Richard-353643

I have bought/kept tins of biscuits and chocolates from Christmas (after the biscuits/chocolates are eaten); one for paints and one for tools and glues and one for each unfinished model/sub-assemblies/sprues/decals/instructions. I use bubble wrap from deliveries to prevent rattling about inside the tin and breaking arials and propellor blades. The only thing that won't fit in a tin is my cutting mat. I find garden centres and home products centres often have a sideline somewhere in tins of various sizes to suit. I use tins without hinges for the lids so the lid doesn't get in the way sticking up and the lid can be used as a tray too.

If I had to make the choice then I would go on the basis of consistency so everything to the left of the dotted lines with question marks belongs to one version (mid-production) and everything to the right belongs to the other version (late-production).

If you go into the 'Shop' view of the Airfix website and drill down to the M10 Tank Destroyer model then scroll down from the picture on the box then you will see the two options in profile (side view). There is a clear difference in the centre bogie wheels but I struggle to see the difference in the drive and rear sprockets but aligning the sprue numbers might help. There's also a YouTube Wlakaround from Fort Benning that might help showing the tracks and bogies on a display tank.

Just came across this thread and the information links are the sort of thing I have been looking for to do some WWI aircraft. I have also dug out my modelling kit from the loft recently and found a box with Airfix squarish glass bottles along with Revell tinlet paints. Some of the Airfix ones still look alright after a stir. I've tried to 'rejuvenate' a dried up bottle with thinner and that seems to work as well. Turned out it was just a dried crust on top of the paint after giving it a strong poke with a long matchstick. I like the advice about if it looks good to you then it's alright. Just for a wheeze I'm thinking of getting a challenge box of 15no Sopwith Camels and doing them in colour schemes I would have wanted had I been there. Totally non-regulation!

Try putting the Winsor and Newton (or any other make) oil paint on absorbent material for a while and allow the linseed (carrier) oil to 'leak out' before adding the thinner to make the wash. Linseed oil increases the time to dry out so artists have time to rework it on a canvas (and affects the sheen/matt too) however this is probably not helpful for model painting. You need the wash to run into crevices and details, making use of surface tension effects. Then you can take a clean brush with some thinner added, take out the excess with absorbent material, so it is just damp with thinner then 'pull' the excess wash back off into the clean brush, where you don't want the wash on the model. Just a suggestion.

Excellent! Thanks very much. I am using Humbrol and Revell paints at the moment and I didn't realise there are so many didn't manufacturers, until I joined this forum. I started trial mixing with Olive Green 86, Khaki 26 and Black 33 and have come fairly close to the colour on the box, although printing colours must be a challenge as much paint manufacture and colours on screen. I did wonder if colours and camoflague changed during the war. It must be a minefield of detail for producers of WWII films if they want accuracy.

Thanks! Good enough for me. There's plenty of debate out there anyway.

Going to the PC10 colour; on other web sites (and museums) there seems to be a lot of debate on more brown/more green so how would you rate accuracy? Also it seems to me that the Germans went in for a lot of individual colour motifs/additions/variations even after they started printing the lozenge patterns on the fabric; and even unit themes like the colour of cowlings. Any good places for historical information?

My starter kit Mustang IV in RAF colours uses 106 Ocean Grey and there is more contrast than shown in the photo at the top of this thread. I suppose there could be shade differences in batches of paints as an added complication. I have never seen Vallejo paints.

Fifty five years ago as a young boy I was an avid Airfix kit collector and I wasn't too fussy about colour accuracy. I have recently got back to modelling after being given a model. I have joined the club, bought some models, a range of paints and run into a problem. I have started the Churchill VII which on the box has colour 159 Khaki Drab in large print (in smaller print it's 158) for most of the model and in the instructions it's 159. This colour is on the Humbrol wall chart but it's not in the shop. One could ask 'Why not?' but what is a good alternmative. Some photos of real Churchills I have seen look much more green anyway. I also have a starter kit of a RAF Mustang IV which uses 106 Ocean Grey but on the wall chart it is Ocean Green although to be fair in the shop it is Ocean Grey although it has a distinct green tint to it in the shop picture. Any advice would be helpful. I am also going to attempt rust and weathering which I never did as a boy.