WW1 Aircraft specific paints?

[Kurt_W]

All,

New guy here. I've done a little searching on the database here, without a great deal of luck, so I thought I'd ask.

I'm getting back into modeling after being away from it for many years. Back then, I was using mainly enamels and not particularly modeling WW1 aircraft, as there wasn't much to choose from in the larger scales. Now it looks like there are many more kits to choose from.

Is there a company out there that produces WW1 specific paints? I see there used to be a company called Misterkit but most of the internet links to the site are dead. What I'd really like to find would be someone who produces paints by aircraft nationality. I think Humbrol used to do something like that with enamels years ago.

Thanks for any advice and information for an older modeler getting back into the game.

Kurt

[drdave]

I like drooling bulldog lacquers myself. Firm, quick drying, no thinning, glossy. You could easily mix your shades from Tamiya or gunze though. It's not a precise thing. The colours were hand mixed at unit level.
Chose a brand you get along with and stick with it. I can't work with Vallejo myself. Gums up my airbrush.


https://www.droolingbulldog.com/

[krow113]

There are a few now.
AK does sets , Drooling Bulldog if you are REALLY  serious , check a few of the paint  set suppliers as well , Andrea , Vallejo , etc.

And it should be said that sets may be from a certain name or group or whatever , but are more than likely from already known paint manufacturer's.

My MisterKit order never showed up , $$ gone , no reply to emails.

[Bughunter]

There is a company in Slovakia "Mr.Paint", which has a huge range of colors. This is acryl solvent based. Very nice to spray an immediately dry, but smells like Alclad.
There is a WWI color range with different PC and line colors:
http://mrpaint.sk/farby/WWI

Cheers,
Frank

[RLWP]

One of THE most contentious issues in WW1 aeroplanes is colour. Precious few bits of original material, many of those deteriorated with age. Expert cat-fights are bad enough for WW2 where there are more samples left and the paint was much more consistent and stable. So, I find the idea of WWI specific paints a bit strange

I would go for a paint technology that works for you - personally I prefer to work with acrylics and I'm not that fussy who makes them. The choice of particular colours is really up to the modeller, it would be a bold person to say they were wrong

If you like working with enamels, use enamels.

Richard

[krow113]

I agree with Richard , it is not worth arguing over something that cannot be confirmed.
If someone goes to the trouble of formulating colors I'm more than happy to get behind that.
For The Gotha I chose a number of colors, see here , pages 3-4 :
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235016614-a-gotha/&page=4
I also subscribe to the 5 color way of thinking, that is to pick a base color , settle on it , and then do 2 shades lighter and 2 shades darker , or tones or hues , depending on the color.
The 5 color method helps with modulation , shading and to break up monotone areas of base color. You don't have to get all 5 colors, just use a color wheel to add the lighter or darker colors that make up the base color.

[Borsos]

There is a company in Slovakia "Mr.Paint", which has a huge range of colors. This is acryl solvent based. Very nice to spray an immediately dry, but smells like Alclad.
There is a WWI color range with different PC and line colors:
http://mrpaint.sk/farby/WWI

Cheers,
Frank

I highly recommend these "special WWI" colors. Not because they are "special WWI" -- or Richard or Steve would be wrong in any point, they aren't. But these colors simply look great and spray perfectly. That's it.
Borsos

[krow113]

I looked at those , there is a very limited selection!
Too bad if they are as good as stated here.

I also tried to place an order and the only paint that can be shipped to me is water -based acrylics , so no joy ordering.

No problem ordering from Drooling Bulldog , expensive though!

[rayb24]

of course there is the other way of picking paints... Whats available in your country. Now that delivery of paint is seemingly a dangerous activity and so many good ranges of paint are just not available.

Sigh. I'm using Tamiya, Ak Interactive, and Mission Models purely because lhs has them.
For each mixing to shades I think look right...

Ray

[krow113]

Methinks we can still order the volatile and highly dangerous model paint from the lhs, with the markup.

[Kurt_W]

Thanks for all the info!

Drooling Bulldog, HA! My stepson has a male and female Olde English Bulldogge. They are drool machines. Every visit I leave covered in hair and spittle.

That looks like really nice paint. Doesn't look like it's very available in the US.

This afternoon, I've been looking at the chips online from Vallejo, Lifecolor, Misterkit, Humbrol, and Mission Models. Perhaps it might be best, since I'm just getting back into it, to ask some more specific questions.

My grandson (9 yrs old) has been on a knowledge quest for all things WW1 aviation related. He's coming up over Easter break, and he's asked me to build two triplanes for him. My last foray into WW1 models was the old Revell Dr1 kit, and I did a passable job on it. That was some 30 or 35 years ago. I've ordered a couple of the Roden kits and am planning on doing one up as Voss' plane, and the other like Richtofen's, per my grandson's request. Naturally, I'd need the blue and the red. It may be a model for a youngster I'm building, but I'd still like to get as close to something real as possible. Thoughts on these two colors are greatly appreciated.

I've been away from it for so long, and have heard so many good things about acrylics, I'd probably lean more towards those. Of course, finding something that's stocked here in the US would be helpful. I'm sort of cutting it close on the prep time.

Thanks again,

Kurt

[rayb24]

I've been away from it for so long, and have heard so many good things about acrylics, I'd probably lean more towards those. Of course, finding something that's stocked here in the US would be helpful. I'm sort of cutting it close on the prep time.

Thanks again,

Kurt

Among acrylics Tamiya is the most available in lhs’s, next would be model masters acrylics. Both are good, Tamiya is not good for brush painting, well it is if you know the trick of it. Wet brush and don’t go over what you just brushed. Those two are good adherence too. Some acrylics don’t handle very well and can lift with handling or masking. The trick is to have a good primer to key into.. not acrylic primer in my experience. Cheapest is automotive rattle can primer Nd let dry for a few days.


Let’s see enamels are still the best for toughness but the fumes etc are bad for you lol... sheesh and I spent 30 years using floquil... still my favourite paint.


Those are the most common in lhs’s and probably the most cost effective.


Again acrylics are great, but much more fragile.
Ray

[hiddeous1973]

Tamiya paints are available almost everywhere and you can check the WnW instructions to see what colours you need (or at least can be used as a base). great for both brush and airbrush painting.

the paints from MRP or Mr.paint I can advice, they are some of the best paints I have ever used, perfect for airbrushing. They have a wide range of basic colours and some very specific WW1 colours

[rayb24]

Another paint that is starting to be carried by many hobby stores is Mission Models Acrylics. They come in 1 oz / 30 ml bottles. Its a two part system which has minor drawbacks, but has a big positive too. You add their thinner in 1 to 3 drops thinner to 10 parts paint this not only thins but activate's the paint. You get a nice semi gloss sheen with airbrushing. They brush and airbrush nicely, although you will swear the paint is to thick its actually not, I was surprised how well they brushed Mission Models claims because its a two part system the paint has a much much longer shelf life.... Only time will tell
 
They say you should clean your brushes / airbrush with their thinner, which does work, but you can also clean with alcohol and water and that way preserve the thinner for its real role of thinning paint.  Don't use Alcohol to thin though under any circumstance as you might end up with goo Don't ask how I know this and its the devil to clean that mess out of an airbrush. The bottles have a small agitator in the bottle  to mix the paint and is a nice convenience.


The range doesn't cover ww1 but I tend to make my own mind up on mixes and have no real interest in using what someone else thinks is the right colour, so they have more than enough colours for me, they have some really nice off white paints that work well for CDL (whether it be greyer or browner).


The only down side of these paints for me is the primers, not that they are bad, and in fact they work well as paints, just not as a primer they way I use primers. I use primers that are hot if you like, key slightly into the plastic and detect and even fill in small blemish's.  Mr Surfacer being my favourite. Since Mission models is an acrylic it doesn't do this and used just as a primer can lead to lifting later. Just my experience and not a criticism


In the end choice of paint especially in North America is down to what you can get from the Local Hobby Store or Internet co based in North America which in many respects make Tamiya the paint you can get anywhere!!


Ray

[drdave]

If you thin Tamiya with lacquer thinners it smells bad but paints and dries smooth as silk, even with a brush.