Tamiya AS-28 Medium Gray equivalent?

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

Hi everyone, I’m using Tamiya’s AS-28 Medium Gray in a spray can. There is a bottle version called medium grey, (XF-20), but it’s not the same.

Would anyone know the paint mix ratios for AS-28 so that I can brush paint some details? I don’t want to decant, but would prefer to mix.

Thanks!

2

You could always decant some of the AS-28 from the spray can.

3

You might want to ask in the Painting & Airbrushing forum, too:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_techniques_and_reference_materials/f/18.aspx

4

Ah, thanks for that. Can the mods move this?

5

Believe me, it doesn’t matter. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of grays, and you can mix them yourself.

Tamiya just wants to sell you another bottle of paint.

6

Not all Medium Grey are alike no matter the brand of paint. In your case, it makes no difference whether it’s Tamiya lacquer or Tamiya acrylic. It’s still the same color and shade.

7

Quick shot from the spray can into a little paper Dixie cup while you’re outside…boom…done…brushable paint that is exactly the same color with no mixing.

8

I ran into this same issue. I am working on Tamiya’s F-16C/J and the nose cone calls for AS-28. I use Mission Models paints and they dont have an equivalant. They do have a med. grey but it didn’t look the same (from what I saw online). I ended up mixing 2 different MM greys to get what I felt was correct.

9

Thanks everyone for your help. I’ll just decant a bit of it, seems easier.

10

Just a quick note on the Viper radome. There isn’t really a “correct” color, since the radome is painted with a rubberized coating (traditional paint interferes with radar energy) that tends to absorb all kinds of stuff from whatever environment each, individual Viper is operating in. Even airframes in the same squadron will often show a variation due to relative age. You have a lot of leeway with radome color. With my Tamiya F-16CJ, IIRC, I think I started with a basecoat of dark gull grey, and then gradually built up a layer of Tamiya X-19 Smoke over the top of it until it was a good match for photos of the exact airframe I was building.

11

That makes sense. I am glad I made the effort to make it different. I was going to paint it the same as the fuselage and wings. I am almost done with it and I will be sharing soon! Thanks!

12

Wanna bet? Mission Model FS36307 is Light Sea Grey, the same exact color as Tamiya’s XF-20 Medium Grey.

Scalehobbyist.com: Light Sea Grey Fs36307 by Mission Models Paint

Now Mission Model MEDIUM GREY is in fact different because it is darker and the FS number for that particular Medium Grey is FS35237…

Scalehobbyist.com: Medium Grey Fs35237 by Mission Models Paint

However, Tamiya AS-28 is a lacquer spray paint. Yes, it is labelled as Medium Grey but the actual grey in color is really Medium Grey IJN

Tamiya AS-28 Spray Medium Gray 3 oz Hobby and Model Lacquer Paint #86528 (hobbylinc.com)

Therefore, the Tamiya bottle paint equivilent to AS-28 Medium Grey could be XF-75 IJN Grey (Kure Arsenal)

Scalehobbyist.com: Xf-75 IJN Grey (Kure Arsenal) mini by Tamiya Models and Paints

Then again… IJN Grey goes by many stripes of a Tiger under the Tamiya’s line:

Scalehobbyist.com: LP-12 IJN Gray - Kure Arsenal by Tamiya Models and Paints

Scalehobbyist.com: LP-13 IJN Gray - Sasemo Arsenal by Tamiya Models and Paints

Scalehobbyist.com: LP-14 IJN Gray - Maizuru Arsenal by Tamiya Models and Paints

Scalehobbyist.com: LP-15 IJN Gray - Yokosuka Arsenal by Tamiya Models and Paints

Confused? Sure you are. That’s why I would suggest you to go to this website and download the paint equivilent chart:

www.paint4models.com.

Tamiya instruction guide usually list the FS number next to their color name. Look at the Federal Standard number, not the color name.

Other paint brand colors that’s equivilent to Tamiya’s Medium Grey (FS36307)

Testors Model Master - Light Sea GRey

Humbrol - Light Sea Grey

Life Color - Light Blue Grey I

Gunze/Mr. Color - Light Grey

Pollyscale - Italian WW2 Light Blue Grey

All these colors; despite the different names are equivilent to Tamiya’s XF-20 are listed as FS36307. I always… ALWAYS refer to this chart for equivilent paint colors. Like I said, not all greys are alike by their Federal Standard number. Hope this helps…

13

Yup. You did the right thing by making it different and using photo references. Not even sure what color the radome coating is the day its delivered to its first squadron…the color changes that quickly. Can’t wait to see your Viper!