I have the Rapido HO CNJ lightweight coaches and I would like to paint an undecorated GP40 that I have.
Does anyone have a guess as to what the correct blue paint might be.
I really don't want to go to Home Depot and use latex paint LOL!!
Thanks
I would go to the Rapido web site, and email Jason, and ask.
Or, take the car to your LHS, and find a color the matches.
Mike.
My You Tube
900,
You're asking about guessing here. And whether there's a need to use latex paint from Home Depot.
It's pretty simple.
You compare samples of the paint you're comfortable with with the Rapido cars of interest.
If you don't find a match, you mix sample variations until you do.
It's a little more complicated, but I won't go into that until you tell me you are interested.
I have used this method to match a roofwalk for an AHM Suzie-Q boxcar. I have used it to match a horn to an Atlas RF&P GP7.
Get back to me if you're interested.
Ed
mbinsewiI would go to the Rapido web site, and email Jason, and ask.
I'll second that idea. Those guys are pretty helpful.
Cheers! Ed
I'll third the idea, but Rapido's paint advertising shows a BCR Blue which looks pretty close.
For those wondering about the colour of the Rapido CNJ cars, there's an example here.
Another to start with, if you listen to Ed's good advice, might be Rapido's B&O Blue.
It's not too difficult to mix colours to match existing samples which you have on hand. I generally pick a colour close to what I want, then, using drops or brushloads of paint to modify it. After a couple of tries, you'll get a better feel for the colours which you should be using, and then you refine the procedure to more precise amounts. You should also keep in mind that even if a whole fleet of prototype rolling stock is painted the same colour, and at the same time, it starts to change almost as soon as it's put into service, and it will change depending on the different environments in which it's used. Re-assembled into a train a year later, some cars would match, but many might not, and as time goes on, the difference usually becomes greater.I'm always amused by those who claim that a factory-painted model is the wrong shade of whatever colour it's supposed to be, but then protest that they can't possibly mix the proper colour: if you have a sure sense that a colour is wrong, then I believe that you should also have a sure sense of what it would take to mix the proper colour.And by that, I don't mean that you should be able to come up with that colour on your first try (although it is possible), but if you actually do try, chances are good that you will eventually succeed.
Wayne
It's funny you mention Rapido. I sent a note to them the beginning of the month and received a very fast response that they were forwarding my question to the project manager that did the coaches. Have not heard back but I understand that my request has to be way down the list of items they have on their to do list. So figuring I might not hear back, I thought I'd try this group where there are resources that have done this before . I was looking at the Rapido paints and the two blue colors mentioned in this thread might be a really good start. When I'm ready to start this I'll probably ask more questions but here are the first ones. I'm assuming you add either white or black to tweak the colors. Fo an HO GP40 I'm assuming a 1 oz bottle will be enough paint but don't want to run short. Thanks again
If you're using an airbrush, even the airbrush-ready paints, such as those offered by Rapido, should do several diesels, I would think.
I find changing paint colours or shades to be more intuitive than scientific, and have generally had good results that way. I'm sure, though, that a more analytical approach might better suit others.
For me, changing a blue colour might involve small amounts of colours other than black or white - yellow, perhaps, to shift it greener, or maybe red, to take it to a more purple-tinged hue.
There are times when I get it right on the first try, and others where I struggle for a while, often walking away from it, then having success when trying again later. It's a very hands-on thing for me.
Probably the first time I tried to match a colour was when painting a model of a particular prototype, the paint on which looked different depending on the ambient lighting and other conditions (bright sun/overcast, humid, etc., etc.). I had a colour photo, which I had taken, and my first attempt, applied directly to the same colour on the photo, was undetectable unless turned obliquely to the light, where the dead flat paint reflected the light differently than did the photo.The photo's colours appeared exactly as I had seen them when the photo was taken, and other photos, taken under different conditions, looked different, but again, the same as they looked on the day the photo was taken. This phenomonen is well-known by fans of that road, but, surprisingly to me, when I was scanning the negative strips and slides (pre-digital film camera) in order to put them on a disc, the scanner had an option for "colour correction". Curious, I selected it, and was amazed to find that all the photos which looked, on-film and in-person, to be, at various times brown (many different shades) maroon-ish, or purple (several variations thereof) actual were maroon (the railroad's official name of the colour), and the scanner showed it to be so.
Given that, I don't obsess too much on getting colours exactly "right", but it is nice when I do.
You should consider this group for a resource.
http://www.anthraciterailroads.org/
They do a nice job on the Anthracite roads including CNJ . They cover prototype and modeling.
Ron High
I wanted to add one more post to this thread to bring some closure. I did hear from Rapido and they told me they did not know of paint on the market that would match the CNJ cars but they were kind enough to let me know the color on the cars was Pantone 539C. There's a guy in my area that refinishes kitchen cabinets so I asked him what his thoughts were on trying to find paint I could use and he volunteered to give it a shot. He gets the occasional requests to repair damage on existing furniture and that requires matching colors. Turns out it's something he enjoys doing so he will fit my request into his schedule. I have a path forward so here we go!