Mixing paint to match (pre-lettered Slater's 7mm kits)

[Dog Star]

Whilst this topic has been inspired by the current building of Slater's pre-lettered PO wagons the question could be as applicable to other models where there is a need to match an existing colour (of unknown origin).

Many years ago I bought the remaining stock of "Norchard" kits from the Dean Forest Railway shop at the railway and being of that time the kits had sides, ends and solebars that had been spray painted by Slaters, mostly using enamel paint from Phoenix Precision. Today the current range of Slater's PO wagons have the body colour printed using inks.

Use of a common moulding across several different Gloster kits means that the solebars for wagons often have features that are "wrong" for specific prototypes, for example the "load" and RCH registration plates are moulded in locations that are not correct for Norchard wagons (source, photos from the Gloster archive). Removal of such details leaves areas of the solebar that need to be re-painted... and then there are added details from white plastikard to be considered.

I have spoken to David White about the paint used (say) ten years ago - there is not a definitive answer, so mixing paints to match the wagon sides is a necessary evil. My preference for painting plastic wagons is acrylic paints, there is a selection of Vallejo greys, blacks, whites, yellows and blues to hand. I can get close to the light grey colour of the original kit... the difference is there and can be seen.


The answer to the question is likely to be experience and I do not have that in regards to painting models. Given that I can mix a colour that is in the ball park, how do I decide what is "missing" in the mix?

Thank you and regards, Graham

 

[LarryG]

Acrylics reflect light differently from enamels and I found that using the water-based paint for matching purposes a non starter. Same applies mixing paint to match printed inks. Perseverance is the only thing I can offer, although weathering is good for disguising 'joins'.

Deciding what is missing from the mix is probably down to perception. I have artist training but it might be down to many years of mixing my own colours in cellulose to match in enamel. Look at a colour and see if you can detect a cast such as red or blue or yellow. If it is bright, dry adding a tiny amount of black or white and see how things look when dry.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Graham,

If you do an online search for 'colour wheel' it may help you work out the relationship of colours to each other.

Chris has a physical colour wheel although she rarely resorts to using it these days.

 

[Overseer]

I think the Norchard grey has a slight green tinge so try mixing some blue and yellow to make green and add a drop to some of your neutral grey.

You are lucky you bought the spray painted kits. I haven't seen any comments about the new ink printed kits but bought a salt van earlier this year and was very unimpressed. The ink is really thick, about 0.3mm where I scrapped some back to remove some out of registration lettering - I still haven't worked out how to fill the chasm before applying new NON POOL lettering. The surface texture is not good either.

 

[Dog Star]

You are lucky you bought the spray painted kits. I haven't seen any comments about the new ink printed kits but bought a salt van earlier this year and was very unimpressed.

Fraser (@Overseer), I agree with you about the surface finish / texture of the "printed" models, "orange peel" came to mind when I was shown the early samples. A "benefit" of the new approach is that one can ask for a model to be supplied with a specific running number... this facility is not advertised as far as I can tell, my example of such was done whilst visiting the factory.

Several years back I was talking with David White about the demise of the original pre-lettered kits, David said that he thought that he had a few Princes Royal sides in stock and would make them into kits for me (printed sides, no painted solebars). Good to his word there were three kits for me at the Bristol 0-Gauge Show in 2017. A few months later I was at Darley Dale and David mentioned that He had found some more sides for Princess Royal... I went home with another armful of Princess Royal kits with spray-painted sides! I may have more Princess Royal models than the colliery bought from Gloster .

 

[Rob R]

I would be tempted to repaint the whole solebar rather than just touching up smaller areas. The join between old and new would then be at a natural joint in the body.
Rob

 

[Dog Star]

I would be tempted to repaint the whole solebar rather than just touching up smaller areas. The join between old and new would then be at a natural joint in the body.

You offer sound if the only repainting is the solebar - none of the Slater's kits include the door banger plate which is affixed to the door sheeting and that addition starts life as white plastikard.