It is come to our attention through forums, emails and searching the web that many military paint colors require mixing various colors to get to the end product needed for a particular color scheme. That is NOT the case with Tru-Color Paint. The ENTIRE military paint line from Tru-Color Paint is designed to get the modeler started to paint his or her model without the need to figure out what how do I mix 2 or more paints together to get the end product.

Thus if you need Fed. Std. 30257 Earth Yellow we have it, if it is Fed. Std. 33531 Desert Sand for Iraqi Freedom tanks, we have it. There is no need to fiddle with multiple colors to get what you need. By the middle of 2018 we will have a minimum of 26 AFV colors for U.S. Forces from WWII to present, over 60 colors for U.S. Navy colors from WWII to present and over 40 colors for U.S. Air Force for the same period.

This does not even take into account the ancillary products - matte muds, dusts, rusts for detailing which are in the TCP-400 series of paint products.

ALL of the TCP-1000, 1200 and 1400 series of military paints AND the TCP-400 series are ready to spray from the bottle with little or no thinning. Are you tired of formulating your own blends and missing the match ?

Let us know what you think about being able to purchase accurate ready to spray paint for your models.

Martin Cohen, PhD
Tru-Color Paint
P.O. Box 74524
Phoenix, AZ 85087-4524

714-488-9779

I think you should contact Jim Starkweather (this sites owner) and ask about the conditions for making publicity on this site. There is plenty of add space available.

Trying to raise your own sales by using a medium like aeroscale that also needs an income to prosper without contributing does seem a bit unfair to me.

But maybe I am jumping the gun and you are already doing that.

We already have a banner ad that appears every 12-14 cycles so we are supporting the website.

Since we are fairly new to the military paint market place we are trying to get as much coverage as possible telling people about what to expect from our products lines and informing them when new products are shipped.

Martin Cohen, PhD
Tru-Color Paint

So I was jumping the gun

On your product line:

Having a complete, durable, ready to spray range of paints definitively is important.

Even though some discussions on color correctness are a bit silly when bearing in mind the "in the field" creativity applied by tank crews for instance, a complete range is more than welcome.

For selecting a paint, the performance of the paint is one criterion, the documentation that comes with it is another, and it may be not less important.I see from your website in the train paint collection that you pay a lot of attention to color correctness for different periods, companies...

When you intend to have similar eye for detail in the aviation field then please do not limit yourself to your own private TCP numbering system (like many brands do).

In many kits, the instruction sheet indicates the use of a particular paint branch favored by the kit manufacturer. These sheets then instruct to spray something in e.g. "Humbrol 146".

The real object, of course was not painted in Humbrol 146, but in Federal standard 16473, with HU146 the closest match for FS16473 in the Humbrol range.

You mention yourself the Federal Standard range which to my knowledge is mainly United States and post WWII. Wherever possible please mention (and make searchable) at least also the FS number.

Those standards and aircraft painting schemes evolved over the years. Doing research,You may come accros information such as the "Europe1 scheme, or the TAC SEA scheme which are paint schemes used by a given number of aircraft types, period and theater.

Making that documentation available on your website may be very worthwhile. Then if someone would be able to match aftermarket decals with paint schemes then we would be one step closer to modellers heaven?

You probably know this site already ? http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/helpdesk.asp#color_charts

So, I hope the above is not entirely useless for you.

I hope this leads to some fruitful input from the rest of us too

Martin,
Perhaps you're the one to know there is no perfect color match, as every single vehicle has its own history (elements exposure). For fresh out-of-the-factory models, it may be a possibility but not for the operational vehicles / aircraft.
Personally, I favor monochromatic schemes (panzergrau above all) which I mix myself - not because I don't like the brand colors, but because I want each vehicle to be slightly different from the previous one. Same goes with olive drab, RLM 02 and so on.
I have used so many brands that I don't pay attention anymore. What interests me is: pigment load, mixing properties (shouldn't be a problem across the same brand same solvent but I had surprises) and thinning proprieties (the capacity to absorb thinner without un-bonding).

Cheers!
Gabriel

Tru-Color Paint stock numbers are for inventory purposes - both our needs and the distributor and hobby shop along with bar codes. If a color is matched to a Fed. Std. color, which would be for everything after 1955 when 595A was first set, then our description on the label has the FS # after our stock #. For example TCP-1200 is FS 26320 Dark Ghost Gray and this appears on the label and in our data base on the website. All modern aircraft (except F-22 and F-35 paints) have FS numbers.

If an ANA (Army-Navy Aeronautical ((Standard)) number existed then that is shown after the stock number. For example TCP-1231 is ANA 623 Deep Blue-Black used on WWII aircraft. We also have TCP-1232 ANA 606 the Semi-Matte version and TCP-1233 ANA 606 which is the full flat version of the same color.

U.S. Armor is in the same situation. All modern armor has FS numbers and we show those numbers listed after the stock #. Thus TCP-1404 is Fed. Std. 30118 Field Drab and is a MERDC color.

Our website shows all of the Ship, Plane and AFV (and uniforms) paint that is scheduled or released with stock numbers AND Fed. Std. #/ANA # if known.

Trust this covers the area about numbering.

As for the F-22 and F-35 paint there is no FS # as the paint has the "secret" radar absorption/dispersion additive that is not known. Thus our TCP-1214 is F-22 radar dispersion gray #1 and TCP-1215 is F-22 radar dispersion gray #2 and simulates the appearance of the paint on the F-22, with its "metallic" look as you change the angle when viewing. The same applies to the F-35 paint.

Looking forward to other comments and discussion of colors.

Martin Cohen, PhD
Tru-Color Paint