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Tamiya AS paint colours for f14


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Hi having some issues with tamiya AS paints. Im sure ive used on my last 2 tomcats AS-26 light ghost grey for undersides,AS-25 dark ghost grey for front under cockpit and tailplanes and AS-28 medium grey for topside. However ive part painted the topsides with what i was sure AS-28 and came to paint some other parts and the new cans of AS-28 are a different colour. 

 

1A5D66B2-ADC4-4A96-8918-BFC120CCB89D.jpe

 

 

Do these seem like the correct colours im using?? Ive also read elsewhere that TS-32 haze grey may be a good match for Medium grey.

 

 

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I'm actually in the process of some paint tests with Tamiya and other sprays to confirm whether/how accurately they may match FS595 or other standards.  I can't comment on any change or consistency issues with the AS series, but here are my notes on the colors you asked about (all notes are based on natural sunlight or daylight-balanced sources):

 

My understanding is that AS-28 Medium Gray is meant to match FS36270, commonly referred to as Neutral Gray.  This is not a standard Navy color, but is the lighter of the two grays on current Hill Gray II USAF F-16s (or the middle gray on the nose and tail in the 3-tone Hill Gray scheme).  Tamiya's spray appears to be a good match to the FS595 chip.

 

TS-32 Haze Gray seems to be matched to the WWII US Navy ship color by that name, which is a blue-gray color.  The modern version of "Haze Gray" reportedly matches FS36270, which is distinctly lighter and less blue than TS-32.

 

The darkest blue-gray color in Navy TPS schemes such as the Tomcat is actually Fs35237, which is technically a blue rather than a gray hue (36270 is fairly close match but lacks the blue hue).  After comparing TS-32 to the 352237 chip, I would call TS-32 an approximate match, as it appears darker and slightly more "pure" blue than 35237.

 

For the record, Tamiya's AS-25 seems to be a good match for FS36320 but in my test AS-26 was notably darker than 36375 (although it did seem to have an acceptable contrast in tone and hue from AS-25 for the two to work properly in a TPS or Compass Ghost scheme).

 

If you only have these two to choose from I would probably go with AS-28 since the TS-32 appears too blue and too dark against the Tamiya ghost grays.  I just picked up a can of AS-32 Medium Sea Gray (2), which is an RAF color but near 36270 that may have morre of a blue cast (i.e. closer to 35237).  Tamiya AS-7 is also in this family, representing WWII Neutral Gray (the underside color for most camouflaged USAAF fighters & bombers). Judging from the cap color it is a lighter and warmer gray, but I plan to test this also.

 

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I'm actually in the process of some paint tests with Tamiya and other sprays to confirm whether/how accurately they may match FS595 or other standards.  I can't comment on any change or consistency issues with the AS series, but here are my notes on the colors you asked about (all notes are based on natural sunlight or daylight-balanced sources):

 

My understanding is that AS-28 Medium Gray is meant to match FS36270, commonly referred to as Neutral Gray.  This is not a standard Navy color, but is the lighter of the two grays on current Hill Gray II USAF F-16s (or the middle gray on the nose and tail in the 3-tone Hill Gray scheme).  Tamiya's spray appears to be a good match to the FS595 chip.

 

TS-32 Haze Gray seems to be matched to the WWII US Navy ship color by that name, which is a blue-gray color.  The modern version of "Haze Gray" reportedly matches FS36270, which is distinctly lighter and less blue than TS-32.

 

The darkest blue-gray color in Navy TPS schemes such as the Tomcat is actually Fs35237, which is technically a blue rather than a gray hue (36270 is fairly close match but lacks the blue hue).  After comparing TS-32 to the 352237 chip, I would call TS-32 an approximate match, as it appears darker and slightly more "pure" blue than 35237.

 

For the record, Tamiya's AS-25 seems to be a good match for FS36320 but in my test AS-26 was notably darker than 36375 (although it did seem to have an acceptable contrast in tone and hue from AS-25 for the two to work properly in a TPS or Compass Ghost scheme).

 

If you only have these two to choose from I would probably go with AS-28 since the TS-32 appears too blue and too dark against the Tamiya ghost grays.  I just picked up a can of AS-32 Medium Sea Gray (2), which is an RAF color but near 36270 that may have morre of a blue cast (i.e. closer to 35237).  Tamiya AS-7 is also in this family, representing WWII Neutral Gray (the underside color for most camouflaged USAAF fighters & bombers). Judging from the cap color it is a lighter and warmer gray, but I plan to test this also.

 

Hi ive checked and AS-28 is Medium grey and there is another tamiya colour that is neutral grey so what you have said doesnt make sense.

 

 

 

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Hi ive checked and AS-28 is Medium grey and there is another tamiya colour that is neutral grey so what you have said doesnt make sense.

 

Not sure what doesn't make sense, I specifically mentioned AS-7 above, which is the "neutral gray" in Tamiya's line.  That color is meant to match the WWiI USAAF underside gray, which is similar to but not a precise match for FS36270.

 

Tamiya did not release an AS spray to specifically match 36270 until their 1/32 F-16s hit the market, specifically AS-28 (which they call "medium gray").

 

Unfortunately Tamiya has never labeled their paints by FS 595 match (which is only applicable for some colors anyway). Matching Tamiya's AS line to the appropriate FS colors takes some educated deduction based on the paint schemes/aircraft types Tamiya intended to match (e.g. releasing AS-27 Gunship Gray (2) and AS-28 for the F-16. Making better sense of this is one of the goals of the paint tests I mentioned are in progress.

 

Since there are officially* no names for FS colors, different paint manufacturers sometimes use the same name for very different colors.  For example, Tamiya's AS-28 "Medium Gray" is FS 36270, whereas "Medium Gray" in the Testors/Model Master line is FS35237 blue-gray.  The best way to match color for color is to find labeled FS matches whenever possible, and stay within a single paint line as much as you can.

 

*FS595 is basically a color matching standard that refers to each color by a 5-digit code rather than a name.  Some of these colors are modern versions of pre-FS595 standards that did have names (e.g. "Insignia Blue") while other colors that were first adopted under FS595 or its various updates have informal names that are commonly used in the hobbyist community (e.g. "Light Ghost Gray" is known as such because it was the lighter of two gray colors used in the F-15 Eagle scheme first developed as a result of Project Compass Ghost).  Many of the commonly used "names" refer to the labels used in the Model Master line, since it was the first paint line that attempted to consistently match FS595 colors.

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Not sure what doesn't make sense, I specifically mentioned AS-7 above, which is the "neutral gray" in Tamiya's line.  That color is meant to match the WWiI USAAF underside gray, which is similar to but not a precise match for FS36270.

 

Tamiya did not release an AS spray to specifically match 36270 until their 1/32 F-16s hit the market, specifically AS-28 (which they call "medium gray").

 

Unfortunately Tamiya has never labeled their paints by FS 595 match (which is only applicable for some colors anyway). Matching Tamiya's AS line to the appropriate FS colors takes some educated deduction based on the paint schemes/aircraft types Tamiya intended to match (e.g. releasing AS-27 Gunship Gray (2) and AS-28 for the F-16. Making better sense of this is one of the goals of the paint tests I mentioned are in progress.

 

Since there are officially* no names for FS colors, different paint manufacturers sometimes use the same name for very different colors.  For example, Tamiya's AS-28 "Medium Gray" is FS 36270, whereas "Medium Gray" in the Testors/Model Master line is FS35237 blue-gray.  The best way to match color for color is to find labeled FS matches whenever possible, and stay within a single paint line as much as you can.

 

*FS595 is basically a color matching standard that refers to each color by a 5-digit code rather than a name.  Some of these colors are modern versions of pre-FS595 standards that did have names (e.g. "Insignia Blue") while other colors that were first adopted under FS595 or its various updates have informal names that are commonly used in the hobbyist community (e.g. "Light Ghost Gray" is known as such because it was the lighter of two gray colors used in the F-15 Eagle scheme first developed as a result of Project Compass Ghost).  Many of the commonly used "names" refer to the labels used in the Model Master line, since it was the first paint line that attempted to consistently match FS595 colors.

 

Hi sorry this makes sense now just had me a little confused.  

 

Im still struggling with this as ive checked back at previous paint orders i made online and ive consistently ordered AS25 AS26 and AS28 as the colours. The fact that i sprayed most of the top half of my f14 and now cant get a colour match is bugging me and i was sure it was AS28 i used.

 

I tried ts32 but it is a darker colour than the one ive previously used on the model!

 

Does anyone else do a match in spray paints?? 

 

Im in the UK but can potentially order paints online if anyone else does a good match, but it must be spray paint as i havent got an airbrush.

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Hi sorry this makes sense now just had me a little confused.  

 

Im still struggling with this as ive checked back at previous paint orders i made online and ive consistently ordered AS25 AS26 and AS28 as the colours. The fact that i sprayed most of the top half of my f14 and now cant get a colour match is bugging me and i was sure it was AS28 i used.

 

I tried ts32 but it is a darker colour than the one ive previously used on the model!

 

Does anyone else do a match in spray paints?? 

 

Im in the UK but can potentially order paints online if anyone else does a good match, but it must be spray paint as i havent got an airbrush.

 

Ok, sounds like the color selections you're using should be good but the problem you're having is the same AS number paints not matching from one can to the next? I don't know how consistent Tamiya paints are, but this is the first time I've heard of a problem.

 

Is it possible you're comparing a fresh color coat to one that has had weathering or clear coat(s) applied? Even a matte clear layer over an already matte finish can change the appearance of the color (same for gloss, or a mix of the two).

 

Worth remembering that a *slight* variation in the "same" FS colors is actually realistic, since some variation occurs in reality (e.g. different paint batches, touch-ups over weathered paint, etc).

 

As far as alternative spray paints, unfortunately no other hobby paint I'm aware of matches to any of the TPS colors so even if there is some slight inconsistency within Tamiya's line it's the closest thing you can get without a custom paint order.

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Ok, sounds like the color selections you're using should be good but the problem you're having is the same AS number paints not matching from one can to the next? I don't know how consistent Tamiya paints are, but this is the first time I've heard of a problem.

 

Is it possible you're comparing a fresh color coat to one that has had weathering or clear coat(s) applied? Even a matte clear layer over an already matte finish can change the appearance of the color (same for gloss, or a mix of the two).

 

Worth remembering that a *slight* variation in the "same" FS colors is actually realistic, since some variation occurs in reality (e.g. different paint batches, touch-ups over weathered paint, etc).

 

As far as alternative spray paints, unfortunately no other hobby paint I'm aware of matches to any of the TPS colors so even if there is some slight inconsistency within Tamiya's line it's the closest thing you can get without a custom paint order.

Hi no i dont think its just inconsistency. Ts-32 is a lot darker than the colour ive used. Im still sure it was as-28  i used before having checked through my amazon orders from last year i ordered as25/26/28 not TS32 i gave ts32 a go but it doesnt seem correct.

 

I know there arent any other paints that match directly the FS but are there any othere that might be close to medium grey?

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I know there arent any other paints that match directly the FS but are there any othere that might be close to medium grey?

 

Closest potential matches that I know of are both from Tamiya - as mentioned above, AS-7 "Neutral Gray" is a WWII USAAF color, and AS-32 "Medium Sea Gray (2)" is a postwar RAF color. I haven't tested either to confirm, but AS-32 is probably the closest in Tamiya's line. Note that there is also an AS-11  "Medium Sea Gray" (no number suffix), but this represents the WWII RAF color, which is closer to FS36440 aka Light Gull Gray, so much too light for your need.

 

Since just about every paint line includes at least one gray color, you may want to browse your local craft and/or hardware (DIY, bot sure the UK term) stores for spray paints and do some test sprays to find the best match/substitute. Depending on the brand the control and pigment grain may not be as good as hobby paints, but I'm sure they'll be much cheaper than Tamiya's range.

Edited by Quixote74
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