Madri787 Author
Hallo, I am currently building a Tu 160 1/72 from Trumpeter. Unfortunately I noticed that the missile cabins are not suggested in the correct color by Trumpeter. I searched the internet and found how someone painted the missile cabins correctly here is the link :flankers-site.co.uk/modl_tu-160-trump.html (you have to scroll down a bit) can someone tell you what colors he used for it, so once this red, the orange and the gray. I don't care if Mr Hobby, Tamiya or Vallejo. Here is another picture of the missile cabins of the original Tu 160: [img1] .Maybe you could tell me independently of the other link which colors you would use for these missile cabins based on the original
Thanks a lot!

Steven Van Dyck
The gray boxes seem German Grey, the "orange" I'd make from light sand with a rusty wash over it. On the beams there appears to be red brown, I just sprayed a container in that color. [img1]

Madri787 Author
Thank youuuu very much!!!!!!

Madri787 Author
I have another question and that is that the two plates that open at the missile bays are painted in a yellow color and have such lines do you know what colors were used for this? So the yellow and the lines? You can recognize these "openers" on this link: de.pinterest.com/pin/352336370833351529/

Steven Van Dyck
Maybe Radome Yellow. H318 U.S. Navy Standard Colors Radome, Mr. Aqueous Hobby Color , Acrylic, 7ml

Madri787 Author
Ok thanks, than i will use the Mr Hobby H 310 and H7 and Tamiya XF 63 for the weapons bays and the H318 for the "openers".

Madri787 Author
Last question😅. I have just noticed that the front wall of the weapon bay is painted in a brown-green color. Could you tell me what color that might be? You also said that you would use sand for the "orange" light sand. But on the picture where the colors are shown by you is Mr Hobby h310 on it and H310 are also somehow not accurate. But I don't know my way around so well maybe the color looks like this in the pictures I trust you
Thank you very much you helped me a lot!!!

Steven Van Dyck
That could be Gunze H303 or lighter, maybe add some white?

Madri787 Author
Yeah! or maybe Tamiya XF 62?

Alexander Grivonev
Hi Madri, I think it is easier if we stick to one thread. Thanks for the picture, that makes things much more clearer. I personally am a proponent of mixing the right paint, like mentioned in the other thread, but I get from you that you want to avoid that step at all costs.

So the "orange", Steve was spot on, some sand yellow/desert yellow with a light rust wash will do. The red brown, there is a "Red brown H47" from Gunze but it looks much too dark, H7 seems to be a reasonable choice. German Grey for the boxes on top is ok too.

For the back wall I would kindly disagree with both of you, Gunze H303 or XF62 are waaaaay too dark and green. My first thought was Tamiya XF-20. It is a greenish grey and with the rust wash you'll apply anyway it will look just right, trust me. It seems too light if you look at the color charts, but it looks much darker when you paint it and let it dry.

The bay door insides, it is your typical corrosion protective zinc chromate paint, all nations and plane manufacturers seem to use some variety of it, it has always a yellowish or greenish tint. I've used this before: MRP-090 Lemon Grey (russian aviation primer), MR.Paint Satin, Acrylic Lacquer, 30ml. I think this is a good match, although I definitely would add some white or light grey to tone the saturation down. If you want to stick to Tamiya/Gunze, XF-21 looks reasonable, or XF-76 if the other one is too light to your taste. Steve mentioned H318, but it is way too yellow to my taste.

As you see you can write volumes and have discussions for days about the topic "paint and color". Picking the right color is often a highly subjective experience and depends on so many factors, starting with the picture of the original: lighting, camera settings, white balance, shadows and ending with your model: scale effect, how you apply the paint, how you treat the surface afterwards (washes) etc etc. I would say don't stress too much about it, just start, follow your instinct, try, fail, gain experience, try again.

Madri787 Author
I don't know how to thank you! Thank you so much for your efforts! However, you say I should use light sand. So you mean for example Tamiya LP-30 or Mr Hobby H 79?

Steven Van Dyck
The color I have shown you in the picture is not light sand, it's what I used on my Saab Viggen last month. There are a lot of light brown colors you can use because it's so washed over on the pics. [img1]

Alexander Grivonev
Yes H79 looks okay, LP-30 or XF60 would work too. But I can't help myself and ask you again to add some white 😄

Madri787 Author
How much light gray? To 10 drops of Vallejo 70916 Sand yellow, 1 drop of Vallejo 71276 light gray? (I have opted for Vallejo)

Alexander Grivonev
That is the part where you have to experiment yourself 😉 Paint behaves in unpredictable ways, with some paints one drop would be too much, with others 3 not enough.

Madri787 Author
👍

Madri787 Author
Hi @Alexander Grivonev and Vince Venezuela, I have now bought RLM76 and also Ammo Mig pale gray for the landing gear. Today I also got MRP-090 Lemon Grey (russian aviation primer) for the doors of the missile bays. I have to say it matches the original really well and it will be hard to mix it properly with light grey. I think I really need to use a little bit of light grey. I have to say though that the color is very fluid. Thank you in any case. I have one more question about the missile bay doors, that is that you can see on the original that there are still some lines painted over the lemon gray. Can you perhaps tell me how I could make these lines?

Alexander Grivonev
Hi Madri,

First, yes MRP are very fluid, they are already thinned for airbrush use and can not be applied with a regular brush.

About the "lines" on the bay doors. On the original it seems to be the inner panels are corrugated. It is painted in the same color, but the darker parts are recessed. They just accumulate more dirt and grime and appear darker. The light parts with the rivets are protruding and just by the fact alone that they are sticking out they are cleaner and receive more light thus they appear brighter. I might be completely wrong, but this is my theory.

Now, how to replicate that. The building report from flankers-site that you refecrenced, it looks like he solved the issue by masking. I think this is the only feasible way to do it. First you paint the whole inner door in your basic color (Lemon grey). Then you have to mask it, two longs stips horizontally at the edges and many vertical strips in regular intervals. They you spray a darker Lemon grey (add 1-2 drops of black to it)

Alternatively you could use something like a comb as a mask for the vertical lines. Something with a regular pattern.

Or if you want to avoid mixing your paint (because you will need black from MRP or some othe lacquer, you cannot use Tamiya or Vallejo): You can spray the inner doors in some medium grey (for example RLM76) then mask for the stripes, then spray the stripes in Lemon grey, then pull the masks off, then spray a light misty coat all over to match both colors (the RLM76 grey becomes more lemon grey, but will look darker)

The possibilities are endless, just get creative!

Madri787 Author
Ok, thank you. I prefer the first option. But I will dilute the dark lemon gray for the lines, because on the original the lines also look very pale. One more question about the missile bays. If I now paint these with sand yellow, how should I apply the light rust wash? So drop by drop or with the brush completely over it?

Steven Van Dyck
It depends on the kind of wash. Organic solvent washes are easier to remove, so any excessive stains can be wiped. If it's acrylic paint it's best to cover it whole, or you might get stain edges that won't dissolve.

Madri787 Author
👍

Madri787 Author
I have just tried to mix MRP 090 with Vallejo light gray but it did not work. What color can I use for mixing with MRP?

Kenneth
It at least has to be an acrylic lacquer, preferably the same brand. Vallejo is water-based which is why it didn't work. And, as already mentioned, don't get too carried away with THE exact colour, or you'll likely loose interest and the Tupolev will end up on the shelf of doom. Ask me how I know…

Madri787 Author
@Kenneth yeah you right! Thank you

Shar Dipree
I would paint the bomb bay with Tamiya XF60. Then wash with highly diluted XF9 or maybe XF64 and then apply light nuances with XF10 using a dry painting method with a sponge.

Madri787 Author
@Shar Dipree, thank you for your suggestion. I've already bought all the other colors that @Alexander Grivonev suggested, for the method with the sand yellow and the light rust wash. If that doesn't work I will try your method

Madri787 Author
Sorry guys, I tried all the time to find a color for the main landing gear but it doesn't work. Can someone help me again and tell me what color I could use for it (this dark brown red). I read that someone used dark metallic gray. But couldn't find the color anywhere. Here again a link to the picture of the main gear: Here is the link from the page of the picture you have to scroll down a bit:en.topwar.ru/24713-s..-tu-160-chast-2.html . Here is another picture:sputnikmediabank.com/media/1197647.html

Alexander Grivonev
Madri, listen. First, may I suggest we stick to just one thread concerning this issue? There are at least two additional private threads you have with me only and probably many more with other mates. With just one thread all the mates can contribute, discuss and help you out, this makes things easier for all parties involved. Second, if you ask 10 modelers "what color do you use, which paints exactly, what ratio etc etc." you will get 10 completely different answers. Every single modeler goes a different route and has a different approach to a specific problem, this includes color choice. If you are looking for the "perfect" color for this or that the answer is simple, there is none. We all learned our craft by trial and error. This hobby is not a precise science where you can define ratios by the nth percentile and get perfect results, it is art and art is highly individual and subjective.

So where am I going with this...I just want to spare you frustration. At this moment I think you are suffering from a case of "paralysis by analysis". Even with a 20 page instruction with minute detail how and why to make this and that you WILL NOT get a perfect result. You've been given probably 3-4 separate suggestions for each question. Pick one and stick with it. It won't be perfect but you'll have a result which you can analyze afterwards and say, "okay this turned out great, but here I will try something different next time"

For the Nth time, stop overthinking, just enjoy the process and you'll have a lot of fun along the way, learn a lot and achieve a result you will be proud of.

Sorry if it sounded like a rant but I think sometimes tough love is the best kind of love, cheers Alex

And please, for the love of god don't mix lacquer paints with waterbased ones, you can't just add "Vallejo to MRP" these paints are chemically completely different. I thought this was obvious, no hard feelings

Alexander Grivonev
So, concerning the leg strut you referenced I'll copy what I wrote in the other thread, how "I" would do it:

Normally leg struts are painted in some grey color. In this case it seems to me that the parts of the leg that look "dark metallic" are unpainted at all. The leg was probably maintained/reconstructed and parts were used that did not receive any color. If you compare it to some of the other parts you will see they are painted in this blueish gray.

I would say the dark metallic parts are bare metal and the brown tint is accumulated soot/dirt/oil/rust. In any case I would paint it in some metal shade e.g. steel and apply a brown wash over it.

There is a myriad of "steel" paints out there. Since "I" use Vallejo Xtreme Metal "I" would paint the specific parts with AK476 Steel or AK670 Stainless Steel and apply a brown wash to get the grimey look. Again, there are countless "steel" paints out there. Each one will work, one might be better one might be worse but steel is steel. Pick one and go with it.

Madri787 Author
Yes, thanks for the words, I needed them😅! Yes you are right I will just try to make the best of it and if it is not quite right I will learn from my mistakes.

Shar Dipree
Hello Madri.
As already written in a PM, you basically have the problem anyway if you only have the aircraft in photos and you don't know at all whether the color representation in the photo is correct.
The same color distortion occurs again on your monitor. This means that if you did not take the photo yourself and your own monitor is not calibrated, you will not know whether the color you see is the same color as that on the aircraft.
So you will always have the problem of not knowing whether the color representation is correct when you take a photo.
Remember the two linked photo albums of mine. Both the same type of aircraft but two completely different colors on the landing gear and the landing gear bay.
Therefore, it is pointless to try to find the perfect color unless you have seen the plane yourself.