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spreadsheet of suggestions to match WW2 aircraft colours

Fri Dec 11, 2009 6:20 am

Hi,
I have updated my Excel sheet for Tamiya and Humbrol paint equivalents for (most) RLM, French, Italian, RAF/FAA and USA colours.
It now has 14 references of suggestions for various mixes to achieve (supposedly) a match to the actual WW2 colours.
Remember these are other peoples suggestions as to what they thought was a best match and I have only compiled them into this one spot.
The latest references are the Testors Model Master, 'Modeler's Technical Guide' book and the Czech Agama paint manufacturers suggestions.
I have added some notes about some of the paint suggestions and mixes in the RLM section as to what I have tried against the Merrick colour chips (some are way off!).

I have also added to my website in the links section a colour chart of RLM paint chips taken from Merrick's book (Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1933-1945 Vol.2 2005) along with a couple from the Kookaburra book by J. Smith (The Modeller's Luftwaffe Painting Guide 1979) and equivalents from Testor's Model Master enamels, Humbrol Enamels, Tamiya Acrylics and JPS acrylic paints.
The small notations under some paint matches(2:34, 5:116) is firstly the ratio and secondly the paint number (for Tamiya and Humbrol mixes).
'HCS' refers to a mix as per the Humbrol Colour Systems book.
JPS paint was included as Mr. Popp, who makes this paint in Germany, worked in conjunction with Mr. J. Kiroff, who was the paint technology advisor in Merrick's book, to make the JPS range of paints.
You will note a couple of alternate colour chips (2005 Merrick versus 1979 Smith) for RLM79 and 83 and that different manufacturers have made their matches to one colour but not the other (IE Model Master to the 1979 Smith Greener RLM83 and JPS to the 2005 Merrick darker RLM83 colour).
I am missing the JPS RLM79 paint (can anyone point me to a bottle).
So after finishing the chart it appears that the Model Master and certainly the JPS paints are essentially correct straight from the bottle.
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