The eternal PC10 question

[Gisbod]

Sorry,

I'm sure it's been discussed to death, but I'd appreciate views on options for an 'out of the bottle' PC10?

I realise it varied enormously! I had read that Humbrol 108 was a great match but has been discontinued - is it really not available anywhere?

Please feel free to ignore if I'm asking an exasperating question 

Thanks

Guy

[Ernie]

I've used Misterkit's PC10 and thought it looked good, Guy.
As you say, it certainly is the eternal question, my friend!

Cheers,
Ernie

[WarrenD]

That IS quite a question Guy, kind of like "what color is field grey?" or "what is a good match for olive drab?".  I'm sure those with Methuen books, and Pantone charts will weigh in, along with those that can explain the chemistry. A modeler I respected for years used the old Testor's (Model Master?) "artillery olive" as a good, straight from the bottle paint.
As you mentioned, it varied a bit with age, who painted it, etc. so my advice (take it for what you will) is to pick an olive drab color you like, that you think looks to be a good match, and run with it.

FWIW, HTH, YMMV,

Warren

[Gisbod]

Thanks Ernie and Warren,

Ernie, I looked on the MisterKit website but they dont seem to list PC10? They've got every colour but! Do we know where I could source some?

Does anyone have advice on using the MisterKit products?

I'll look at that too Warren.

Guy

[Ernie]

Guy, I found the listing for the PC10 and PC12 here, second and third chip from the top:

http://www.misterkit.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=212&sort=4a&page=5&PHPSESSID=1t0g2934t2qmd7o2e80vflit62

The "paint chip" looks a little darker than the actual colour.  It is a snap to use, just thin
with distilled water.  I have found it doesn't adhere all that well on bare plastic, but on a
primed one, no problem.  It goes on very smoothly and can be mixed with other MK paints
and I suspect possibly Vallejo which is similar paint. 
  Here's the info that got me interested in the brand to start with:

http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=3876

Hope that helps, my friend.

Cheers,
Ernie

[Gisbod]

Thanks Ernie,

Will have a look through that..

Guy

[GrahamB]

Some enamel paints are useful, covering the range of greenish to brownish variants/recorded matches (and no, Warren, I'm not going to mention the M word here ):

In no particular order by hue:
WEM Ombre Calcinee
WEM RLM81
WEM RLM83
WEM Terre  d'ombre nat
WEM Marrone Mimetico 1
Precision Track Dirt
Precision Sleeper Grime
Humbrol 155

Cheers,

GrahamB

[ALBATROS1234]

i just mix my own. a different batch for each model. i start with some olive drab type of paint and add dark brown like burnt umber or the like. i play with the tones until it looks good to my eye. if it gets too dark i add a cream color. i paint the lid of the bottle and blow it dry to see the final result as well as identify whats in the bottle. this way each pc-10 plane is slightly different and i like my mixes better than any out of the bottle stuff anyways. i enjoy mixing colors for other things as well. i made a killer looking german mauve, german green grey for albatros metal parts, different underside blues etc. i know some other guys do this as well but it seems like most modellers would rather limit themselves to what they are given rather than make a custom shade .its very easy perhaps give it a try. good luck

[ondra]

Hi Guy,

have a look at this one:

http://www.droolingbulldog.com/products/pc-10/

I have this paint in my workshop, have not had a chance to try it out yet, however. But I did work with other shades coming from Drooling Bulldog and they are really great.

Cheers

Ondra

[Ernie]

i just mix my own. a different batch for each model. i start with some olive drab type of paint and add dark brown like burnt umber or the like. i play with the tones until it looks good to my eye. if it gets too dark i add a cream color. i paint the lid of the bottle and blow it dry to see the final result as well as identify whats in the bottle. this way each pc-10 plane is slightly different and i like my mixes better than any out of the bottle stuff anyways. i enjoy mixing colors for other things as well. i made a killer looking german mauve, german green grey for albatros metal parts, different underside blues etc. i know some other guys do this as well but it seems like most modellers would rather limit themselves to what they are given rather than make a custom shade .its very easy perhaps give it a try. good luck

That is really something to try, Scott.  Maybe the secret after all, rather than the "ready to go" route.
Good suggestion, my friend!

Cheers,
Ernie

[Nigel Jackson]

Ah, yes Guy. Maybe we are in search of the lost chord! Although, for those in the know, that could well show the age of my record collection.

For my part, I've yet to find a PC10 straight from the tin/bottle with which I feel truly comfortable. My approach has come to be something highly personalised and starting along the lines adopted by Scott, starting with a sort of olive drab base and then finding ways of overlaying glazes/washes of a brown until I reach something which feels right to me, even though it might not be to the taste of all.

The question for me is does the colour sit within what I see as almost a band of PC10 possibilty, one conditioned by a great complex of field conditions - age, weathering, repairing, matt/satin/gloss finishing, colour mixing etc. In these terms I'm not alarmed if the PC10 on the Brisfit model is close to but not an absolutely identical colour match to that on the SE5a. Equally, I have no problem with slight colour variation from one part of a model to another; indeed I strive for it as long as it is done with care

Maybe i just like the experimentation and that is a selfish justification, but whichever direction you take, you are the one to satisfy.

Best wishes
Nigel

[ALBATROS1234]

thanks ernie,i think mixing colors is great fun. i buy the glass paint jars by the dozen. they are like $1.50 or so each. i also clean used jars and save them for mixing. .

[WarrenD]

Then again, some of us enjoy some aspects of our hobby more than others. For some of us, mixing paint is neither enjoyable nor convenient.

Warren

[RAGIII]

Joining rather late but I too mix my own. I am very close to Scots" method but mostly because I hate to measure. So I use a little of this and a drop of that etc. The one drawback is that sometimes, like with the encore SE5a, now on the back burner, I forget which bottle I mixed for the project  . One other thing available to us is Aviattic Decals 
RAGIII

[Borsos]

i just mix my own. a different batch for each model. i start with some olive drab type of paint and add dark brown like burnt umber or the like. i play with the tones until it looks good to my eye. if it gets too dark i add a cream color. i paint the lid of the bottle and blow it dry to see the final result as well as identify whats in the bottle. this way each pc-10 plane is slightly different and i like my mixes better than any out of the bottle stuff anyways. i enjoy mixing colors for other things as well. i made a killer looking german mauve, german green grey for albatros metal parts, different underside blues etc. i know some other guys do this as well but it seems like most modellers would rather limit themselves to what they are given rather than make a custom shade .its very easy perhaps give it a try. good luck

100% agreement. There never was "one" correct shade of PC 10. And don't forget fading especially on the upper wings due to exposure to sunrays! And the WDFs are used to repear that earlier PC 10 shades were a little more on the brown side while later shades were greener - as a general rule. Starting with olive drab and adding brown, that's a great solution. I know many people are using Tamiya XF-62 or Vallejo 887.
Best wishes
Borsos