Color matching armor paint

Sachiel9

Hunter
So I was at the local hobby shop the other day talking to one of the clerks about my Boba Fett costume. I told him I was looking for US Med Green for my armor. I also told him about TDH and how a lot of people suggested this color for the main armor. I showed him the gallery and he took about 10 different paint bottles of all kinds of green and tried to match them up, none of them turned out to be as exact as HE wanted. This guy is a real stickler for detail. He then told me I should try and get a good shot of the armor color I wanted, print it, and go down to the local hardware-megastore and have them match it with their computers. I can then thin out the paint (non-latex) and airbrush it on. So, my main question: Has anyone done this? Where would I get a decent sample to print out that isn't too weathered or beat up? What part of the armor is the "real" color and what has been faded or otherwise altered? Sorry to droll on, but I was talking to this guy for about an hour, he really wanted to try and match the color exact with all the paint in the store.
Cheers!
 
there are a couple of factors i'd be concerned with there.

first, the accuracy of the printer. a home printer isn't going to produce true colors. a good graphics shop should have computer / monitor / printer all calibrated, but not many people do that at home.

second, color cast in the reference image. the lighting has huge impact on how things appear, so you'd need to be positive the white balance was spot on.

third, the paint on the armor isn't just a simple coat of green... there is all the weathering layered on top of that. so scanning it would potentially get you something the exact color of the weathered armor, which would then be darker when you weather it.
 
Nathan, awesome link; thanks. Here's the stupid question: is it brush on or can you order it in rattle can from Testors? Or if it comes in a bottle can a store close to me then put it in a rattle can? Thanks for helping the noobs. :) And thanks Sachiel for bringing this up!
 
I wonder why using Testor paint which is enamel base ?
Enamel base smells terrible and slow dry.

Isn't it better to use acrylic base instead ?
 
Nathan, awesome link; thanks. Here's the stupid question: is it brush on or can you order it in rattle can from Testors? Or if it comes in a bottle can a store close to me then put it in a rattle can? Thanks for helping the noobs. :) And thanks Sachiel for bringing this up!

It comes in small bottles that you use with an airbrush
I strongly suggest that anyone wanting to paint any Boba costume pieces should pick up an airbrush and give it a go.


I wonder why using Testor paint which is enamel base ?
Enamel base smells terrible and slow dry.

Isn't it better to use acrylic base instead ?
That is acrylic.
 
It comes in small bottles that you use with an airbrush
I strongly suggest that anyone wanting to paint any Boba costume pieces should pick up an airbrush and give it a go.
OK; could you suggest a decent, maybe middle-of-the-road brand of airbrush and where to look please? I saw one at Michael's not long ago but have no idea about brands and prices.
And I assume you can order all the colors you need for your ROTJ armor ( and JP too) from the Testors site? That would be cool.
Sorry Sachiel if this amounts to hijacking of your thread... this is all such good info...
 
I think you can get everything you need colorwise from Testors
I get most there, but my local hobby store carries Floquil, Polly-S, Pactra, Tamiya, and Testors so i do get some there.

IMHO, you really get what you pay for with Airbrushes.I'm not suggesting you break the bank when buying an airbrush (especially if you are only painting your own armor) but if you've spent 2 grand on actual Costume parts, why skimp on the paintjob that will ultimately make or break the costume.
You can start with the highest quality, most accurate armor there is, but if you paint it with the wrong colors or even do a sloppy job with the right colors, it will show and you won't be happy with it.

But that's just me.

I use the Paasche VL Dual-action and I am quite pleased with it.

Here's a thread that talks very briefly about airbrush choices
http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/show...nd-need-to-find-an-airbrush?highlight=paasche

and an extension of that thread
http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/showthread.php/35789-Bought-an-air-brush?highlight=airbrush
 
Did I mention that the hobby shop I went to didn't even have US Med Green? The clerk couldn't even find it on his order sheet. Going to do an order directly from the website like Nathan suggested. Does anyone know the "Testors" colors for the knees and shoulder bells. Might as well do a big order all at once you know. Also, how many 1/2oz bottles do I generally need to paint all of the green on my armor, any estimates?
 
Be careful with the "medium greens." Testors medium green is not the same as Floquil/Polly Scale US medium green. I found that out when I first started gathering colors for my armor a few years ago.
If you go to hobbylinc.com, they also have a great selection of Floquil/Polly Scale colors. The Polly Scale colors are just acrylic versions of the Floquils.
I think the last time I did a set of armor, I used 3 to 4 1/2 oz. bottles of the US Med Grn.
For the knees and shoulders, the color is called Reefer Yellow. Of course, that depends on whether you're doing ESB or ROTJ. One of the ESB shoulders is a different color. The Floquil color a lot of folks use for the lighter yellow scratches on the knees and shoulders is called ATSF Catwhisker Yellow.
 
I use the Paasche VL Dual-action and I am quite pleased with it.

Represent! *high-fves* :D I have one of those. It's wonderful. I have an older Testors single-action that I use for primer and large-coverage layers, but my Paasche is what I break out for anything involving finesse. :)

As for the paints, here's the thing -- Testors now owns the Floquil and PollyScale brands. They are all available on the Testors web site, and a search for each colour you're looking for will yield the right paint -- provided you type in the right name. "US Med Green" will get a hit on the PollyScale military colour, which is right, as well as the Testors "Medium Green", which is wrong. The clerk might not have been able to findit because it isn't an actual Testors-brand colour.

There are two colours for the shoulders and knees, both Floquil/PollyScale model railroad colours. ATSF Catwhisker Yellow and UP Armor Yellow. The former for the main colour and the latter to bring out the dents and recesses. These over a primer layer of (yellow) zinc chromate. Testors makes this colour, but I have a spray can of the actual aviation metal primer that is the primer coat for all of my neck-down armour.

Links:
US Med Green
ATSF Catwhisker Yellow
UP Amor Yellow
Zinc Chromate Primer

This help a bit? :)

--Jonah
 
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