Currently building the 1/32 border Avro Lancaster and for the brown sections of the upper surface I painted them with Tamiya xf-72, although I feel as if it’s too brown. Other models and some references show it as a much more tan-brown color rather than brown. Honestly opinions on the color choice?
4 Likes
Hey @Gavinrolstad - I bet that thing is huge! I commend your ambition.
As far as I know, the Lanc should have the standard RAF color scheme — so “RAF Dark Earth.” I think it’s a little more yellow than the Tamiya XF-72 “brown.”
On my current Hawker Hurricane build I used an eyeballed mix of ~85% XF49 Khaki and ~15% XF52 Flat Earth. This was from a post on the Britmodeller forum which naturally has lots of info on RAF details.
If you search through old threads, or over at the Britmodeller site, you’ll find all kinds of opinions about these colors, but there’s never going to be a perfect answer simply due to the way colors are preserved and rendered in film, print, and digital displays over time.
In the end, it just has to be close, and has to look right to you. Allowing for the white balance/tint of your image and my screen, I’d be happy with what you’ve got; a light and transparent highlight coat airbrushed on could nudge it one way or another if you want to just slightly adjust it.
Good luck, and I’m sure I speak for all the forum when I say we want to see more of that Lanc!
2 Likes
What a beauty. I know that Border’s oil-canning detail is controversial but I still think I like it… it sure beats a billion out-of-scale rivets.
Will you have this big bird at Nordicon this fall? Or maybe bring it to a TCAH meeting? I hope to see it in person!
1 Like
I should have it at NordicCon if everything goes to plan. I’ll probably take up the entire 1/32 scale table 
I’m so close to finishing it but also so far at the same time.
2 Likes
I was posting from my phone last night so I couldn’t find the link – here’s the Britmodeller thread in which they talk about the RAF camo colors, specifically the “Temperate Land Scheme” that the topside of your Lanc was painted in.
1 Like
RAF Dark Earth. Choose your preferred brand and go from there.
2 Likes
Ended up post shading it with the original brown mixed with like 75% dark yellow and got a more desirable brown.
4 Likes
That looks better for RAF Dark Earth.
I’m currently building a much smaller Lancaster (HK 1/48) and used AK’s 3G RAF Dark Earth.
1 Like
That turned out real nice. 
1 Like