I am currently building the Academy M10 Duckbill tank destoyer. I am getting ready to paint (using an airbrush) and was wondering what manufacturer has the best (or most closely matched) color for WWII European theater - that I don’t have to mix.
Since I will be airbrushing in stages, I would like to get a color that I don’t have to lighten or darken to get the shade I need. Currently, I have to add white to lighten the color for a more weathered look, but since I am airbrushing on different days, sometimes by the time I get back to the workbench the color is dried up or I don’t have enough left. To remix the color never looks right even if I use the same percentage mix.
I like to use the Tamiya for airbrushing but the OD green seems to be to dark As well as the Olive Drab Kahki or Olive drab, just don’t seem right to me. I would like to use Acrylics for health and safety reasons.
I was looking at the manufacturer of “Life .” paints (not sure of the full name might be LHS) colors. They have a lighter shade of the Olive green as well as a weathered olive green that looks pretty good, but was wondering what others do. What about model master acrylics. Do they work well in airbrushes.
By the way, in this great debate I am well aware that people have personal preferences on how the shade should be…I guess I want to confirm my understanding.
IMHO Model Master seems to have a more full range of authentic or close to authentic colours, I have never had a problem using the enamels or the acrylics. They have quite a few shades of Olive Drab that helps with fading and shading and the like… good hunting
Hi Stuart: I like to use Tamiya acrylic Olive Drab as my base coat for the entire model. Since it’s straight from the bottle without lightening, I can use it over multiple spray sessions.
I then follow up with it lightened with German Dark Yellow (the yellow is a better lightening agent for OD rather than yellow since OD is really a Gold Ochre color mixed with black – the result is less “chalky”). The ratio is 3:1 OD to Dark Yellow. I use this sparingly over specific areas. Sometimes, I’ll go back a final time with a 2:1 OD: Dk Yellow mist to give even greater highlight. Again, these follow up coats are thin and used to give depth.
(FWIW, I recall that Steve Zaloga published an article where he stated that, out of the bottle, Tamiya acrylic OD best matched 1:1 the WW2 hue of Olive Drab)
T26 - Really good info on the German DY. I will try that this time. Just one quick question, When doing the boggies, do you also mist them with German DY,
I was reading that that should be darker since the dirt collection from operation.
I basecoat everything w/OD and then follow up with the lightened misted coats of OD. I usually airbrush the suspension units with various earth tones, followed by pigment applications. This is to simulate dried dust which is lighter than the upper OD areas.
(If I want a wetter, muddier look then I use different earth tones to depict wet dust/earth. I include colored acrylic gel medium to maintain some glossiness for watery mud)