Scale black for 1/32: Anyuone got a formula?

[Gazzas]

Hi everyone,

    I'm going to be painting a large and detail rich portion of an LSP black.  Obviously, complete black will swallow up all of the details except for those that come up with dry-brushing and or chipping.  ...not really sure I wanna dry-brush...

 

I read some formulas (written by another modeller) for scale black according to whichever scale that might be wanted a while back, but have forgotten where and who.

 

So, has anyone got a plan they find that works well?

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

Gaz

[LSP_Ray]

I just use NATO black. Its really very dark grey with a slight green tint. Looks black against about anything else. 

[DeanKB]

Yep, Tamiya NATO black is what I use. 

 

I've seen people using Tamiya flat black mixed with Tamiya dark grey, roughly 50/50, to give a lighter black. NATO black has a greenish tint.

[DeanKB]

This is interesting;

 

https://www.scale1-72.com/scale_color

 

It mentions 1/32 scale paint, with 7% white added to whatever colour you're using.

[BiggTim]

I've honestly never worried about it. I'm lame, I know.

[Gazzas]

1 hour ago, DeanKB said:

This is interesting;

 

https://www.scale1-72.com/scale_color

 

It mentions 1/32 scale paint, with 7% white added to whatever colour you're using.

 

Hah!  Thank you!  That's the exact article I was talking about. 

[cib2265]

Black is scale black. Scale color is nonsensical, but has merit for artistic purpose.

 

More important to worry about variation in the paint, so I'd consider Tamiya German Grey, then NATO black and Midnight Blue as a marble coat below a final black.

 

Ralph Riese's BF110 comes to mind for how to do it...

[Francis]

I use Tamiya rubber black XF-85. It's a very dark gray without the green tint of Nato black.

 

[D.B. Andrus]

On 5/7/2019 at 9:14 PM, BiggTim said:

I've honestly never worried about it. I'm lame, I know.

 

[themongoose]

Gazzas, try this one also. The only place I’ve found it linked is in the ARC forum. A slow starter but finishes strong. Similar to the above Doog finishes with NATO black I believe. 

[thierry laurent]

Never use white to lighten ALL colors! This is only valid for some colors. For instance, for years AFV modellers lighten US olive green with German dark yellow! This may seem weird but this is required to keep the equilibrium of the hue between primary colors as well as the correct relationship with complimentary ones. If you are not sure, do experiments. 

[TAG]

Hey @Gazzas

 

This video by Doogs from his Black Basing 201 series might help:

 

[Ryan]

Gaz, I use either Tamiya NATO Black or Rubber.

 

Lifecolor makes a set of blacks too.

 

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/lfc/lfccs27.htm?source=froogle&gclid=CjwKCAjwiZnnBRBQEiwAcWKfYjhjsoivkFOyLvhLZ_uQnjEjU4uXmIXG64Hh7NXWY2ES-QL-4QwvbhoCpTcQAvD_BwE

 

Ryan

[Fancherello]

hi 

sorry i come late here, a long time ago a figure painter I really appreciated explained me that he'd always add some pale yellow to his black and since i've kept the habit to add some to any black that i find too deep. I have no exact ratio, just eyeball it. My go to yellow is Gunze H79 that i add either to pure black or tyre black. A ref I ALWAYS have in my paint stock. You can also add some olive green or red brown according to the colors around the part you are painting. Black is a lot of fun to paint !

bye

Fanch

[Francis]

I don't entirely agree with Doogs tutorial. First of all there is only one type of black and it's simply  toneless, no variation what's so ever. Anything else is simply variations of very dark gray. Pure black does not exist in nature, it is a man made "color", just like true white. For the sake of discussion, we will call them colors. Considering that good practice when painting, it is always recommended to start with the lighter colors first, when trying to achieve a black weathered finish, one should start with a dark gray base and work towards the black in progressive transparent coats of darker gray. Accenting the panel line can then be done using a black wash or lighter gray for contrast. Never do a black base for as a start, otherwise you will make things harder on yourself. The T-38 example is more of an automotive type finish and simple gloss black should do the trick. An F-117A or P-61 should be painted with progressive transparent coats of darker or even black in some areal to obtain the right effect. Remember that a flat black/black gray finish is very prone to weathering showing off its base pigmentation of dark blue/brown/green tones. Look at how painters work to achieve dark tones in their paintings. Personally, I never use use pure black anywhere unless it's a wash, and only under certain circumstances. Just my 2¢ worth here.

 

Francis