RLM colours model paints discussion.

[Airframes]

Recently, I've mentioned the various 'shades' of RLM 02, both as seen on real aircraft, and as available from various model paints manufacturers.
I thought I'd open a discussion here (or is it a can of worms ?!), as I still believe that most model paints in RLM 02 are not the correct shade, although I'm sure that many will disagree !
I base this opinion on what can be seen in WW2 photos, both B&W and genuine colour pics (not modern, colourised reproductions), and also on the old tin of Humbrol paint, from their original 'Authentic Colour' line from over thirty years ago, which I have retained specifically for use when mixing RLM 02, matching the mix to the shades seen on the tin lid (and on the remaining dried paint inside the tin).
This paint exactly matched a sample I used to have, which was a small piece of alloy from a Bf109, showing the RLM 02 colour, in good condition, and also matched the colour chip in the old Monogram Luftwaffe colours publication.

This paint was used as a primer or internal finish, and was also an overall colour on pre-war aircraft, and on trainers/communications aircraft in the earlier stages of WW2, and was from the family of grey paints, although the actual shade was a greenish grey, similar too, but lighter than, the 'field grey' of the German Army uniform of the early to mid war period.
Look at B&W photos of, for example, a Bf109E or Bf110 from 1940, and it will be seen that the interior colour (supposedly RLM 02) often looks somewhat lighter than the external camouflage areas painted in RLM 02, which opens another debate, as this apparent lighter shade might be a mid grey colour, as seen on parts of the interior of the He-111 at Gardermoen, preserved in original colours, and in the cockpit of at least one preserved Bf109E.
But whatever that shade may be, my main point is regarding the actual hue of available model paints purporting to be RLM 02, which seem to have shifted to a lighter shade, and often exhibit a sandy brownish tone in certain lighting conditions, regardless of manufacturer.
Now I do understand that there can be, and certainly are, variations in shades of the same colour, between manufacturers, and even within a batch from the same manufacturer, as shown in the pic below, with examples of RLM 71 alongside RLM 70.
But what I can't quite get to grips with, is how the 'current' shade of RLM 02 has become much lighter than ever seen before.
The pics below tell the story, and I'd be interested to hear / see comments on this.


PIC 1. At left is the 'new' Humbrol version of RLM 02, with their original, 30+ years old RLM 02 in the center, and at right Humbrol No.31 Slate Grey. Photo taken in natural light.
As the original Humbrol paint was the actual colour, for 'scale effect' I used to lighten it slightly, the ratio depending on the scale pf the model. Until yesterday, I've been using the Slate Grey, again adjusted for hue /shade depending on use.
PIC 2. This is a reproduction of an original colour pic of a JG26 Bf109E, most probably taken on Agfa colour stock. The Agfa colour emulsions used colour dyes and couplers which exhibited a 'warmer' tone, compared to, for example, Kodak Kodachrome or Ekatchrome film emulsions, and would emphasise any 'warm' colours, such as reds and browns. Allowing for the original exposure and developing, and subsequent reproduction, it is a reasonably accurate rendition, judging by the tones and colours in the background etc.
The center area of the spine of this aircraft is finished in RLM 02, with RLM 71 either side of this, although the bright light has 'diluted' the shades somewhat. However, the aircraft in the background is finished overall in RLM 02, and gives a better impression of the actual colour.
Compare this colour to the shades above - it's closer to, if somewhat lighter due to the area shown, the original Humbrol RLM 02, and not that far removed from the Slate Grey, if the latter is lightened accordingly.
PICS 3 and 4. Just to show the variations in available RLM colours, with examples from Xtracolor (gloss enamel paint), and the new Humbrol RLM 71 (matt enamel).
Note the difference in shade between the two, new Humbrol paints, from the same batch.
The Xtracolor RLM 70, at bottom left, looks fairly close to the Humbrol RLM 71, and compare this to the Xtracolor RLM 71 at bottom right.

I look forward to seeing the reaction to this !

 

[snapdragon]

You have to very careful when comparing and matching colours from original black and white, colour and colourised photos. Colour film in WWII was quite rare and notorious for having either a blue or yellow cast depending on manufacturers on both sides of the lines. This will affect the colours in the picture and you will never get the correct hue. The same goes for black and white photos but for a different reason. They are really grayscale pictures and despite what armchair colour generals say impossible to get correct original colours.

Even matching to an original bit of a painted aircraft is not really a good thing to do. It has had 70 years of handling, exposure to light, oxidisation etc which will affect the hue of the paint. While it may be original paint etc, the colour has changed from when it was fresh from the factory and paint gun.

To get the correct hue and shade you have to go and sit in the archives in Germany and be prepared to go through hundreds of documents, letters and original paint chip sample cards that were issued to paint manufacturers and Luftwaffe units.

This is the kind of research that can either bore you stupid or and can be extremely interesting and informative and also throws a surprise your way.

During my research on colours for Luftwaffe aircraft and Wehrmacht forces I was able to find complete chipset books, letters, minutes of meetings and all sorts including pigment lists that were to be used to produce the colours. This is a goldmine. I was also able to dig up a list of manufacturers of the paint of which more than one survives and one even supplies the German military today!

As a model builder of many years, even test building for a few companies I am always wanting the original shades. I don't want scale correct colours as these pollute the paint colours and quickly become "original shades" which, when compared to original chipsets stand out as being incorrect. This is why you will not see any MIG or AK (apart from their Xtreme metal range) on my bench as their range are scale correct paints.

When I come up with paint information I send it to Vallejo who do not subscribe to scale correct thinking and so their Luftwaffe paints are totally accurate to OKW chipsets and formulas. They are acrylic water based paints and so are nicer to the environment, your airbrush and easier to clean up and are really nice to use.

I am not on my PC at the moment, but I shall upload a photo of my build of Zoukei Muras' Ta 152 using Vallejo's Chipset accurate paints.

As an informative extra, OKW (Geman High Command) sent all paint manufacturers a letter in December 1944 congratulating them on keeping a 98% accuracy of colours despite supply disruption, bombings etc. The 2% colour variance is not noticeable to the human eye!

Use photos for markings and colour patterns, not for matching shades and hues. Take a look through the Archives in Freiburg.... There's some interesting stuff!

 

[stona]

Very brave to assume the aircraft in the background is in RLM 02.
There are one or two other possibilities, which might be narrowed down a bit with an accurate date (of manufacture, not the photograph).
Just saying
My favourite RLM 02 is the Sovereign Hobbies enamel, but that is not based on a rigorous scientific analysis!
Cheers
Steve

 

[Airframes]

Thanks very much for the response, Snapdragon and Steve.

I do realise the possible pitfalls of comparing paint colours to photographic reproductions, even first generation original prints or transparencies, as I was once, for my sins, a technical specialist with a rather large photographic manufacturer, before going on to be a technical rep, in the graphics arts market, with the same company, where 'top end' reproduction most often required colour representation.to be as accurate as possible.
The colour pic I posted is an actual original, not a colourised monochrome print, although of course, it is certain to be a copy of a copy and then reproduced as a colour separation on a printed page. As stated previously, it is most likely from Agfa colour stock, and the properties of these emulsions are familiar to me, along with allowances that need to be made for reproduction, exposure, etc etc., when viewing such an image.
Of course, it would be foolish to directly compare shades, hues and tones from such an image, to currently available model paints, and such reproductions should be considered as a guide only.
However, the point I was trying to make concerns the shade and hue of the RLM 02, even allowing for the lighting and possible / probable degradation of the shade due to the parameters mentioned above, when compared to the available model paints today.
The old Humbrol 'Authentic Colour' paint was, for many years, the 'accepted' shade for RLM 02, and other model paint manufacturers versions of RLM 02 were a very similar shade. As I mentioned, this was an almost perfect match to the colour chip in the Monogram guide, which I have always understood to have been matched to original RLM paint chips, and was, and possibly still is, considered as the 'bible' for Luftwaffe colours.
Even allowing for ageing and natural surface hue changes, the paint sample I used to have also matched extremely closely.
Neither of these two sources were anywhere near what now seems to be the accepted shade for RLM 02 as supplied by most of the major model paint manufacturers, although I freely admit I have not seen the Vallejo version in person, so can not comment on that particular paint. (I have used a couple of the Vallejo Luftwaffe colours, and agree they are a very good match, and easy to use etc, but I prefer the versatility of enamels).

I fully agree that it is better to have the actual colours provided as modelling paints, for the very reasons you state SD, and any adjustment for scale effect, if desired, can be undertaken by the individual.
I also realise that the images I posted of the various paint tins will appear differently on various monitors, and that the natural lighting may not give the full, true appearance, although the use of flash, with its 'blue' light, would certainly alter the tones and hues at the relatively short range the images were taken.
However, I do think there is enough contrast, between the three 'greys' shown, to illustrate my main point., which is that 'current' model paint versions of RLM 02 appear to be a lot lighter than what was 'traditionally accepted' as this colour, and it is this that I would welcome opinions on, particularly from you, SD, with your experience in researching the actual RLM shades.
If the current Humbrol enamel No.240 (which is virtually identical to those other model paints I have seen) is, in fact, a good match for the real RLM 02, as used as an exterior camouflage paint during WW2, then fair enough, I'll be happy to use it as supplied.

Many thanks again for the responses chaps.

 

[snapdragon]

Here, for your eyes in Zouki-Muras' Ta 152 H1 in 1/32 scale. It has been taken under fluorescent daylight light in my workroom

Also here is Zouki-muras' Do335 A12 again in 1/32 still under very slow construction. Vallejo's paints with some parts dry fitted metalwork by AK's Xtreme Metal range which IMHO beats Alclad hands down and doesn't melt your aircraft!!!!

This would have been finished by now but I messed up the front engine trying to use liquid gravity to provide the nose weight to make this huge model sit correctly. the space in the engine block isn't big enough for the volume needed by the liquid gravity system to provide the needed weight (60g +) so I am going with some sea fishing weights I have and am just waiting for a replacement sprue from Japan.

Although taken under artificial light you can see what original chipset colours provide to a model. Not everyone's monitors will show the same, also our own eyes and brains alter the colours slightly too in respect of distance, light levels and details perceived!!! These kits go together so well and look really good when done. Well worth their price and I look forwards to their forthcoming Japanese and Luftwaffe releases which should be later this year.

James

 

[Airframes]

Thanks James - looks very good. Did you filter or adjust the camera white balance to counteract the fluorescent light, or is the tube 'A1' daylight balanced ?
I'm guessing white balance was adjusted, judging by the colour rendition of the background.
I would welcome your opinion on my points in my last post, concerning the real shade of RLM 02.

 

[Crimea_River]

I think that snapdragon has captured the issue perfectly, apart from the plug for Vallejo.

To illustrate the issue of colour deterioration over time, I am encountering this dilemma with the British Cockpit Grey-Green on the Mosquito we are restoring. Years of exposure, dirt, and possible deterioration of the coating pigments have resulted in large variations in the original paints from what one would "expect" and indeed you could almost conclude that there could be several different paints used. I don't want to create a separate discussion on this particular issue but it does illustrate that even original artifacts change over time and can not be relied upon to represent the original colour.

The only way to be "sure" of what the colour applied to an aircraft is supposed to look like is to get an original paint chip that has not been damaged and exposed to light and to confirm via documentation that 1) the chip is an actual part of the original specification and 2) paint suppliers actually matched the colour.

When in doubt, I go back to Ullmann and Merrick who have done all the work to research the field and who have provided paint chips in their publications, though even there one can find variations because Ullmann's are printed chips, made glossy for durability and Merricks are "exact copies", whatever that means. Both works include variations of certain RLM colours. Ullmann has two versions of RLM 65 (1938 and 1941) and 3 variations of RLM 76. Merrick has the same. Note that neither one has variations of RLM 02 and that both are in reasonable agreement for appearance, allowing for the fact that Ullmann's is gloss and Merrick's is flat. I had intended to include of a picture of the two but decided not to because the colours on my monitor look very different than the chips and I didn't want to create a side debate on how well the pic represents the chips, which is beside the point but germane to the discussion of using photos as a source. Suffice to say that both Ullmann and Merrick's RLM 02s are similar, that there is only one version of 02, and that it leans toward a darker tone than I have often seen depicted by modellers, including me. Though subjective, I would also venture to say that the colour chips do not have the described "sandy brownish tone". I would further conclude that there would have been no specified variations in RLM 02 tones, though some variations would have naturally occurred through both slight batch inconsistencies and exposure to elements and normal wear and tear.

All this doesn't help to explain the large apparent variation in the RLM 02 and indeed other colours provided by model paint suppliers though it's easy to imagine that not all support their mix formulas with documented comparisons to established colour specs. It wouldn't be hard for me to imagine that some come up with colour formulas with a "that looks about right" approach that would be very subjective.

The bottom line is, use a standard that you believe to be reasonably accurate based on established facts and select a supplier that will give that to you or, as I do, mix your own.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Andy, and I agree about the degradation of paint samples over time, unless properly protected and stored.
From what you describe, it would seem that I may be on the right track concerning the current shade of RLM 02 model paints, with the original Humbrol being closer to the actual paint of the period.
I will, indeed, be going back to my preferred method, and mixing this shade to what I consider to be something at least fairly close to the original, when viewed on a model in a particular scale.

 

[mikewint]

Terry, et al, when you said can of worms you were dead on. There is NO way to get around several problems which are inherent to what you stated in your first post.
1. The Human eye is not a scientific quantifiable instrument, i.e., I don't have any way to know what it is that you are seeing.
2. The pictures that you have and are sending via the forum have little value as (a) the film contains dyes (that vary) that react to light (kind and intensity) and age of the film. Then there is the developing process and all the various chemicals, times, temperatures, paper used plus their ageing process. (b) Digital cameras, of course, bypass all this but bring their own unique problems, i.e., the kind and type of its image sensor chip, pixel count, and digital algorithm used to convert to numbers, plus the cameras settings and how they were biased.
3. If film was used all of the above problems occur when you digitize the pictures to send to the forum
4. Digital image is downloaded to the forum and possibly reduced or enlarged to the 800 X 600 format thus gaining or loosing pixels and possibly altering some digits.
5. Now that digitized picture arrives at someones computer monitor which will vary by brand, type, age, etc., and its algorithm for digital conversion.
6. The computer image is PERCEIVED by a human eye/brain and were back to all the #1 problems. We all could be looking at the same monitor and all agree/disagree and all be correct at the same time.
8. Color chips even if standardized at the time of manufacture are going to be affected by environmental factors especially that nasty, vicious, attacks everything, gas oxygen. Any actual WWII RLM chip unless protected/preserved will have aged and its color altered from what it was in 1939, 1940, ... So a spectrophotometer match can be made to the existing chip AS IT IS NOW.
9. Lets presuppose a pristine RLM 02 chip is found preserved in a sealed environmental chamber under Argon gas. Yes you have a match to what the RLM wanted 02 to be BUT...
10. The paint manufacturers enter the picture and we have all the problems involved the manufacturing process and the inevitable +/- tolerances batch to batch which get increasing worse as the war progresses.
11. Factory application also has its variations (which get worse as the war progresses) and is also subject to environmental factors.
12. As for your old model paints, all of the above apply. Even if never opened gasses enter and leave and chemicals break down and alter over time. Manufacturers alter their formulations over time as various pigments/solvents change in price. Is anyone at Humbrol/Vallejo/Testors/... going to jail if their 2016 RLM 02 is 30 angstroms different on the spectrophotometer than their 2017?
It is simply impossible to discuss/argue about color over the internet via photos

 

[Airframes]

Mike, having been professionally trained, over a long period, in the make up of film emulsions, and in colour evaluation and photo interpretation, I fully understand and agree with you.
However, my point is not the direct comparison of model paints with reproduced colour images, but the very large shift in the actual shade of model paints RLM 02 in recent years, compared to what it used to look like - which was closer to what can be seen in original colour images, even allowing for any of the effects you mention..
Even allowing for degradation of the paint on the tin lid (which doesn't look much different from when fist purchased, and has been stored in a cool, dry, dark environment since purchase, some 35+ years ago), or for changes to the original colour sample I used to have, or any original colour chips, the currently available RLM 02 paints are very much lighter in shade / hue.
As I mentioned in my last post, until I see actual proof that the current shades do match the original RLM 02, then I will continue to mix my own shade, in what I believe to be an approximation of what the colour looked like at the time, which will be closer to the original Humbrol paint shade which, in turn, was the same shade as the now defunct 'Compucolor' paint, which was matched directly to original RLM chips using computer spectography.

 

[mikewint]

I will continue to mix my own shade, in what I believe to be an approximation of what the colour looked like at the time

Terry I could not agree with you more and you stated it perfectly and are personally correct. Color perception ability like all human abilities vary from individual to individual and the human ability to perceive color variation is pretty amazing. The average ability is about 7,000,000 different colors/shades. My point is simply that as we are dealing with perception at this juncture and as such everyone is correct no matter what they say as it is their perception. Sending pictures in not proof as we are dealing with all of the issues posted above.

which doesn't look much different from when fist purchased, and has been stored in a cool, dry, dark environment since purchase, some 35+ years ago)

Ah yes memory...All things considered possibly/probably degradation has been minimal but nonetheless has occurred during 35 years. Enough to be significant???

match the original RLM 02

Knowing the lackadaisical attitude of many manufacturers even in the best of times, I wonder how many actual German WWII aircraft interiors matched those RLM chips or were they "close enough". And later in the war...
IMHO tis a fruitless quest....Now where did I put that Grail....

 

[snapdragon]

First let me deal with my photos.

My build room has a very large A1 daylight balanced tube and diffuser on the ceiling. The Ta 152 was photographed on my bench there. the Do335 was photographed on my smaller bench which is not in the same room and just has a normal bulb in on a moveable light which I generally use to paint small close up stuff with a brush.

I'm sorry if you feel I am plugging Vallejo, but they don't use scale correctness in their paints and while chipsets may indeed degrade and change in archives etc and paint on actual aircraft. What Vallejo got from me was a pigment and percentage list as recorded on OKW sample cards. This means that they can reproduce the colours accurately and then update them to moden safe paints.

Everyone is right in this discussion. nobody sees the exact same colour as everybody else as everyone has a different set of rods and cones in their eyes and humans can only see so many shades and hues.

This has a knock on effect for photos and everything. Computer monitors unless they are adjusted correctly don't show colours correctly..... it's a wonder we get anything right!

There would be slight variations from various manufacturers in hue but in general, according to the letter that was sent to the paint suppliers there was only a 2% variance from the original chipset/formula despite supply problems and failures and bombing disruptions. This really shows that the German paint industry did an excellent job right up to being overrun by allied forces.

I suppose that the school of "it if looks right..." has a really good point and we all paint our models with our own favourite manufacture's paints and there will be variances in hue and colour. Scale correct or not scale correct, as long as RLM 02 is a greenish grey then is has to be close!

I can, if you wish create some shade cards of the Vallejo RLM colours I have and post them. They won't likely be accurate on here, but it will give you ballpark colour!

You could get a bottle of the Vallejo Model air RLM02 and give it a try. Experimentation and a trip out of normal comfort zones is good once in a while and quite often a valuable learning experience.

James

 

[Airframes]

Mike, again I agree - I've lost count of the times I've stood next to (serving) military aircraft, supposedly the same colour, where a difference in shade can be noticed, particularly with older types of surface coatings in the 1970s. And again I agree - if it looks right (to most people) then it's good enough.

James, thanks for the confirmation - I could see that the second pic was taken in incandescent light, probably around 2,000 Kelvin or less, colour temp.
As with Mike, I agree with your views, and yes,I would very much like to see the Vallejo chip for RLM 02 - I have, or have seen, some of their other RLM colours.
I'll admit I am not keen on using acrylic paints, mainly for their fast drying, less resistance to abrasion, and not being as versatile in use as enamels, and next to useless for detail brush painting with an even, brush-mark free finish - although they can be a great asset when painting pictures (another of my hobbies, although I tend to use oils) - and I also find the opposite in clean-up, and health.
Most acrylics seem to 'plasticise' the channels of the airbrush, and are not, in my 50+ years of experience, as easy to clean out as thoroughly as enamels. Also, I find that, after spraying acrylics, I experience slight headaches, and some nasal dryness, sometimes blockage, which is something I've never experienced with enamels, believe it or not - but maybe I've become immune !
That said, of all of the (few) acrylics I've used for modelling, I really did like the Vallejo paints - they performed easily, with good coverage, and did not clog, or run, and clean-up was relatively straightforward, compared to the others I've used.
If I was forced to change to acrylics tomorrow, then it would be Vallejo that I would choose - and the way things are going in Europe, with some of the Health and Safety regulations, I might have to eventually !

 

[mikewint]

Terry, I was very surprised that acrylic caused you any kind/type of physical problems as they are the mildest in terms of solvents of all the paints. I spray them into a large box with no venting of any type. Now with a large model (like the Condor) I will wear a surgical mask to prevent inhaling the over-spray

Most acrylics seem to 'plasticise' the channels of the airbrush, and are not, in my 50+ years of experience, as easy to clean out as thoroughly as enamels.

Again a surprise as I find the airbrush very easy to clean though I do use a dedicated airbrush cleaning liquid. As to dried acrylics I've found a surprise in an antiseptic liquid called DETTOL which works wonders on dried acrylic. I also have used DENATURED ALCOHOL (ethyl alcohol with 5% methyl alcohol), household ammonia (outside only), and Windex with Ammonia and lastly lacquer thinner. Try the Dettol if you have it in the UK.
Lastly I too like the Vallejo line of paints. I started using them on the Maus and now have several bottles in my "collection" though I tend to stick mostly to Model Master acryl paints. And if MM says this is RLM 02 that's good enough for me

 

[fubar57]

Good stuff though I take a little issue with Vallejo. I just tried their version of RLM 75 and it was very dark grey, almost black and very close to their RLM74. I believe I had a problem with RLM colours for my Do.335 as well...no where near the colour The problem, as I understand was the early versions had some color issues, and for me there is no way of telling which version I'm buying, new or old. I think I also have bottles with 3 different numbering versions. I do like Vallejo for painting but without knowing which is which it gets costly. I live in a small town and just to get to the nearest hobby shop is $60 in fuel.

 

[Crimea_River]

Agree with you Geo. Though I've not used them I have seen some builds that used Vallejos purported to be RLM colours that looked very odd to me.

 

[snapdragon]

Vallejo have introduced a number of collections and their new versions of Luftwaffe paints have probably different numbers than the one you have, or it is the new version from the information I sent them with the formula list.

Here is RLM 74

Here's RLM 75

Readers will probably see different shades to what is actually in the bottle. Again this is due to the internet, graphics cards and monitors distorting the image. My original photograph was taken under my A1 daylight fluorescent light with defuser on a white background with a standard white plastic spoon(s) being sacrificed to the paint gods and covered to maximum paint depth.

The colours are quite close in shade and hue but when applied onto a model still distinct but this is a feature of mid-late Luftwaffe paints.

Here, to finish the 74/75/76 fighter scheme is RLM 76

I have Zoukei-muras' Ta 152 H0 in my stash and I was tempted to do an alternate timeline desert scheme on it, but maybe a 74/75/76 scheme would be better as then it would contrast with the above 81/82/83/84 I did, which wowed the ZM guys at Telford last year.

I do try and take photos of my builds etc under natural daylight conditions, or as close as possible. However, living in Gods Own Country (Yorkshire) sometimes makes this quite perilous, quite often not pleasant and very often "I am NOT going out there!"

However the Cycle race, Tour De Yorkshire is in May and we have sacrificed some Ferrets and a couple of pigeons, chased a whippet, prayed to the great Yorkshire Pud and danced naked around a vat of Real Ale before drinking it (case comes up next Wednesday)!!

We should have some good weather by then!

Paint discussions are usually a can of worms and can make contributors vent steam out of their ears but there is quite often some interesting points and information let loose and is always a learning experience which is good for our hobby!

James

 

[Airframes]

Thanks very much for the contribution James.
I hope the Tour goes well - I just managed to escape from Hutton le Hole, via Pickering, en-route to my brother in Wetherby, as the Tour was starting a couple of years back. It was certainly well promoted, and looked well organised.

 

[snapdragon]

It is very well organised, the route varies from year to year to cause maximum discomfort and effort to and from the cyclists. It brings in lots of tourists who seem to bring in more year by year. Hotels, B&B's camping sites and anywhere with a spare room on or near the routes are more than booked up. Last year saw about 500,000 invade Yorkshire for the race and spent a lot of money and really enjoy Yorkshire's friendly welcome, good food, good beer and splendid views and history. We usually let out the luantics from some of the asylums and let them chase the cyclists for a bit and give them some exercise! The only real problem is the visitor who frightens the sheep or cattle up in the Dales to which you get a very annoyed farmer who yells out: "Stop doing that to the sheep.... I'll let the dog loose and call a copper!

If you want me to produce some chips on white card with Vallejo's paints then I can do so. Just say!

James

 

[Airframes]

Thanks again James.
I'll stick with the devil I know for now (enamels), but I can see the time coming when I'll probably have to change to acrylics.