I've decided to switch to acrylic paints for spraying and I'm looking for a manufacturer that does an accurate range for WWII RAF aircraft. Xtracrylix appeal because they have a complete range, including FAA/Coastal command colours, and they're easily avilable in the UK.
But what are they like for accuracy, and do they need lightening (I build mainly 1.72 scale).
Are there any better alternatives? I'd rather go to some trouble to obtain accurate paints than to use poor matches.
I use Xtracrylix almost exclusively. I find them to be good matches with certain exceptions.
The only problem with an RAF colour that I have found is with XA1026 RAF Azure Blue. That seems to be far too bright a blue. In my opinion XA1214 RLM78 Hellblau is a better match.
Other colours that I have certain problems with include:
XA1204 RLM70 Schwarzgrun and XA1205 RLM71 Dunkelgrun seem to have far too little contrast between them. I know that a 70/71 scheme is supposed to be a low contrast scheme, but once you have sprayed a coat of gloss varnish over it, applied the decals and then sprayed a coat of matt varnish, the contrast between them all but disappears.
XA1209 RLM79 Sandgelb is so bright as to be almost yellow. I found that a
50/50 mix of this paint and XA1224 RLM79a Sandbraun to be far better.
XA1102 FS10219 Vietnam Tan seems to be very bright. It could be that it is representing a colour that has faded in bright sunlight, but it just doesn't look like the colour that I saw on USAFE F-4s in the 1980s. I tried a 50/50 mix of this colour and XA1002 RAF Dark Earth and that seems to be far better. However, I have a Vietnam era F-4C on my workbench at the moment. I shall be using the 50/50 mix as the base coat, with various areas oversprayed in neat XA1102 to represent fading.
Some of the lighter colours, notably yellows and light tans, seem to have very little body to them. They need a white undercoat and a number of thin sprayed coats to build up a reasonable colour density. Don't be tempted to spray these on slighty thickly because they *will* run.
But be assured that the above comments are just minor gripes. I'm very pleased with the Xtracrylix range. In fact I think that XA1006 RAF Ocean Grey is the best representation of that colour that I have seen. Don't be put off by the appearance when the first coat is on - it looks like a bright blue. As soon as you spray the Dark Green disruptive pattern, you'll be impressed by the appearance.
My WWII aircraft - mostly Spitfires - are all in 1/48 and I have found no general need to lighten the colours. My jets are all in 1/72. I've built two RAF Phantoms using Xtracrylix straight from the bottle (one in the early tactical camouflage, one in the later air defence greys). They also look good.
I just wish that they would extend the range to include Israeli colours and the colours used on Luftwaffe F-4Fs in the 1980s.
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