Paints for WWII airplanes

[trainman]

Just starting out in the hobby and need some information about paints. Is there a company who makes paints specifically for aviation modeling?
Pierre

 

[FW190A-8]

Hi Pierre,
WOW....That's a big question. The short answer is Yes. All the usual companies like Tamiya, Gunze, Humbrol, LifeColor etc all make paints that match aircraft colors. They each have a good range and you can choose your colors in either either Acrylic or Enamel. You will get many different opinions here about the pros and cons of each brand so in the end it comes down to what is available to you and which you feel comfortable with.
I like to use Gunze Sangyo Acrylics through my airbrush and I can get practically any WWII color I need. They make a great range so you don't need to mix up colors. Nothing against the other brands though. Gunze just works for me and Tamiya also sprays well.
I guess you should go down to your nearest Hobby Shop and check out the range.
cheers,
FW190

 

[Junkie]

And don't forget Vallejo either.

 

[JMac]

As a side note, the Vallejo website has this really great *.PDF that cross referances most major paint brands. I found it very helpful for finding equivencies for German WW2 RLM colours.

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/pdf_web/CC073_rev03.pdf

 

[the Baron]

I use Tamiya's model aircraft paints in rattle cans for my base colors, eg, on an F4F, I'll use the medium blue and medium gray colors for the upper and lower exterior surfaces, then use whatever paints I have for other details. Their aircraft color series is "AS", and this the URL for the catalog page at Tamiya USA's website:

http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/category.php?sub-id=61800

I order them online now, because it takes my LHS too long to get them. Not a knock on them, I buy other things, but since they go through a distributor, instead of buying direct from Tamiya, it adds around 4 weeks to the turnaround time. Whereas, when I indulge in the short-attention-span-I-want-it-now attitude of our modern world, and order online, Tamiya USA has the package out to me in a couple of days.

Seriously, it did become an issue when I was working on a build for a deadline, and just couldn't wait. but I digress.

I find that the colors cover pretty well, and they're close enough for me, especially once I get started weathering.

 

[RocketSilo]

I stayed from the norm because I have so many bottles of createx already.
I mix colors to match such as the RLM charts...
they thin nice and spray very well, but ofcourse the mixing will put alot of people off.
I actually enjoy mixing my own colors, but it takes some trial and error , it's easy to go too far and scrap a color.

The plus side for me is I can go to any local craft store and pick up any colors or mediums I need..and they are much cheaper than the aircraft specific paints.

I took some pics yesterday of mixing colors and using mediums, that I will probably post in my seahawk build.

If I were just starting out purchasing a set of paints, I would probably buy the aircraft specific paints.

 

[trainman]

Thank you all for the good advice… will check-out my local hobby shop.
Pierre