Paint General Question

Hmm...Ive got an issue with some of the hobby shops in my area. While they do carry a large selection of paint, their selection of WWII German colors is VERY limited. I can find the correct colors for Armor, but when it comes to the Aircraft colors of WWII, they just dont have what I need. Ive talked to the people that work the shop and even though they are in a MAJOR aircraft production area they dont have a lot of call for WWII aircraft paints in particular the German colors. I also dont do mail order. I REALLY REALLY dont like doing mail order. So Im stuck.

Im curious, does anyone else deal with an issue like this and if so, how do you get around it? Ive THOUGHT of substituting colors, but then the model isnt period correct and Im big on if you do it, do it right. Currently with my finances tight, my model work has definatly hit a major slowdown. While Im not currently building, I do have a couple of aircraft that needs finishing. Meaning I need to paint them. Ive got a LOT of paint, just not the all exact colors needed.

Which shops in Seattle are you checking? (I used to live there.) Have you been to Skyway Models?

12615 Renton Ave S
Seattle, WA 98178
(206) 772-1211

I would check out their store and if they don't have what you need, ask them if they can order it for you. If they won't (which would surprise me) try another hobby store, but the folks at Skyway have been really helpful in the past.

HobbyTown might be another place to try and there are several in the Seattle area. The folks at the Hobby Town I used to shop at in Dallas were very good about ordering stuff like paints, kits, decals, PE etc. for me.

I would bet that you could find a hobby store that would put in a special order for you if you made it large enough. And a REALLY good hobby store would do it for even a relatively small order.

What type (arcylic or enamel) and brand of paint are you looking for?

Why the issue with Mail Order? Just curious as I've had almost no trouble with mail order in the past.

You can also try mixing paints taht your shop carries, The table in this thread http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/painting-questions-tutorials-guidebooks/paint-conversion-chart-16498.html has RLM colour equivalents.

Yep, sounds like mixing your own is probably the answer. I can't remember when I last bought a specific WW2 Luftwaffe colour, as I nearly always mix my own according to requirements. This is mainly due to the same reasons as you - the 'real' colours are not available locally, not in enamels anyway, and most mail order houses have a minimum order quantity for paints (in the UK), which you always seem to need 'now', not wait a week for delivery!
Also, by mixing your own colours, you can get the colour/tone/shade to match the particular aircraft being modelled. Too many people get hung up on having the 'exact shade', which is nonsense, as there are too many variables to provide a modelling paint which is exactly right for every aircraft, in every scale, in all weather conditions and ages!

kgambit said:

Which shops in Seattle are you checking? (I used to live there.) Have you been to Skyway Models?

12615 Renton Ave S
Seattle, WA 98178
(206) 772-1211

HobbyTown might be another place to try and there are several in the Seattle area. The folks at the Hobby Town I used to shop at in Dallas were very good about ordering stuff like paints, kits, decals, PE etc. for me.

I would bet that you could find a hobby store that would put in a special order for you if you made it large enough. And a REALLY good hobby store would do it for even a relatively small order.

Why the issue with Mail Order? Just curious as I've had almost no trouble with mail order in the past.

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American Hobbies in Lake City is where I goto the most often as they have the specific armor models on my to do list in the correct scale, and they have them in quantity. Doing the same model multiple times, but changing the paints used depending on the theatre the armor was used in sometimes means needing certain kits fairly frequently. I also goto a small place in the U-District called Jacks. Its not hobbies per say, he deals more with the RPG crowd but does some business with the model builders. Renton Ave S....Id say thats South Seattle....Im from Virginia and have only been here in Seattle a few years so Im still trying to figure out where everything is. I will definatly have to take a look at Skyway. I appreciate the heads up on that one.

My issues with mail order is two things. First is mailing lists. Once on them, it takes years to get off them. I hate junk mail. Any company that says they dont give your name address out, well I havent found one yet. Sooner or later they will sell their mail lists. Then Im swamped with "special offers". While its better than the viagra junkmail that email spams you with, its still annoying. The other reason I dont like mail order is when its delivered by USPS, UPS, FedEx, or any of the other shippers, packages are just left on your front porch for hours if no ones home when it arrives. Ive lost a half dozen packages this way. Havent caught the crook yet, and I dont really want to give him/her another chance either.

Hopping it can come in handy.....

Wurger said:

Hopping it can come in handy.....

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Thank ya for the listing there. Ive never seen a listing quite like that and it does make it a bit easier in knowing what to ask for at various places.

You'r welcome. Here you are another list with Federal Standard numbers.Of course these colour samples are approximate shades of Luftwaffe WW2 paints only.But the FS numbers are very helpful as well when looking for a paint.