I finally received my first FW-190 and I'm now making sure I have all the paint needed for the kit. I wanted to get recommendations from this community on the right colors for the build (as this is my first attempt at building and painting an aircraft). I usually spray paint using Tamiya's acrylic line.

1. Interior (cockpit)
2. Bottom of the plane (fuselage and wing)
3. Wheel well
4. Engine compartment
5. Internal compartment holding the wing cannons

Thanks in advance!!

Hermann, I use Tamiya paint as well.....almost always. However, unless you want to spend alot of money on paint and experimenting with mixing colors, put the Tamiya paint away for this one. If you still want to stick with acrylic paints try Model Master acrylics. That is what I used on my Fw190. They aren't my favorite paints but they make the entire line of German RLM colors so you don't have to worry about mixing to get the right shade. The only hang up with them is that you can't use a standard thinner like Tamiya thinner. You have to use a custom mixture (easily done) which is distilled water, a few drops of alcohol, and a drop of dishwashing detergent. Mix up a whole jar and use it whenever you need it.
The only other readily available correct color paints I can buy near my home are Model Master enamels but due to the long drying time I tend to stay away from them.

Hope this helped
Hermon

Hi Hermann

Eduard is importer of Gunze in CZ thus they changed their practise to mention many colour manufacturers. I personally like the Gunze Aqueous line a lot. They hit the RLM colours pretty well (IMHO) and they are easy to use with the air brush.

If you want to stick with Tamiya have a look here:

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/stuff_eng_colorcharts_germany.htm

scroll down to ww2 ... (there is also a translation chart ... have a look around)

Cockpit: RLM 66
Wheel well: RLM 02 (+ all interior not exposed to enemy view)
Undersides RLM 76
Upper side RLM 74 (green)/ 75 (grey) (or what eduard says)

HTH

Cheers

Steffen

Hi there. Model Master acryl is a good recommendation, I've used them myself. Also I enjoy using the Polly Scale line of acrylic paints. Both varities airbrush well. Russell

Pollyscale is an EXCELLENT brand. Unfortunatly I can't get them around here anymore.

Hermon

Model Master acryl will work just fine. If you can't get Polly Scale and want it try mail ordering it from Squadron.com out of Texas. I think you will be satisfied with them. Russell

Thanks for all the replies ..The link that was provided will be very valuable. I tend to use Vallejo when I brush, but will use Tamyia with the AB (vallejo is too thick and causes too many headaches for me and not to mention that it's not readily available).

Hermon: How many bottles did you use? I might order some and was wondering the quantity needed to paint the FW-190 in 1:48.

Hermann, my 190 was 1/48 scale as well. I think the total colors called for were 5. As far as coverage, I have enough left over to do probably 10 or 12 more 1/48 scale planes.

Hermon

Just received my shipment of paints from MM acrylic (RLM 02, 71, 74, 75, and 76). I just have one question about the paint. The upper fuselage has a cammo pattern that requires rlm 75 (grey) and rlm 74 (green). After closer inspection, the rlm 74 provided by MM looks more greyish then green (its like a dark grey with a very slight tint of green). Is this right? or do I need to mix green with the rlm 74?

..sounds fine to me..

I have some colour pics of a Fw 190 wreck recovery in Normandy, France taken by the guys who worked on the dig - it was a JG 1 machine that was lost in 1944 and the pics show large areas of a wing panel. The colours once cleaned and polished are vivid - but grey (gray). However when cleaned with a wet cloth the 74 takes on a 'green' hue which quickly 'evaporates' back to grey. Difficult to explain and probably not worth scanning the pics in here either ...but I'd say those paints sound about right...

Thanks for your explantion. Thats why I like this site so much. The site is filled to the rim with invaluable information and talented folks that are always willing to assist and share knowledge.

Hermann,

....dug the pics out and a quick scan for you. The friend who took them says they are good representations of the colours he actually saw. Look at the dotted red - pretty vivid, after all these years. These pieces have just been wiped & cleaned after coming out of the ground. Re-reading his notes I see that he has written that there were very probably two 'types' of 74, a dark-grey tinted with 'blue' (Bf 109) and a dark-grey tinted with 'green' (Graugrün) more commonly seen on the Fw 190 as here.....personally I was surprised at just how 'green' these look. The mid-grey or Grauviolett (75) is fairly straight forward.. In the sun once dry, the 74 colours -whatever they are- quickly take on a much duller, 'greyer' appearance

Hii Neil and Hermann

Neil, when i saw your comment earlier today i did not have the time to answer, but in my book RLM74 definitely has a green hue. How much is a matter of how you see colours.

Bodenfunde are definitely not(!) suited to give you a final judgement. Due to the different mixtures that have been used over time and by different manufacturers these can alter pretty much when exposed to water, earth, sunlight and what else environment you can imagine.

In my opinion RLM74 is a hue pretty much as in your pic, but it also can have lighter shades due to flat surface and light diffusion (I suppose this is just washed?!)... OTOH .. the contrast between the two is pretty harsh, could be this is one of the earlier or later dark greens in the RLM line ... the RLM 75 also looks a bit light IMO.

Sooo, as I have written several times the colour is very much a matter of personal taste. How something looks depends much on many different circumstances and constraints that it can never be nailed down for all times. Choose a source that you trust (for RLM coulours e.g. Merrick or Ullmann which have colour charts in their books) .. then choose your paint manufacturer, that you think matches the colour best and then live with it. I sometimes use willingly different paint to avoid uniformity in my model collection ... always having in mind what environment could have changed the look (e.g. dusty airfields in Russia and N. Africa vs. winter time vs. rain and mud season ....)

Hermann if you are worried try that colour on a white piece of plastic card. I have often seen paint that has a totally different look in the bottle than on the model. Do not forget to stirr and shake the paint well ! ... parts of the mixture sometimes separate over time.

all the best

Steffen

..I hear what you are saying ..but I don't think the colours have altered as a result of being in the ground. The red areas still look pretty much like you would expect red to look......one thing about the grey I didn't mention ..it had an 'undercoat' of light blue which may have made it look lighter...

So can we agree to disagree on the effect the environment can have on colour/paint?

No tengo ganas to search the shovel to dig out the hatchet ..

all the best

Steffen

..yes of course, soil type & moisture content must have some effect, not to mention the depth the bits are buried at...