Nooooooo!!!
The time has finally come for this modeler to find a suitable replacement for Polly Scale Acrylic paint in the Concrete or Aged Concrete color. Quite plainly, my life cannot go on without Concrete paint. LOL
Vallejo has a Concrete paint product, but it is way too dark for my taste, particularly because it won't match my previous work.
Micro Mark Micro Lux Concrete appears to be close from the photos, but without actually purchasing a bottle, I cannot say for sure.
Has anybody successfully matched the original Concrete or Aged Concrete color of the Polly Scale product? If so, care to share the formula?
Rich
Alton Junction
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Rich,
I've got no certain answer. However, if the Vallejo is too dark, you could try adding white or of a lighter gray to it to lighten it if it turns out there's not a pre-packaged match and you have to mix anyway.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
richhotrain.....particularly because it won't match my previous work.
Good. The color of concrete changes over time, so there's no reason for all your concrete to be the same color. I think too many people make the mistake of having all their concrete and asphalt be one uniform color, and it ends up looking toylike rather than realistic. Concrete starts out nearly white, and then as it ages it tends to become more of a buff color than gray.
The next time you're driving around town, pay attention to how many different shades of concrete (and asphalt) there are.
Steve S
Any light grey to almost white color will work for fresh concrete. Any dark to light buff and tan will work for.age. because concrete is regional product in more modern time. And back in the steam era most portland came from pennsylvania with local agrogates. Added, the colors vary greatly. Ypu will have tp consult the region and era pictures for an idea of color matches.
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Steven S richhotrain .....particularly because it won't match my previous work. Good. The color of concrete changes over time, so there's no reason for all your concrete to be the same color. I think too many people make the mistake of having all their concrete and asphalt be one uniform color, and it ends up looking toylike rather than realistic. Concrete starts out nearly white, and then as it ages it tends to become more of a buff color than gray. The next time you're driving around town, pay attention to how many different shades of concrete (and asphalt) there are. Steve S
richhotrain .....particularly because it won't match my previous work.
Concrete is only new until you drive it off the lot.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I understand that the color of concrete differs depending upon a lot of factors and that the color of a slab of concrete changes over time. And, I appreciate the comments made in this regard.
But, my question relates to the color formula of Polly Scale Concrete. It looks more realistic than other brands of paint with a color called Concrete. If someone is asked to describe the color of concrete, the response is often gray, maybe a bit tan. It often sports a somewhat greenish quality. Not really green, but grey, greenish grey, if that makes sense.
Right now, I am assembling and painting two Walthers Cornerstone kits, so-called Butterfly Passenger Platforms. I needed two kits and ordered one each from two different places since each place only had one kit. Curiously the boxes were slightly different from one another and the plastic color of the platforms differed significantly in each box. The idea was to have the plastic platforms appear to be concrete.
One kit had platforms that were more tan than gray with a hint of pink, pinkish tan if you will. The other kit had platforms that were more gray than tan, with a hint of green, greenish gray if you will. When I painted the platforms with my remaining Polly Scale Acrylic Concrete, the paint was almost a match for the greenish gray plastic.
So, my question remains, has anyone found or mixed a formulation to closely simulate Polly Scale Concrete? Interestingly, this issue has been debated on other forums but, to date, I have not found a definitive answer.
While I've used PollyScale and/or Floquil Concrete and Aged Concrete, I can't say for sure which of these might show either or which is a custom mixed version. I very seldom use a colour straight out of the bottle:
If your platforms are meant to represent ones built at the same time, choose an available concrete colour and use it for both, or alter it to suit your opinion of what it should look like and use it for both.If the platforms are to be from different eras, paint one as you wish and alter the colour somewhat to represent the newer (or older) one.As mentioned previously, the colour of concrete can vary due to a number of different factors.
If you wish to mix your own, I'd suggest starting with white, then adding brown and yellow: I do this by placing a small amount of white on a non-porous surface, using the rough measurement of "drops": let's say 10 drops of white using a toothpick or wooden matchstick to pick up the paint and let drops fall from it - re-load as necessary.Next, wipe the white paint off the dropper, and dip it in one of the other colours - use your judgement on how many drops to add, but I'd start with one drop of each and then another drop-at-a-time of either, until you see the colour getting close to what you want. If the mix veers too far from the shade you want, discard it and start again. Naturally, keep track of the drop count for each colour.Once you get the results you want, the "drops" can be converted to millilitres and you can then use a plastic syringe (available at drug stores without the needle) to make accurate (and repeatable) versions of any colour.If you "know" that the commercially available colours are "wrong", then you have the ability to know when you get the mixture "right".I think that this is as much an instinct for me as it is a skill, and I find it relatively easy to match colours to existing ones. I think that anyone who can detect the difference between different versions of the same colour probably has the same instinct within them. Push yourself a bit and you may be surprised by what you can do.
Wayne
Try Delta Ceramcoat Mudstone...pretty close.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
doctorwayne If you wish to mix your own, I'd suggest starting with white, then adding brown and yellow: I do this by placing a small amount of white on a non-porous surface, using the rough measurement of "drops": let's say 10 drops of white using a toothpick or wooden matchstick to pick up the paint and let drops fall from it - re-load as necessary.
If you wish to mix your own, I'd suggest starting with white, then adding brown and yellow: I do this by placing a small amount of white on a non-porous surface, using the rough measurement of "drops": let's say 10 drops of white using a toothpick or wooden matchstick to pick up the paint and let drops fall from it - re-load as necessary.
jrbernierRich, Testors has brought back about a dozen of the Polly Scale colors in their Model Master Acrylic line of paints - Concrete is one of them... Jim
bearman Try Delta Ceramcoat Mudstone...pretty close.
Here is a list of the 'Railroad' colors available again from Testors in their acrylic Model Master line of paint. I have been using them, and at least the 'Oxide' for freight cars is a good match for the old Polly Scale line. I see they have both 'Concrete' and 'Aged Concrete' in this line, but I have not tried them yet.
Brush on application of Delta Ceramcoat 2pt Sandstone & 1pt Mudstone, with one wash of 9pt H2O & 1pt Raw Umber. Close to Poly Concrete, but maybe no cigar.
Regards, Peter
If You like the greenish tint color of concrete, look at Microlux #29007 Aged Concrete. I tried it once so I can have a substitute when My Floquil runs out. It's ready mixed...one thing I don't care for....anyway, when I used it for a large area...when wet, it is a very close match, to Floquil aged concrete, until dried, then it had a way too heavy tint of green for My tastes.
Since then I have been experimenting with Tamiya Acrylic XF 55 Deck Tan and XF 59 Desert Yellow....air-brushed and with a little weathering with Woodland scenic pigments, does a pretty good job of duplicating older concrete structures in Our area and that's what I'm shooting for. Like Rooseveldt Rd. overpass over the Rail yards downtown......You know what I mean!
Take Care!
Frank
zstripe Rich, If You like the greenish tint color of concrete, look at Microlux #29007 Aged Concrete. I tried it once so I can have a substitute when My Floquil runs out. It's ready mixed...one thing I don't care for....anyway, when I used it for a large area...when wet, it is a very close match, to Floquil aged concrete, until dried, then it had a way too heavy tint of green for My tastes.
I did a quick mix of drops of acrylic paint as Wayne suggested. It is still wet, but looks awfully close to Polly Scale Concrete. That's the good news. The bad news is that in my eagerness to get the right mix, I lost track of the proportions.
But, the base was 10 drops of white, 1 drop each of red and brown, 2 drops of cream, 2 or 3 drops of light gray, and 3 or 4 drops of green. For what it's worth, I did not have any yellow on hand.
any time, rich.
richhotrain...I did a quick mix of drops of acrylic paint as Wayne suggested. It is still wet, but looks awfully close to Polly Scale Concrete. That's the good news. The bad news is that in my eagerness to get the right mix, I lost track of the proportions. But, the base was 10 drops of white, 1 drop each of red and brown, 2 drops of cream, 2 or 3 drops of light gray, and 3 or 4 drops of green. For what it's worth, I did not have any yellow on hand.
It's good to hear that you tried the method and had some success, Rich. Too many people complain that they know nothing about mixing colours, but these are often the same folks who also complain that Brand So-and-So's version of Lower Slobovia & Pacific's Engine Black is the wrong shade. If you can recognise that it's the wrong shade, you can probably mix a version closer to what you feel it should be. Ya just gotta give it a try.
doctorwayne richhotrain ...I did a quick mix of drops of acrylic paint as Wayne suggested. It is still wet, but looks awfully close to Polly Scale Concrete. That's the good news. The bad news is that in my eagerness to get the right mix, I lost track of the proportions. But, the base was 10 drops of white, 1 drop each of red and brown, 2 drops of cream, 2 or 3 drops of light gray, and 3 or 4 drops of green. For what it's worth, I did not have any yellow on hand. It's good to hear that you tried the method and had some success, Rich. Too many people complain that they know nothing about mixing colours, but these are often the same folks who also complain that Brand So-and-So's version of Lower Slobovia & Pacific's Engine Black is the wrong shade. If you can recognise that it's the wrong shade, you can probably mix a version closer to what you feel it should be. Ya just gotta give it a try. Wayne
richhotrain ...I did a quick mix of drops of acrylic paint as Wayne suggested. It is still wet, but looks awfully close to Polly Scale Concrete. That's the good news. The bad news is that in my eagerness to get the right mix, I lost track of the proportions. But, the base was 10 drops of white, 1 drop each of red and brown, 2 drops of cream, 2 or 3 drops of light gray, and 3 or 4 drops of green. For what it's worth, I did not have any yellow on hand.
In rattlecan you can get Testors 1223 Flat Light Aircraft Gray. Looks pretty close to concrete to me.
BMMECNYC Rich, In rattlecan you can get Testors 1223 Flat Light Aircraft Gray. Looks pretty close to concrete to me.
I am going through a similar experiment, but with Floquil #F110084 Foundation....trying to match it. I do have one full oz. of original, but unfortunately, I need at least 3oz's. What I am going through right now....color is fine when mixed at paint bench, working on getting it a little lighter....but when test sprayed on the layout, it is a different shade of the color and I don't like it..LOL It's My lighting. Paint bench has a 100 watt newer soft white compact fluorescent light and the one I use at the layout for working on things, has a 100 watt soft white incandesant bulb, which gives it a different shade. With all the yrs. experience I have had with painting trucks and cars, I completely forgot about that, when I was mixing colors, without computer controlled mixtures. I used to mix in sunlight....LOL. You might want to keep that in mind, with Your experimenting.
1933 Camo Gray is another one that's close. Its not a flawless match, but looks close enough to my eyes.
I painted my structure today, using Polly Scale Light Undercoat Gray.
Nuts, it appeared too bluish gray, hardly the look of precast concrete on my pillared structure.
Then, I opened and stirred a never used bottle of Polly Scale D&H Gray.
Wow, greenish gray, the color of concrete. This color is very similar to Polly Scale Concrete. Just thought that I would mention that.