painting a locomotive...

[Guilford Guy9887]

i just got an airbrush and i want to start painting my locos in the guilford paint scheme. should i use Acrylics or Enamels. i think its Enamels but i cant find guilford grey Enamels

 

[diburning]

Coming from a Guilford/Pan Am modeler, no one makes a decent Guilford Gray that is remotely close to the correct shade. You'll have to mix your own.

 

[Laidoffsick]

Since you are new to airbrushing, and have to mix a custom color... I would suggest staying away from water based paints. You will have nothing but frustration learning to use your airbrush if you go straight to acrylics. Use can use laquer thinner or just plain ole paint thinner with most enamels, and you won't have issues with the tip clogging from the water based stuff.

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

ok,next question is there a certain way to mix paint. also whats the closest blue to the pam am blue

 

[Laidoffsick]

trial and error buddy Get a cpl colors that are close and mix a dab on some cardboard or something or paint on with a brush and let dry. Once you get the color you want, thinning will not change the tint. Use the pipettes so you can keep track of the drops... ie: 3drops of light blue, 1 drop of dark blue etc etc

On another note, if you plan on weathering the loco at all, getting an exact match of the tint is not that critical as you will change it a bit anyway with the weathering.

 

[wheeler1963]

Polly Scale makes a water based Acrylic Guilford Gray #F414372. I've got 2 bottles here that I just found at my LHS in their new paints section.

 

[diburning]

Polly Scale Guilford Grey is too light. I'd mix it with some engine black to get it to the right tone.

 

[tomustang]

You will have nothing but frustration learning to use your airbrush if you go straight to acrylics.

I find it a lot easier using acrylics with an air brush, most paints don't even need a mixture.

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

Polly Scale Guilford Grey is too light. I'd mix it with some engine black to get it to the right tone.

i have to agree. when i looked at it on there website it looked really light. i also think the athearn rtr in guilford paint are way off . the track is 50 feet from my door and i see these locomotives every day .the only reason they look slightly grey is the effects of weather

 

[wheeler1963]

Polly Scale Guilford Grey is too light. I'd mix it with some engine black to get it to the right tone.

Really, too light?? There's a prototype for everything, notice the color on the 3rd unit.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=316060&nseq=2

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

i would say thats northern new england weather reeking havoc on the paint. this is what the color should look like
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=510842

 

[wheeler1963]

Yep, just goes to show that no shade is either correct or incorrect unless your going for that just painted out of the shop look. But even then there are examples of RR's having different shades of paint from shop to shop. UP would be the most famous of those having different shades of yellow.

 

[diburning]

1. check the lighting conditions in that photo
2. compare the shades (Polly Scale is still off even for that third unit)
3. Do you really only want to model 309?

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

not to get off subject, diburning, you said you model the same area as i do. do you custom paint your locomotives. also if you wouldn't mind do you have any pics or a website where i could see your locomotives?

 

[diburning]

I don't custom paint my locomotives, I pay someone to do it for me

 

[Guilford Guy9887]

any pics?????????