Orange Arrows

[modelmaker]

I apologise in advance because I know Red Arrow colours have been done to death, but I'm concerned that having read TONS of occasionally contradictory and sometimes confusing advice the otherwise very enjoyable 1/72nd Revell Hawk I am building is looking distinctly orange. Whether artificial or daylight my wife actually asked "should a Red Arrow be orange?" 

I made a little test piece of the various model paints I've accumulated for this one tiny aircraft, namely Xtracolour enamel 'Red Arrows signal red', Humbrol 174 'signal red', and  Humbrol 238 (which I've seen mentioned as a very good match in various places). These were the enamels (which I prefer for gloss finishes). To a greater or lesser extent they look like orange to me. 

Worst of all was a bottle of Xtracryics XA1014 which really IS orange, perhaps with a touch of red. 

I haven't got a real Red Arrow residing anywhere near me as far I know, but trying to picture a Hawk in the distance (remember I'm building the tiny '72nd Arrow) I can't remember thinking "they're orange". 

 

I know colours and scale colour and light and shade and distance and eyesight (I'm officially not colourblind) etc are also subjective, but I'll likely get laughed out it Britmodeller if I present an orange arrow. Or I THINK I will. Or am ii wrong about all these carefully formulated paints?

 

Any advice appreciated, many thanks. 

[Graham Boak]

This seems to be a problem with varying human perceptions of the colour vermilion.  I recall, in the Schumacher era, that Ferrari were accused of repainting their cars into orange, whereas they actually were vermilion rather than the more traditional (although not invariable) scarlet.  Both vermilion and scarlet are reds, but the first tends to the orange part of the spectrum whereas the second to the blue.  To my eyes the Red Arrows Red tends to the scarlet (although not always an identical colour throughout their lifespan).  If the model paints tends to the vermilion then perhaps they fall into this uncertain area.

 

I must admit that to my eyes most oranges (fruit) are yellow and certainly not red, and perhaps this affects my perception to some extent, I wouldn't call any of the Humbrol reds I've ever seen "orange".  Which is better for the Red Arrows is not something I'd wish to rule on, it has been discussed in depth by people much better qualified to judge.

[modelmaker]

A minefield of confusion!  Many thanks. 

[PhantomBigStu]

BSC537 doesn't appear to have an orange hue that XA has nor the pink hue of old humbrol 238 nor am sure why humbrol introduced arrow red when 174 is supposed to  be the same colour and at is closer to the actual one edit: though these are the acrylic versions as I didn't see you were talking about enamels 

 

Edited April 3 by PhantomBigStu

[Bozothenutter]

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

This seems to be a problem with varying human perceptions of the colour vermilion.  I recall, in the Schumacher era, that Ferrari were accused of repainting their cars into orange, whereas they actually were vermilion rather than the more traditional (although not invariable) scarlet.  Both vermilion and scarlet are reds, but the first tends to the orange part of the spectrum whereas the second to the blue.  To my eyes the Red Arrows Red tends to the scarlet (although not always an identical colour throughout their lifespan).  If the model paints tends to the vermilion then perhaps they fall into this uncertain area.

 

I must admit that to my eyes most oranges (fruit) are yellow and certainly not red, and perhaps this affects my perception to some extent, I wouldn't call any of the Humbrol reds I've ever seen "orange".  Which is better for the Red Arrows is not something I'd wish to rule on, it has been discussed in depth by people much better qualified to judge.

Actually I read somewhere that they added fluo red to make the colours pop for tv.

I tried this with automotive paint, and guess what?

It worked!

[wellsprop]

Answered here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234981207-red-arrows-red/