The owner of our local hobby shop told me that ordering Protopaint has been a challenge. Rapido has been having supplier issues, apparently. Using Google, I see that a few Canadian shops offer some online. But the economics of ordering paint online doesn't make sense to me... Vallejo is probably the best source for now. There are charts online:
https://acrylicosvallejo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CC070-Model_Color-Rev17-baja.pdf
I'm not too obsessed about color accuracy myself - on my pike, the sun and dust alters all the prototype colors in all sorts of shades... I've been using craftpaints increasingly. Most colors are available and they can be used with an airbrush. They seem to be uneven in terms of pigmentation. Some require several light coats...
Simon
This has been helpful for me. It is a bit dated. https://www.testors.com/~/media/DigitalEncyclopedia/Documents/Testors/ebook/MRH-Acrylic-painting-guide-post-Floquil-Portrait.ashx
Mike
Thanks for sharing - learned a few things from it, including how to use vodka as a thinner!
snjroy Thanks for sharing - learned a few things from it, including how to use vodka as a thinner! Simon
That's for thinning something else
Gary
Popped open my recent MR newsletter and read the Painting Yellow Boxcars article and have to say thank you for the paint references. They gave options to the old Polyscale colors. Great tips and updated paint options.
The amount of paint needed for doing figures is negligible, and good quality paint makes the job much easier.
I have never worried about colours suited to some particular prototype or even colours to match that on any specific factory-painted model...if you want that colour, mix it yourself.
Wayne
doctorwayneI have never worried about colours suited to some particular prototype or even colours to match that on any specific factory-painted model...if you want that colour, mix it yourself.
Me too. I rarely use colours straight from the pot. I usually mix almost everything, sometimes just to get variety.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Most of the colors I have I can get by with colors across the paint companies. I have used Humbrol, the now departed Model Master, and a few others. I recently purchased a few bottles of Tru-color brushable (Grimy Black, White and 2 bottles of Rust) which I haven't had need to open yet as I haven't needed the colors but I want to have them onhand and my normal source for those colors was out. And I do have acetone ready for when I do use them.) It is a little harder for me to find paints as I brush paint everything. Unfortunately, the one color that I haven't found a good brushable match for is MEC Pine Green. I have used a lot of it as it is the main color of my protolanced road. (For those that don't know, my avatar is my road's logo. The green is intended to be the Pine Green. I also use Silver but that is pretty much universal.) I found it in doing a Christmas bank project in either the late 80s or early 90s for three of my cousins. At the time it was Polly S, later Polly Scale. Thankfully I found a few bottles via the internet that I still have but I don't paint as much equipment with that scheme as I once did. (Notwithstanding, I have in excess of 200 pieces of rolling stock as is.) I have tried to mix it but I ended up failing badly in the attempt.
The other color I miss is BN Green. As I model the rainbow era of BN, I need that color as well. I have a quantity that I mixed up from Model Master paints based loosely on a mix I found in a cross reference chart. I ended up changing the mix a bit because the color didn't look quite right to me. As I don't think I have the mix colors in my collection I can't duplicate that color either.
doctorwayneas the real standout of Pollyscale was its quality for brush or airbrush application and its durability once applied. ...The quality and properties of Pollyscale are the reason that I continue to lament its demise.
About the most deep and insightful thing I can add is, agreed.
I long enjoyed using their railroad, military, and fantasy colors.
Yes, paint can be mixed to a color, and yes, more paint can be mixed later; it was so nice to not have to do so, but be able to simply get another bottle of the color.
Wait until you get to my age. I still have half a can of diosol for floquil paints and nothing to use it with.
ndbprrI still have half a can of diosol for floquil paints and nothing to use it with.
Is this the 'old' Dio-Sol with the xylene, or the reformulated version?
The original had this composition, as taken from a MSDS dated 2/9/2005:
VM&P Naphtha 40-45%; Xylol (Xylene) 5-10%; Ethylbenzene 1-5%; "Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent" 5-10%; "Light Aromatic Hydrocarbon" 40-45%; flashpoint given as 65 degrees F.
If you have the patience you could probably find a MSDS for the 'revised' version. I understand Dio-Sol was used in automobile painting and was essentially put in small bottles for expen$ive hobby procurement...
KitbashOn30I long enjoyed using their railroad, military, and fantasy colors.
The Polly-S Fantasy paints were excellent. The colours were all appropriate for fantasy subjects, and there is still nothing like Ogre Green or Gryffon Hide.
Ral-Partha made a metallic red, now long out of production, that no one has made a match for.
Oh... the compendium of lost paints I could write.
Slowly figuring out my paint experimenting to date has been limited and the variety of offerings is just far more than in knew as a teenager many decades ago. I just finished an asphalt road (smooth it base) and seeing some of the talk about Apple Barrel craft paints and some technics, I used a base coat of it (licorice satin) and makeup sponged on top coat of the Apple Barrel matte County Gray. I now think the County Gray is my new favorite color. I may like it more as aged concrete then MM paint shade. Both bottles of craft paint together at Walmart for around $3. I will try to post a pic later. Update, gave it a light wash of MM weathered concrete.
EDDE41C1-5040-44F1-BA15-441739B80DAB by A B, on Flickr
1D905446-C999-4376-B371-71D94CEA6017 by A B, on Flickr
Will dust it up some with some weathering powder once I get the traffic lines on it.
ndbprr Wait until you get to my age. I still have half a can of diosol for floquil paints and nothing to use it with.
I have the opposite problem. I have Floquil RR paint but I am running out of the Floquil thinner. Any suggestions on an alternative?
Rick
I've always used lacquer thinner with Floquil, and it also works with Scalecoat I and Accupaint.It's also a pretty-well universal cleaner for brushes and airbrushes, and that includes water-based acrylics. I buy good quality brushes and have had many of them for over 40 years, all still in like-new condition.
hbgatsfAny suggestions on an alternative?
hbgatsf I have Floquil RR paint but I am running out of the Floquil thinner. Any suggestions on an alternative?
Testors "universal" enamel thinner works perfectly with the Floquil paints I have.
Well...
It appears I am sitting on a stockpile of about $1,000.00 worth of Floquil paints.
This is crazy.
Just went on EBay and bought them all to purge the market....kidding. I have a bunch of box cars that I weathered 35 years ago with enamel and thinner and the technics I am learning now with acrylics seem to add more flexibility and more forgiving if a redo is needed. Never dreamed of the power and uses of Windex.
I ordered, and received yesterday, a bottle of Floquil CSX gray in the newer (?) gloss paint off eBay. To me, it is still the closest match to Family Lines gray.
For my home road, I'm using colors that are readily available, like black, red and white.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
trwrouteI ordered, and received yesterday, a bottle of Floquil CSX gray in the newer (?) gloss paint off eBay.
Floquil offered several gloss colors in their last update.
Wisconsin Central gold and maroon.
CSX blue, gray, and yellow.
MKT green.
These were all very good paints and I used lots of them.
SeeYou190 MKT green. These were all very good paints and I used lots of them. -Kevin
I still have most of the bottle of the MKT gloss Floquil. I painted a loco for a hobby shop a number of years ago using it. Turned out great!
trwrouteI still have most of the bottle of the MKT gloss Floquil.
I am pretty sure they had a gloss white, red, and black as well. I never bought those because I had plenty in Scalecoat II.