Peter Hawkins has produced a really useful comparison chart of many popular model paint brands. Included is a downloadable .xls file.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Peter , this is a super addition to the site which will aid many modellers !

Sweet - thanks for the research!

Hi,
Firstly thanks to Rowan for posting/hosting the charts.
I can't say that I have regular updates but I have been working to improve it and have subsequently added more Tamiya mixes as well as the beginning of Gunze and Lifecolour suggestions too (although not updated on my site yet).
I will announce any updates here when they are uploaded.
Also just to point out that there is a small clickable icon of the RLM colour comparison chart (shows paint chips of Tamiya, Humbrol, JPS and ModelMaster) that may be missed on the right of the page in the above link in addition to the larger spreadsheet of German, Italian, French, RAF and US colour suggestions.

I have been sitting here for 45 minutes trying to pick the right color for a Tamiya V-1 buzz bomb,trying to convert from recccomended tamiya paints to model master acryl then I run across your post very useful...thanks so much.

I don`t know how humbrol 30 is being today (like in this chart, and rlm.at for example)
used as a match for RLM 71 .I`ts a fair match .
Instead, Humbrol 91 is the better match for RLM 70 (White Ensign not included)

Reference: Luftwaffe Official Color Chart

Hi Vikmek.
Yes, if you look closly you will see that Humbrol 91 is a good match for RLM70 and that the very Green colour under it (also supposedly a match for RLM70) is from the Humbrol Colour System book as it's suggestion!
Humbrol 30 is supposed to match RLM71 and is too Green and 'bright', it would be much closer to RLM61!!

Updated the spreadshhet as of 18/12/09 with some more Tamiya suggestions and some for weathering too.

Your sheet is fantastic!

If you now only could add the Vallejo Model Air colors that would be terrific!

Thanks!

Dave

Hi all,
Both the excel spreadsheet and the RLM colour comparison chart are updated on my website as of today.
See;
http://www.petersplanes.com/links.htm

Dave,
I have bought the Vallejo colours for the RLM matches as they suggest in their brochure and will update the chart (again) in the coming weeks.

regards
Peter

Wish I had found this a couple of weeks ago, before I got my Hurricane wrong

Peter,

Cool chart - i am also missing the RLM vallejo air matches. I am missing 82 and 83 - i believe that they are Vallejo 22 and 12 (13?) respectively?

Where do you get the vallejo conversion chart from - is it on their website?

Cheers.

Alastair

Alastair,
hi.
I have yet to paint the Vallejo paints out onto to chart, but will do so this weekend as i am then on holidays and will have some spare time!
Then it will be uploaded on my website and anounced here.

Thank you.
Veru usefull !

Awaiting major update to be uploaded.

HI.
Please note that the RLM comparison chart(s) have been updated with 10 different hobby paints that their makers claim match the Luftwaffe's RLM WW2 colours as of 22 May 2011.
It has expanded from the previous single A4 sheet to now two sheets.
Please re-download them for the latest.

regards

Hi all.
Please note that my chart is now included in a new iPhone app from a company called id6 by the name of "iModelKit".
It has a LOT of hobby paints and cross comparisons as well as a facility to pick a colour using the inbuilt camera/stored colours/ or from the internet and then mix 2 or 3 hobby paints to try to match it!
also has a list of plastic rods, tubes and conversions etc.
look for it in the apple apps store or search the web for id6 or imodelkit.

Hi.
These sheets have been updated (15/5/12) with the addition of some Mr.Hobby (Gunze) colours. I just have to get the time and money to buy the rest and add them!
See my website for the latest version here: http://www.petersplanes.com/links.htm

Any chance of adding RLM 05?

+1!!

Any chance at all of matching the cell backgrounds in the spreadsheet to the chips on the jpegs? This would (in my opinion) be the icing on the cake that is your hard work here

hi Matt.
I'm sorry but I am not quite sure what you mean?
Do you mean to say having the actual paint chip as the background (rather than just the white card) with the hobby paint superimposed on top, so that you see a border of the paint chip colour showing around each of the hobby colours?

peter

That's what I meant, yep Since the colours on the chip are being rendered to an RGB value on the screen anyway, you can just grab the colour value (i'd probably go with a median of 3 due to jpeg artefacts) and change the cell value to match

Matt,
I have done as you suggested and requested Merlin to upload them in addition to the two current ones.

peter