Heller ford focus wrc '02 (paint problems)

Hello there!


Being new to the car modellers scene (I'm originally an airplane builder), I'm wondering if there is a cross-reference chart for humbrol and tamiya paints.
I'm working on a Heller (yeah yeah, shoot me ;-) )Ford Focus WRC '02, and I don't know which tamiya paint I have to use instead of the humbrol 209 gloss fire orange (for the mirrors and some of the detailing).

Thank's for the advice!


Stijn

Maybe just Tamiya orange, it's preaty bright

On this site, you can look at the contents and colors needed for most kits. Just look at a Tamiya focus and take the same colour for orange:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/plamo/index_e.asp?Bno=3048163&Typ1_c=102

http://tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=24241

Looks like they just call for plain old red. I did an R/C 2001 Focus for a friend last year, a Tamiya, and the underside of the wing called for regular red, while the decals were clearly orange, so maybe it's accurate?

You could take red and orange and try to mix the two. I have the same conundrum with a 1/43rd Heller: It comes with a little 'pot' of Fire Orange (As well as the blue called for), but I don't know how good the paint will be. I intended to mix the silvers from multiple kits into one big jar, and it was so gooey I pitched that particular color, though I kept everything else JIC I can make something of it.

(Funny thing, they include the same tiny plastic pot of paints in the 1/24th kits that they include in the 1/43rd kits: Are you expected to paint the body, chassis, and roll cage of a 1/24th scale car with less than 1/4 ounce of paint? It is pretty thick: Maybe it's super concentrated for thinning later LOL)

If fidning the right paint is a problem for you, do one of a couple of things:
- Mix paint colors to match the orange on the decals (Could be tricky).
- Scan the decals and print a swatch of decal paper with that orange, and use it in place of paint (Works if you have a scanner and your printer can get a close match).
- Mix of a batch of paint that's close, trim off all the orange on the decal sheets, and just use paint for everything (Most time-consuming, but probably the best results).

I plan to try the latter on the 1/43rd model.

A very useful colour conversion chart (http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/colorcharts.asp)

With that in mind, you don't need any fiery orange, from what I remember, all the red parts of the 2002 Focus were in fact red. In fact, I seem to recall someone (Ray?) mentioning that the fiery florescent orange/red hasn't been used on the Focii since the middle of 1999.

In some pictures (http://www.fordrallyesport.com/upload/imagelibrary/1024/180102_ColinMonte%20Carlo1_1024.jpg) it looks like regular red, in some pictures (http://www.fordrallyesport.com/upload/imagelibrary/1024/170102_CarlosMonte%20Carlo1_1024.jpg) - exaclty like Humbrol 209. Both pics from Monte 2002 that the Heller kit represents.

In my experience with colors at school i can say it's red in both those sites, it's just that colors tend to "change" (read: look different then normal) laying next to other certain colors. the simplest example is white near black: --> it becomes a greyish sort of color. That's with all the colors like that.

Well, in the Monte Carlo pictures that was posted, it looks like red. The problem is that the decals delivered with the kit are in some kind of fluorescent orange. Apparently, the best thing to do is to cut away the orange part of the decals. I will post some pictures when the cutting, the painting and the decalling is finished.
I hope it will look good, as this is my first real car project since I was 15 (and now I'm 23, I hope I haven't lost the experience I built up when I was younger), and because it's the first time I want to put some detail in a kit.
Anyway, I will keep you up to date about the progress, and if there are problems, I'm glad to fall back on you guys.

Thank's!


Stijn

Go for it, Pal !

good luck, and I m looking forward to your first AF model, you 'll see with all the talent here, you ll sure be hooked.

Ciao and seeya

oli

When the Focus first appeared the red on the Martini livery was exactly that. However fairly quickly it changed to a flourescent red/orange. Flourescent colours are very difficult to photograph so you can't rely on pictures to show the colour correctly. Just find something that is similar to the flourescent red used on Marlboro McLarens and you should be in the ballpark. Tamiya make a flourescent red spraycan that should be acceptable, can't recall the code.

I've bought the fluorescent red. Although it is not the same, it looks quite realistic when I compare it with the pictures. For the moment, the bodywork looks quite promising. I really really want to post some pictures, but I don't have a digital camera here in my student flat. I hope I can bring it with me on Sunday.