OK, so I have this website with color chips showing a visual approximation of what Soviet VVS aviation colors looked like in WWII.
However, how do I go from here to picking similar acrylic colors from popular manufacturers such as Vallejo, Tamiya, PollyScale?
How would you approach the problem?
There is a book by Erik Pilawskii, a major contributor to the web site your color chips are from, that has cross references to FS matches for all or most of the VVS colors. If you have some specific colors you need, post it and I will check the book for you. However, if you have more than a passing interest in USSR GPW aircraft I highly recommend you get the book. Its title is Soviet Air Force Fighter Colours 1941-1945. ISBN 1 903223 30 X.
Probably the more expensive route, bu (copied from a similar post I made just this morning on ARC):
I use the IPMS Stockholm site as a starting point (it’s a bit out of date). Urban’s Color List
I then, thanks to my bank account, have purchased most of the British paints in MM, Polyscale, Humbrol, and Tamiya. I’ve put comparative swatches on a 3x5 index card and put that against the Iliad chips. If it looks very close then I use it; if not then I move on. An example is the site states the Tamiya colors for DG, OG, and MSG are XF 61, 54 and 53, respectively. While DG looks spot on, the other two just don’t look right at all, so I’ve quit using them. Polyscale’s light blue (#505396) looks just right as a scale color for Sky in 72nd, being paler than Tamiya’s XF21 which is supposed to be spot on according to other postings. XF21 appears more like Eua-de-Nil to my eye, as does Pollyscale’s #505254 Sky. MM2049 A/N 610 Sky just appears too dark and too green to me. MM1722 Duck Egg Blue is lighter and when put next to Pollyscale’s 505396 looks slightly greener, or said differently Pollyscale’s is slightly bluer (and I mean SLIGHTLY).
This doesn’t solve your VVS dilemma, but when I recently needed AMT-7, 11 and 12 for a GB for our local club, I came to the following:
AMT-7 – Pollyscale 5520, IJN Sky, appear to match best the color swatch online and FS25550. I compared MM1722, Gunze H314, MM2078, MM2086, Floquil RLM78, Tamiya XF23, MM4778.
AMT-11 – FS 36375 is referenced as a close match, and I chose Gunze H308. I compared to Floquil 30397, MM1726, MM1725, MM4761, MM50128, Tamiya XF19 and XF53. My second choice is MM4761 but it needs to be lightened a bit.
AMT-12 – FS 36081 is supposed to be close, so I compared PS 500841, Tamiya XF54, Testors 1163, Humbrol HU27 and HU125. PS500841 is my first choice with HU27 a very close second. Both appear dark but looked good to me on the finished product below:
HTH,
Tim