Colour check.

[Manic Moran]

 

Very dark shade of green on Bundesgrenzschutz helicopters. Any ideas as to what paint to use? Can't seem to find anything dark enough in the Humbrol, Testors or Tamiya ranges.

 

NTM

[Garth]

 

Very dark shade of green on Bundesgrenzschutz helicopters. Any ideas as to what paint to use? Can't seem to find anything dark enough in the Humbrol, Testors or Tamiya ranges.

 

NTM

 

On my RGB hex chart the color looks like it falls somewhere between 0,51,0 and 0,34,0 ... and is glossy.

 

Two suggestions: first, go out to one of the RGB to FS conversion sites and see if there are any colors that fall somewhere within that range. Barring that, try looking at automotive colors - my take on the photo is that it is a slightly darker, non-metallic British racing/bottle green. You might be able to work up a mix of bottle green and black and come out pretty close.

 

--Garth

[DougRichards]

Cannot make out colours too well in photos etc, but what about 'black green': it was a German WW2 aircraft colour, so would not be out of place so to speak, and giving it a glass overcoat may appear to turn it the darker shade that you are seeking.

[Arthur Hubers]

It's a glossy, dark blueish-green. On pictures it's usually a bit darker than in real life, but this hangar shot at one from Bonn-Hangelar (that's the main hub for BGS helo ops, including training and the machines immediately available to GSG9) depicts the colour pretty well.

http://www.airventure.de/BGS03/F000026.jpg

 

Car colours are probably the way to go for this one, but you could well be needing to mix a nice cocktail yourself.

 

Note that the pic you've posted is from a Bundespolizei helo. Those are currently being repainted in a blue scheme, like the one below. BGS helos (at least the Pumas) are still green.

http://www.planespotting.nl/newphotos/BPOL...Nord/D-HEGE.JPG

[EW]

Have you tried working out from Tamiya's Dark Green XF-61 and/or Black Green XF 27? Spontaneously those two feels the closest you can get as base colours. I might be off my rockers but a very small hint of Sea Blue XF-17 into the Black Green might do the trick. But as Doug suggests with the clear coating, my primary suggestion would be to start with the black green with a clear coat.

 

Cheers

EW

Edited September 15, 2007 by EW

[Jacques]

8 parts Pollyscale Black Green with 2 parts Testors Gunmetal. Both are acrylics. Mix together, thin about 30% with the proper Testors thinner, and spray on in 2-3 coats. You may need to add a bit more Gunmetal if it still comesout too green, but it should give the semi-metallic sheen and dark green/blue color it appears to be. Remember, a gloss coat will DARKEN a finish.

[Manic Moran]

8 parts Pollyscale Black Green with 2 parts Testors Gunmetal. Both are acrylics. Mix together, thin about 30% with the proper Testors thinner, and spray on in 2-3 coats. You may need to add a bit more Gunmetal if it still comesout too green, but it should give the semi-metallic sheen and dark green/blue color it appears to be. Remember, a gloss coat will DARKEN a finish.

 

You seem pretty sure of that one. Done one before?

 

The prototype in this case is a BGS Puma in about 1980. As near as I can tell, the green colour hadn't changed.

 

NTM

[Manic Moran]

Well, after checking my shops, Polyscale isn't available.

 

I just tried a coat of IJN green, it seems to be a little too dark green, and definitely not blue enough, going by Arthur's pic. May well make it a primer coat for future models, though, it went on very well indeed.

 

Playing around, Olive (XF-58) with Field Blue (XF-50) seems to be promising. I'll wait for it to dry on my test sheet, and put a bit of gloss on it, see what it looks like.

 

NTM

[Arthur Hubers]

Here's one which shows the colour nicely:

http://www.airventure.de/BGS05/BGS_05_Eins..._Super_Puma.jpg

[DougRichards]

Of course the underlying question / comment here (Heer?) is a "Police Force" using a helicopter the size of a Puma.

[Garth]

Of course the underlying question / comment here (Heer?) is a "Police Force" using a helicopter the size of a Puma.

 

It's just a "station hack" used to transport donuts.

 

--Garth

[Jacques]

You seem pretty sure of that one. Done one before?

 

The prototype in this case is a BGS Puma in about 1980. As near as I can tell, the green colour hadn't changed.

 

NTM

 

Nope, never painted one, but I have been "learning my colors" lately and I can tell you that a little gunmetal would add that something that is needed in that particular color, it has a sort of metal flakey look to it.

 

But without Pollyscale paints, it seems moot...

[Manic Moran]

Getting better: IJN Green, with a little Neutral Grey, and a couple of drops of gun metal. I continue to experiment.

 

NTM

[Manic Moran]

Of course the underlying question / comment here (Heer?) is a "Police Force" using a helicopter the size of a Puma.

 

Interestingly, I modelling it as used by the Irish police. They needed a really big helicopter, so they borrowed one.

 

 

Bugger. Just noticed the rear ramp. As if I didn't have enough problems already. (I drilled a new window in the wrong place)

 

NTM

[irregularmedic]

Someone (Testors?) has a colour that is a very dark green that is supposed to be a Japanese paint that looks to my eyes like a very close match to that colour. Would likely need a gloss overcoat as IIRC it is matte.

 

 

EDIT: Yes, it's Testors, the colour is called Imperial Japanese Army Green, full name:Testors ModelMaster II Enamels, TES2114 apparently it's a semi-gloss.

Edited September 17, 2007 by irregularmedic

[Manic Moran]

Well, the good news is that the gun metal was a good call.

 

The bad news is I definitely need to add a bit of sea green/turquoise into the mix.

 

Maybe something like

 

Why couldn't they pick a normal colour, like the Army?

 

NTM

[Manic Moran]

There being a lack of Revell paint, and not happy with my first attempt, even after adding Russian Interior Green (Kindof turquoisy), I went back to square 1, and kicked off with IJN Green and Blue Angels Blue. And a dash of gun metal. Seems a little of the latter goes a long way.

 

 

Trying to figure out if I need a dash more blue in the second coat.

 

 

NTM

[Jacques]

That looks pretty good. Remember, if you coat with future floor polish it will darken the color a bit more.

[Manic Moran]

Son of a...

 

Just dropped it. Glass area cracked.

 

Fortunately, I have another three of the things. Bloody annoying though, it doesn't fit well to begin with. Lots of sanding now due, on a near-completed model.

 

NTM

[DougRichards]

By the way, what is the kit that you are building?

[Manic Moran]

By the way, what is the kit that you are building?

 

Heller SA330 Puma.

 

Ancient kit, but the only one going, except for the Airfix one, the one of which appears to be a copy of the other. Bought the Airfix first, discovered it didn't come with those intake projections, then bought the Heller. For reasons I really cannot fathom, the Heller kit came with two canopies. Damned if I know why, but I'm not complaining right now. The second kit also worked as a fallback in the event that I completely fecked up the drilling/filling to move the windows around in the door and fuselage.

 

NTM

[Arthur Hubers]

Heller SA330 Puma.

 

Ancient kit, but the only one going, except for the Airfix one, the one of which appears to be a copy of the other. Bought the Airfix first, discovered it didn't come with those intake projections, then bought the Heller. For reasons I really cannot fathom, the Heller kit came with two canopies. Damned if I know why, but I'm not complaining right now. The second kit also worked as a fallback in the event that I completely fecked up the drilling/filling to move the windows around in the door and fuselage.

 

NTM

Aha! Back in my modelling days, i bought the Airfix one. It came without the canopy... It ended up as a what-if dumped Raspberry Ripple-painted ETPS (it anyhoo flew from Fairford) so i improvised the remains of the canopy framework.

 

Glad you're putting my canopy to good use And the colour looks fine to me.

[DougRichards]

Aha! Back in my modelling days, i bought the Airfix one. It came without the canopy... It ended up as a what-if dumped Raspberry Ripple-painted ETPS (it anyhoo flew from Fairford) so i improvised the remains of the canopy framework.

 

Glad you're putting my canopy to good use And the colour looks fine to me.

 

I have unbuilt one of the old Matchbox 1/32, gathering dust, that I bought second hand for a song sometime around 1988.

 

Revell may re-release it...

[Catalan]

What´s this color? This would be the first time I´ve ever constructed a model since I was like 10 years old, so bear with me. It´s probably an easy and obvious color.

 

[Manic Moran]

Oh, you guys would be difficult. Why can't you make your tanks in standard NATO colours like.. oh.. the Greeks or someone

 

 

My immediate thought is that NATO Green overall isn't going to be too far off the rails.

 

NTM