The Little World

And unfortunately, it’s not grey, either. At least not the grey it was a minute ago.

If the colour call-out sheet calls for grey, start sweating early. It will sometimes specify which grey it wants, but just when you think you’re safe, you’ll discover that it specifies it by:

a. A paint maker’s paint number.

b. A generic name.

c. A specific name.

d. An airplane maker’s number.

e. An airplane maker’s name.

f. A governmental agency number.

None of these clues need match. And if you add the box art into the mixture, you will eventually decide to paint the damn thing olive drab and have done with it. This is actually a viable option for some people and I can see their point of view perfectly.

Now that the first bout of fever has passed, let me tell you about my day in the Little Workshop. I had come to the point of a build – a small USMC attack helicopter – that needed the framing on the canopy painted. The main model had gone well, with a two-tone grey finish and very light decal markings. One of the lo-visibility schemes.

I looked in the build box and was annoyed to discover that I’d put the paint pots back on the rack some time ago – I needed to look them out again for the canopy. But which grey? I have 8 greys sitting there in Mr Color pots. NONE of them seemed the ones I’d used before…

Did I lose the right paint? Is it safely on a shelf somewhere? Am I ready for the asylum yet? Does the paint dry different than it looks in the pots? Or look different in new light?

The only solution turned out to be actual swatches on standard paper. I painted them, left them to cure overnight, and looked in the cold light of morning…The build can proceed.

Moral of this story is to keep the build’s paints with the kit until it is entirely finished.