On very odd colours and their names...

[pyro-manic]

I'm currently rushing to finish a group build entry, and it involves RAF Light Slate Grey. Upon applying the paint to the model, I have quickly discovered that it isn't in fact grey at all, but in fact a fairly dark green. The profiles I'm working from show it as a light grey with a slight green tint.

Question the First: Is this correct? Is Light Slate Grey in fact green? Or have Xtracrylix got it completely wrong? Did it vary widely (or at all) from batch to batch or weather horribly quickly to an actual grey colour?

Question the Second: If it is indeed the right colour, then why in blue blazes is it called "Light Slate Grey" and not something more appropriate?

[jcf]

http://www.perbang.dk/rgb/587058/

BS 381C 639 Light Slate Grey is indeed a dark greenish-gray

Slate, BTW, is found worldwide in a wide variety of colours.

[Maverick]

I believe the 'Slate Greys' are in fact greenish in shade.  Both were used for maritime purposes, either FAA or other service's aircraft with that role in mind.  The BS 381C tables I have show both to be a predominantly green colour and RGB values given result in greenish-grey colours.  I'd suggest the paint manufacturers have got it right, although weathering could change the look of the colour over time.

As to why it was called grey, since when is a logical approach taken with most everything military?

Regards,

Mav

[PR19_Kit]

As Mav says, anyone trying attribute some logic to anything that the British MoD have a hand in is wasting their time. There is, and was, no such connection, so Slate Grey being actually Green is perfectly 'logical' to those guys...........

[Hobbes]

On a related note:



http://www.thedoghousediaries.com/?p=1406

[IanH]

You may not believe the explanation, but here it is:
When the RAF were casting around for their new Camouflage colours, they actually referred to a decorators handbook in existence at that time - Sky, Duck Egg Blue and o de Nil were Georgian House Colours, likewise Slate Grey - BS381c actually pulled them all together and standardised the mixes.
On a side note, Hemp originally came from the Dulux Catalogue!

[rickshaw]

As Mav says, anyone trying attribute some logic to anything that the British MoD have a hand in is wasting their time. There is, and was, no such connection, so Slate Grey being actually Green is perfectly 'logical' to those guys...........

I think that stands for _every_ Defence Department 'round the world.  The Australian DoD and logic do not often march side-by-side to the same drum beat. 

[rickshaw]

You may not believe the explanation, but here it is:
When the RAF were casting around for their new Camouflage colours, they actually referred to a decorators handbook in existence at that time - Sky, Duck Egg Blue and o de Nil were Georgian House Colours, likewise Slate Grey - BS381c actually pulled them all together and standardised the mixes.
On a side note, Hemp originally came from the Dulux Catalogue!

Not surprising really.  I had a friend many moons ago who used to work in the Colour Department of a very large paint suppliers.  He often spoke of the local Workshops unit coming in to purchase relatively small quantities of paint for crash repairs.   He had a list of how to mix all the ADF colours.   He was also a modeller and wargamer and guess where he sourced all his paints from? 

[IanH]

You may not believe the explanation, but here it is:
When the RAF were casting around for their new Camouflage colours, they actually referred to a decorators handbook in existence at that time - Sky, Duck Egg Blue and o de Nil were Georgian House Colours, likewise Slate Grey - BS381c actually pulled them all together and standardised the mixes.
On a side note, Hemp originally came from the Dulux Catalogue!

Not surprising really.  I had a friend many moons ago who used to work in the Colour Department of a very large paint suppliers.  He often spoke of the local Workshops unit coming in to purchase relatively small quantities of paint for crash repairs.   He had a list of how to mix all the ADF colours.   He was also a modeller and wargamer and guess where he sourced all his paints from? 

And he still got people critisizing! 

[Maverick]

As an adjunct to the subject, there's also the issue of 'scale' colour that I've seen online.  That is, a 72nd scale model would be too dark in say FS36118 overall because it's a small object and the colour is for a larger one (or at least that's the theory) but that sounds a bit like the whole weathering arguement.

Regards,

Mav

[Rheged]

As Mav says, anyone trying attribute some logic to anything that the British MoD have a hand in is wasting their time. There is, and was, no such connection, so Slate Grey being actually Green is perfectly 'logical' to those guys...........

"Military Intelligence" is used by lecturers everywhere as an example of an oxymoron.      If in doubt, tone down the colour and call it "Heavily weathered"  or "Field modification"

[rickshaw]

And he still got people critisizing! 

Of course he did.  That is the nature of the JMN. 

[kitnut617]

I'm currently rushing to finish a group build entry, and it involves RAF Light Slate Grey. Upon applying the paint to the model, I have quickly discovered that it isn't in fact grey at all, but in fact a fairly dark green. The profiles I'm working from show it as a light grey with a slight green tint.

Question the First: Is this correct? Is Light Slate Grey in fact green? Or have Xtracrylix got it completely wrong? Did it vary widely (or at all) from batch to batch or weather horribly quickly to an actual grey colour?

Question the Second: If it is indeed the right colour, then why in blue blazes is it called "Light Slate Grey" and not something more appropriate?

When I did my Spitfire floatplane I gave it the Slate Grey/ XDSG camo which at the beginning was in a flat/matt tone , and the slate grey sort of looked grey with a tinge of green.  That was until I gave the paint a coat of clear gloss before the decals went on, then it turned to this colour.



The problem though is afterwards, a coat of clear flat/matt didn't turn it back to it's original hue

[Maverick]

Not surprising really.  I had a friend many moons ago who used to work in the Colour Department of a very large paint suppliers.  He often spoke of the local Workshops unit coming in to purchase relatively small quantities of paint for crash repairs.   He had a list of how to mix all the ADF colours.   He was also a modeller and wargamer and guess where he sourced all his paints from? 

On a similar note, I used to work with painted sheet metal - "Colourbond" we call it here and the names for some of the colours were equally ridiculous, more like the 'female' side of the chart Hobbes put up.  There were at least two, if not three shades of black within the range but each had a different name and each looked 'black' unless you were really looking.  Many of the colours could be easily mistaken for a similar colour unless you actually put that colour against it and then the difference was surprisingly apparent.

Regards,

Mav

[Thiel]

Reminds me of the last time I painted the bedroom. My Girlfriend had bought something called Satin Cream which is a fancy way of saying very close to white and very expensive. She didn't buy enough of it, so I went out and bought Off White which is the exact same type and shade, made by the same company, yet it costs about a fourth.