Sunday, April 30, 2017

917 K Gulf Oil: Paint, Part 2

OK, so I have been through this before, with the 908/03 and the 956 pickup truck. The Tamiya light blue (TS-23) is just too dark while the Testor's light blue (1208C) is pretty close to the classic Gulf Oil blue. You'd think I would have learned by now... The difference between paints is much greater than might be guessed from the difference in the colours of the caps.



The pale lime green that the kit is molded in is nowhere near the correct colour, see the air cleaner housing at bottom right in the photo below.



So the body went in for a respray and it will be a week or more before I can get back to the polishing that will be needed given the orange peel that came from using a dirty nozzle. (My excuse: there are no sources of Testor's paint within easy walking or public transit distance; the closest is a minimum 30 minute drive through the ongoing construction nightmare.) So here is the Tamiya paint in a picture from the last post:



Yes, yes, I should get an air brush and mix my own Gulf Oil blue. Here is the Testor's:



Meanwhile engine and chassis are progressing well and will be reported separately. Never a dull moment here at the Hobby Nook & Cranny.

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5 comments:

  1. Allen James, AJMay 2, 2017 at 9:49 AM

    Tom, I'm assuming that both of the body pics are of the same color. Just a white balance setting on your camera. What color (Testors) did you use. It looks pretty close, actually.
    Allen

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    1. Tom BrowneMay 2, 2017 at 12:04 PM

      Allen, a very good question. Actually the pictures are of the body painted two different colours, taken on two different days, but at the same bench with the same lighting and camera (an old Canon PowerShot). Agreed that the camera, or my use of it, doesn't always show colours as they are, and I would have to dig into the menus to see if it allows white balance adjustments. That being said, the caps on the cans (Tamiya TS-23 and Testor's 1208C) are very much closer than the actual paint. In the absence of an airbrush, the Testors, while still a bit dark, is much closer to the Gulf Oil blue.

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  2. CJ SchmitOctober 18, 2023 at 11:57 AM

    Hello, I'm trying to paint one of my 1:32nd scale 917s in the Gulf colors. I'm curious as to what orange you used? You steered me away from the Tamiya blue but now I'm curious on the orange as well. Thanks in advance

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    1. Tom BrowneOctober 18, 2023 at 12:03 PM

      A good question! I have learned from experience that the solvent in Tamiya paints is far more aggressive than the Testor's enamel, and if you put Tamiya over Testor's, it will bubble the Testor's and ruin the job. (The reverse, Testor's over Tamiya, is not a problem). So while I didn't write it out, I assume I used a Testor's orange, probably 1628 of which I happen to have a half-can lying around.

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    2. CJ SchmitOctober 18, 2023 at 12:10 PM

      Thank you for the information :-) much appreciated

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