Vietnam Colors: Modelmaster is Way Off

It is Testors' version of FS 34079 that I have the biggest problem with. The actual color was darker, browner and meaner lookin'. This shade may represent a "toned down" version for scale effect, I guess, but that's not my cup of tea, so I'll be mixing my own. The color I ended up with started out as WWII Luftwaffe Braun-Violet with a drop of this and a drop of that. Looks closer to me.

dancho wrote in news:85idnUPzYLDOvJDanZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

They've had a problem with color in recent times. I was on a Vietnam jag earlier this year and have several oldie but goodie kits in various stages of undress. While fiddling with the colors I used a rattlecan for the overall and airbrush for the rest. Noticed that (I think it was 079) the bottle and the rattlecan were WAAAYY! far apart in tone and brightness. I emailed them and a nice lady sent me an email thanking me acknowledged the problem and said they would correct it.

Whoda thunk it?

Frank

I just so happen to have that MM1710 bottle; I see what you mean. I have a bottle of Polyscale 505388 & I will take a look for you. My experience has been that going by brand name alone, Pollyscale always has a much better matched color to the actual standard. MM is all over the map.

in article 85idnUPzYLDOvJDanZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com, dancho at snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote on 10/10/07 3:00 PM:

I agree. The Model Master enamel version of 34079 is noticeably greener than the FS 595 color chip. Actually, their version of British Dark Green is a much better match for 34079 IMHO.

Pip Moss

Well, that Polyscale is more in line with the color than MM, but is probably too grey for your taste. I'd try Pip's suggestion

I found something better than my home-brew color, sitting on my workbench. Vallejo US Olive Drab. This is an exact match of what's in my memory--for what that's worth--of 34079. I still have to "tweak" the other colors so they are darker but that's easy compared to 34079. To me, it will always be dark, "freshly painted" OD. I don't really care for the "scale effect" thing. Personal preference.

Now if I can just get used to that little plastic squeeze bottle. I just discovered that the plastic "nipple" can be removed! Of course, when I discovered this I was using "chimp methodology" so the thing popped out and flung paint all over. Fortunately--nothing serious was in the way!

Found this regarding Pantone & FS959b:

contractmagazine.com January 7, 2005 The U.S. Army Adopts PANTONE Color Language for its Facilities Worldwide SOURCE: Online SECTION: INDUSTRY BRIEFS LENGTH: 461 words HIGHLIGHT: The decision will promote aesthetic consistency as well as competitive bidding on Army contracts Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards, and ManTech Environmental Corporation (MEC), currently responsible for the Army Installation Design Standards (IDS), today announced that the U.S. Army has adopted a palette drawn from the PANTONE for architecture and interiors color system as a standard for exterior paint colors for all Army facilities worldwide. Developed as a comprehensive color solution for the contract and hospitality segments of the interior design industry, PANTONE for architecture and interiors enables designers to match and coordinate different categories within the industry, including paint, flooring, leather, fabrics, carpet, fiber, furniture and laminates. The System consists of over 1,900 colors in cotton, paper and digital formats. PANTONE for architecture and interiors overcomes the traditional, time-intensive and stressful task of specifying, matching and agreeing on colors. "Until recently, the Army used Federal Color Numbers' as a standard for accurately communicating color, but this system has been discontinued due to quality control problems," explains L. Baxter Lawrence, AIA, architect, MEC. "This presented a problem in establishing a non-proprietary color standard for the 19 Army exterior colors which were to be included in the new Army Installation Design Standards," adds Gary Burns, PMP, management director of MEC, who has personally guided the IDS development since its inception over two years ago. Larry Black, AIA, ICMA, program manager/general engineer for Assistant Chief of Staff Installation Management (ACSIM), who is the government lead on the IDS program, felt that it was important to codify the 19 exterior colors and suggested that MEC explore the possibility of using PANTONE, whose international standing would ensure that the exterior paint colors for U.S. Army installations around the world would be consistent. It would also promote competitive bidding on Army contracts while helping to guarantee quality execution. "We are pleased that the U.S. Army has taken this significant step to speak the language of color," says Lisa Herbert, executive vice president of Pantone Fashion and Interiors. "It joins many top design firms and manufacturers in using PANTONE for architecture and interiors to instantly and accurately communicate color around the world." A color board appears in Appendix L: Exterior Color Charts of the Army Installation Design Standards, which provides the mandatory common facility and infrastructure standards for all Army installations. Color options are given for exterior finishes for each of eight U.S. regions plus Europe and the Far East. It is viewable online at

LOAD-DATE: January 7, 2005 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH Copyright 2005 VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved Page 2 The U.S. Army Adopts PANTONE Color Language for its Facilities Worldwide contractmagazine.com January 7, 2005