours varied and didn't match the specifications" arguments a while back. which I never replied to,  but this is worth a read.

 

I posted  information in this thread  from a man who runs a paint company, and has made up colours from original formulas, and is one of the most informative pieces of information on military paint colours I have ever read.    

 

I posted that here

 

This is why knowing what the original colours were is important.  They varied,  but just from the nature of how they are made, not by much.

"Put another way, with a fixed number of pigments in various ratios you WILL end up somewhere within a certain envelope"

 

HTH

[M3talpig]

1 hour ago, Troy Smith said:

colours varied and didn't match the specifications" 

Nope never said that not even close.....what i said was "if you are doing factory fresh then best to get as close to specification as you can if you are however doing a war veteran involved in heavy use then the colour argument becomes a mute point.

1 hour ago, Troy Smith said:

in practice,  you can't

Well have to say that's news to me as I have never had problems fine tuning paint using this method....and i was trying to keep things simple to a simple question instead of bamboozling the poor guy with tons of info and overly complicated theories on the finer points of mixing. Point taken though i will shut up and let you experts guide him in the right direction. 

[Steben]

12 hours ago, M3talpig said:

Nope never said that not even close.....what i said was "if you are doing factory fresh then best to get as close to specification as you can if you are however doing a war veteran involved in heavy use then the colour argument becomes a mute point.

Well have to say that's news to me as I have never had problems fine tuning paint using this method....and i was trying to keep things simple to a simple question instead of bamboozling the poor guy with tons of info and overly complicated theories on the finer points of mixing. Point taken though i will shut up and let you experts guide him in the right direction. 

I think you are completely right on most elements. The key is the colours might not be 100% primaries yet most colours we want to achieve are in a certain spectrum. Hence your od, grey and dark yellow base set.

I think lists of mixes are fine. They gave a guide to start with. Even those are fragile once the paint companies start changing stuff....

Fact is, it is a hit discussion with lots of things which are true although they seem contradictory. In modelling a 95% is just a complete match IMHO for all reasons stated. In restoration it is "close" and perhaps still acceptable. Etc etc