What paints for replicating that green color used in the albatros?

[compressor man]

What are your favorite paints for creating that nice grayish-green color that you find in the albatross? I prefer enamels but will use acrylic if I cannot find anything else.
Thanks,
Chris

[gcn]

Tamiya xf-22 is meant to be RLM02 so For an enamel I'm sure Humbrol or xtracolour will have something similar.

I use xf-22 as well. If it's a tiny piece that's not worth airbrushing I crack open raf interior green as that's what I have in stock.

[ALBATROS1234]

i use rlm02 mixed with british interior green bout 50/50. i use model master acrylics but i imagine enamel version of these 2 common colors are easy to find. the rlm02 is too grey and the brit int green is to green the combo looks perfect to my eye.

[compressor man]

Thanks for the help guys.

Chris

[lcarroll]

   I too prefer enamel; I use Model Master RLM 80 Olivgrun and FS 35237 Medium Grey in a 50/50 mix. You can substitute their Navy Blue/Grey and/or Khaki #2106 and get nearly an identical shade.
Cheers,
Lance

[kuya]

Actually the shade that is correct is RLM02 by Gunze, color correct

[uncletony]

Actually the shade that is correct is RLM02 by Gunze, color correct

Based on... What?

[ALBATROS1234]

seems a tad grey but  good starting point. then again i am only going by eye, looking at color photos of replica craft and assuming that my monitor is showing me true color and that the guys at tval are exactly right.

[drdave]

I have a little theory about the primer used and RLM02. I don't think its a special or unique colour at all. I think it that standard grey green industrial primer colour you used to see on electrical boards, lathes, steel beams etc in Germany. I remember visiting the Deutches museum in Munich and the colour is seen on all sorts of mechanical and industrial objects. I think the RLM wouldn't be bothered inventing a new colour. So they gave standard industrial primer a name.

[lcarroll]

I have a little theory about the primer used and RLM02. I don't think its a special or unique colour at all. I think it that standard grey green industrial primer colour you used to see on electrical boards, lathes, steel beams etc in Germany. I remember visiting the Deutches museum in Munich and the colour is seen on all sorts of mechanical and industrial objects. I think the RLM wouldn't be bothered inventing a new colour. So they gave standard industrial primer a name.

...........  I like this logic; it is a treatment (Primer) in my understanding. Now, with this riddle solved, let's get to work on that PC 10 puzzle. Nice work, Dave!   
Cheers,
Lance

[uncletony]

The RLM color system is very well explained in Luftwaffe Colors, Vol 1. It was a subset of the overall government material taxonomy system that catalogued every imaginable material asset that the government inventoried.

The system was invented well after WWI.  The particular colors were formulated based on raw materials (namely pigments) that were readily available in Germany, partially based on the experiences of shortages in WWI.

From what I understand, manufacturers in Germany during WWI procured their own stocks of paint so the idea that it magically conformed to the later standard ... seems like a leap. Yeah, it was probably similar, and possibly derived from the same pigments... But a perfect match? I am skeptical.

[WarrenD]

Actually the shade that is correct is RLM02 by Gunze, color correct

OK, I'll clear up the "RLM02 is correct for WWI Luftstreitkrafte aircraft" legend right now.

Long ago, and far away (back in the 90's), on the WWI Modeling List, Shane Weir stated that the grey-green used was similar, in his opinion, to RLM02. He did this in an effort to give someone a noted reference to go by. Next thing you know, Tom Cleaver (if memory serves) takes off with it and declares it the gospel. The next thing we know, it's all over the hobby press, etc. Just one innocent remark to help someone in the early days of the interwebs, and BAM!, all of the sudden people think it's the gospel truth. At no time before Shane's comment did anyone, to my knowledge, associate RLM02 with the grey-green used on Luftstreikrate aircraft.
If you don't believe me, go search through the archives here: http://www.wwi-models.org/mailman/listinfo/wwi  or here: http://www.wwi-models.org/

Better yet, here's a direct quote from Shane from a January, 2009 post found at:
http://www.wwi-models.org/pipermail/wwi/2009-January/079718.html

"You need to understand the history of the list.

About 12 years ago, maybe longer I JOKINGLY suggested in this list, that so
long as no-one actually knew the colour of the metalwork on the LVG I was
building (or most of the German aircraft for that matter), one might as well
use RLM02 to keep the Luftwaffle fans happy.

JOKE!  JOKE!

Unfortunately one Tom Cleaver took the idea seriously, wrote it in every one
of his many reviews on the internet, and before one could say...

AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

...it has so spread that it has become received wisdom that WW1 German
aircraft were painted with a colour like RLM02.

Try looking for ANY reference ANYWHERE that says that, which is older than
my first list email. Of all my time on the list, that has to be the
stupidest thing I ever did, and I'mnow thoroughly ashamed of it.

Shane."

So there you have it, that's how the legend of RLM02 being correct for WWI German a/c began. Is RLM 02 close, or does it look good? Yep, in a lot of cases. However, one cannot say unequivocally that RLM02 is THE color one should use.

FWIW, HTH, YMMV,

Warren

[RAGIII]

Actually the shade that is correct is RLM02 by Gunze, color correct

Thanks for your input, and I think in certain applications your answer is close enough, but.... I first changed my color based on the Albatros restoration done by the Smithsonian on the DVa. Really close to British interior green and or Italian Interior green from the second unpleasantness. At least for interior tubing and metal parts. The puzzling thing to me is the WIDE variety of cowl panel color interpretations ranging from dark green to plain grey.( The Smithsonian birds cowl panels are decidedly dark green) Is there a thought on exterior panels on the Albatros? Warren, I remember Shanes' dismay at RLM 02 being the accepted callout for German Aircraft. Sort of funny how Dogmatism can take form!
RAGIII

[WarrenD]

[/quote] Warren, I remember Shanes' dismay at RLM 02 being the accepted callout for German Aircraft. Sort of funny how Dogmatism can take form!
RAGIII
[/quote]

Sure is. In our old living history group, we made up a humorous song about one of our members. It was great, and we sang it with gusto around the campfire. A few years later, we're at an event, and we hear other groups singing the same song, and when asked, they could not cite the sourse (us), but all thought it an original tune.  (Same thing happened with the tune "John Brown's Body" during the ACW. The regiment that marched through NY made it up to poke at a member of their regiment, whose name was John Brown. Civilians on the side of the road heard it, thought it an abolitionist tune, and the rest is history.)

So, yeah, it's funny how things get started.

RAG, I believe there was a whole lot of consternation over the panel colors on the AWM D.V at Canberra, no?

Warren

[WarrenD]

Don't forget that restorations can be far from accurate - the French effort at the Junkers D1 being a good example. At the end of the day all you can do is make an educated guess based upon what is most likely given the information to hand.

Exactly. If there is any area of scale modeling where I believe we cannot get to dogmatic about color, it's WWI a/c. Just my two kopecks, of course.

Warren