Thank you for that reply, Geoff. I'm looking to build a Mk II from around the 1987 - 1990 period. I was still in high school at the time, and would occasionally be invited to visit 4 Squadron at Lanseria on family open days, so I got to see them fly many times and occasionally got to sit in them and pretend I was a fighter pilot. I still remember the sight so clearly of the wheels coming up the moment the aircraft lifted from the ground as they took off in streams of two or four.
As I understand it, Light Admiralty Grey would be appropriate for the undersides in that period?
Since my previous post, I can respond to myself for at least one colour: Mr Color C369 is labeled as BS381C/450 Dark Earth. Funny-enough, I have a bottle as it came with a WWII RAF Desert Camouflage paint set. BS381C was of course not used in WWII, but it seems the actual Dark Earth color is the same or very similar. Regardless, Mr Color has a colour that they "officially" describe as BS381C/450 in their range. Looking at the bottle, it does seem that this would work for an Impala, although I haven't tested it yet.
Many seem to recommend Humbrol 65, slightly lightened, for Light Admiralty Grey. Hu 65 is actually supposed to be RLM65, which is Mr Color C115. So, that colour with a bit of white may be a way to reproduce Light Admiralty Grey?
For the olive drab, it seems RAF WWII Dark Green (Mr Color C23) or their "Dark Green BS641" C361 could work.
So, possibilities so far: BS381C 298: Olive Drab - Hu 30 -> Mr Color C23 or C361? BS381C 697: Light Admiralty Grey - Hu 65 slightly lightened -> Mr Color C115 + white? BS381C 450: Dark Earth - Hu 29 -> Mr Color 369
As I said, I was just sort of hoping someone here had gone through the experimentation already. Otherwise - I have a few of these colours already and guess I may end up buying a few of the possible ones, spray some test pieces and go visit the SAAF museum (or the Saxon World museum) with the strips to see what gives me the best match.
Just a comment on what you said about Humbrol paint: I used that paint for many years - for brush painting as a kid and then later also for airbrushing after I got my first airbrush. I therefore still have a big collection of Humbrol paints. However, about 10 years or so ago, I started experimenting with the acrylic lacquers and lacquer paints, as I mentioned. I use Mr Color Leveling Thinner with these paints, and I personally definitely noticed a huge difference. The pigments are extremely fine and as I said, you can thin them down to an almost translucent colour while they still spray beautifully. The final finish is very smooth to the touch, unlike the Humbrol matt colours that tend to feel very rough. They also have the added advantage that you can apply oil washes directly to the finish, whereas with Humbrol you need a barrier such as Future or Tamiya X-22. I highly doubt I would ever go back to Humbrol, although I do occasionally use my existing collection for brush painting small details.
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