Couple o'questions!

[PurplePenguin]

Right i was wondering if there was anyone that could tell me if you can get hold of the following colours in spray can form, MUST be acrylic.

I am after

Olive Drab or suitable olive colour for B-17's, B-25's,P-51's general U.S army/air force olive colour.

Dark Green and Black Green or green colours used on Messerschmitts,Heinkel He111, Ju88 etc

Obviously the colours maybe named something else in different brands so any help on this would be appreciated!

[Catch22]

I know all of Tamiya's paints are acrylic and they do make sprays. I don't know what's available in England, Terry would be better able to tell you.

[Airframes]

I'm fairly sure Tamiya have these colours in their range, so possibly/proabaly also have them in sray cans. Problem is, I don't use Tamiya or other acrylic paints as a rule, just the odd occassion, so can't be definite! A quick look at the Model Hobbies web-site might help, as all of their lines are illustrated, and they sell Tamiya paints, as well as Vallejo acrylics, which are excellent, although I don't believe Vallejo do spray cans.
Just one thing though, if you're wanting the Olive Drab for UK, or European based USAAF aircraft, they were rarely Olive Drab as it would come out of the tin/spray! This colour weathered and faded very quickly, and could appear to be anything from Olive Drab, to brown, to purple and most colours in between!!

[PurplePenguin]

Originally Posted by Airframes

I'm fairly sure Tamiya have these colours in their range, so possibly/proabaly also have them in sray cans. Problem is, I don't use Tamiya or other acrylic paints as a rule, just the odd occassion, so can't be definite! A quick look at the Model Hobbies web-site might help, as all of their lines are illustrated, and they sell Tamiya paints, as well as Vallejo acrylics, which are excellent, although I don't believe Vallejo do spray cans.
Just one thing though, if you're wanting the Olive Drab for UK, or European based USAAF aircraft, they were rarely Olive Drab as it would come out of the tin/spray! This colour weathered and faded very quickly, and could appear to be anything from Olive Drab, to brown, to purple and most colours in between!!

Hmmmm that actually works to my favor basically i don't need to worry at all about shade when it comes to olive drab as really i can't get it wrong! I completely agree with you Terry about Vallejo Paints after recently trying them i have decided i'm going to switch to them from Revell Aqua Colour/Tamiya paints.

Another thing is that apparently after talking to a friend of mine who works at Modelzone he has told me they had to recall and stop all Tamiya 'colour sprays' because they were harmful.

[Airframes]

Ah! That rings a bell. Iris, the owner of my local Model Shop, told me last year that the Tamiya metallics had been stopped (iin the UK) for that reason, and some other colours too. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Tamiya spray cans at all. And now, only the smaller 'Mini' jars are available, and they're imported from Tamiya America. Probably a E.U. law or Directive concerning the contents by the sound of it. BTW, found out that Model Zone are Amerang, the model importers!
I must admit, if I could get Vallejo paints locally, I'd start using more acrylics, even though I prefer enamels overall. The Vallejo paint is a joy to use, and easy to clean-up afterwards. Still have similar clogging in an airbrush though, but nowhere near as frequent, or as bad, as other acrylics.

[vikingBerserker]

Testors "Model Master" lines carries those colors. They are listed by the FS numbers.

Terry, just out of curiosity why do you avoide acrylic paints? You just answered, Thanks!

[PurplePenguin]

Yes i have officially converted to Vallejo Acrylics now i went into my local Modelzone and bought a few more, i also managed to find a 'light olive' spray made by humbrol for a reasonable price and after following Terry's advice of basically it doesnt matter what shade of olive i use i'm going to use this for my P-51 and B-25.

I haven't ever seen any of the testors sprays in any of my local modelshops which i don't understand at all!

[Wurger]

It is caused by the cost of paints that all owners of hobby shops have to pay for shipping for instance.What is more model kits are better sold than these paints.SImply if you buy a couple of paint cans these usually are enough for a few models.The lack of quick paint market causes that most of owners don't want to overcapitalize.Of course these big hobby shops can afford that.That's way it is easier to find these particular paints there.

[Airframes]

That's very true Wojtek, and more so nowadays with much more choice of paints from many more manufacturers. The 'traditional' model shops, probably family or individually owned, are also restricted by having, in most cases, to accept large minimum oreder terms, and often have to buy the display racks/stands from the distributor before they are allowed to sell the product. Apart from the initial capital outlay and on-going costs of re-stocking to possibly high minimum oreer requirements, these stands/racks can be quite large, and many shops just do not have the room for them. Also, there is the problem of undercutting; many of the large outlets, such as Model Zone, are in fact distributors and/or importers, and can afford to sell certain lines virtually at cost, sometimes below, as a loss-leader. When it comes to paints, if they are able to obtain vast quantities at a very good discount, in order to stock their various branches and trade outlets etc, then these prices will effect the potential sales of the smaller independant retailer. Why bother to have to place a high-cost order, to be able to sell paint at, for example £2 per unit, when a modeller can get it from one of the large 'super shops' or from a large mail order outlet at almost half the price?
Not viable. Darn shame though, as many of the older, long-established shops are disapperaing because of this, and I just hope it doesn't get to the point where it will no longer be possible to 'pop in' to your local, friendly, enthusiast run model shop, as they have all 'gone to the wall' or retired early due to bulk-selling outlets.
VB, to answer your question. I suppose I'm still old fashioned when it comes to certain products, having been modelling for very nearly 50 years now (!!). Acrylic paints are fine, and obviously, some are better than others, but I prefer enamels (generally) as there is much more latitude for obtaining various effects and employing differing techniques. Also, enamels tend to be more forgiving and durable, a great help when multiple techniques are used, and a fair amount of handling is required during painting and on-going construction/detailing. However, as Humbrol no longer exist as they used to, being a name only now, and their paints, in terms of quality, consistency and life are, quite frankly, sub-standard compared to the original 'real' Humbrol product, I may have to change to acrylics, due mainly to the avilability, locally, of alternative paints. If I'm going to have to order 'on-line', and accept a minimum order quantity/price, the I might as well change to, say, Vallejo, and obtain this, again by mail order, but without minimum order restrictions, from other sources, unless my local model shop can overcome the ordering/value issues mentioned above, and stock Vallejo.

[Wurger]

Also I agree with you Terry. My friend , who is an owner of the hobby shop here, handles using the same policy.