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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 4:31 am 
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SovereignHobbies
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Location: Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK
In the mid 1990s, Colourcoats was established as the first model paint brand offering shades specifically for modellers of Royal Navy subjects, based upon the most comprehensive information available at the time.

In recent years, the delving of some individual enthusiasts into primary source documents in various National Archives made it clear that there were conflicts, anomalies and some straight contradictions between the widely held wisdom on the matter and what was actually written down in black and white and communicated to the fleet through the official channels at the time. For the past two years we have been working with these individuals by bringing us all together to pool our resources; each having discovered separate, isolated pieces of the larger jigsaw puzzle. Combining this with industry expertise sought and willingly given by several recognised experts on paint chemistry, we have been able to determine which anomalies are the result of incorrect assumptions and which were in fact correct identification of the correct paint, but that the old oil paint samples have significantly colour-shifted in the many decades since they were first made.

Regular customers of Colourcoats' Royal Navy products may have already noted the migration in our webstore now started. The entire RNxx range is now discontinued and will not be remanufactured, however they will remain available until existing inventories are depleted. An entirely new range coded NARNxx is to replace our Royal Navy offering. Initially this will accommodate the 1936-1950ish era, but spacing has been left in the numbering to migrate the earlier shades in due course.

Colours which are simply being renumbered without a shade change are:
RN28 becomes NARN20
RN01 becomes NARN23
RN02 becomes NARN24
RN18 becomes NARN25
RN04 becomes NARN28
RN07 becomes NARN33
RN09 becomes NARN39
RN19 becomes NARN42
RN24 becomes NARN44
RN27 becomes NARN45
RN26 becomes NARN46

All other NARNxx colours are new products, whether altered slightly or significantly from the similarly labelled product from the out-going RNxx range.

Our new range is as follows, organised vertically by appropriate time period and horizontally by camouflage tone. This organisation should assist the consumer (along with our research papers) to quickly spot and exercise caution over colour scheme references which demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding by "cross breeding" paint ranges.

Image

Products NARN20 and NARN21 are offered in parallel as alternatives to each other, NARN20 being a 13%RF version of Home Fleet Grey with NARN21 offering a 10%RF version. Similarly, as the greens used in the 1943 "B" series were specified in quantity but not in type, we offer NARN33 as B.5 or B15, and an alternative NARN35 as B15 with a greener caste. It can be seen from the above that G10 replaced bother M.S.2 and 507A, whilst B30 replaced both M.S.4 and B.6 and B55 replaced both Western Approaches Blue and Western Approaches Green. Lastly, B20 replaced G20 from mid 1944 (with an overlap).

These are in manufacture at time of writing, and will be on sale within 4 to 6 weeks. The Flotta Green and Brown will be a little later, but not too much, and we may add PB.10 also now that more kits of Royal Navy submarines are beginning to appear on the market.

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Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
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Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


Last edited by SovereignHobbies on Sun Jun 17, 2018 10:41 am, edited 4 times in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:27 pm 
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Congrats and many thanks to all who worked on this project - important not only for what it does for the modeling world, but also for its historical significance.

Wishing every success for this new line of paints! :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

Paul

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PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 2:14 am 
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SovereignHobbies
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PaulC wrote:
Congrats and many thanks to all who worked on this project - important not only for what it does for the modeling world, but also for its historical significance.

Wishing every success for this new line of paints! :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

Paul


Thank you very much indeed Paul.

I wish I could express how much I'd love to be Jamaica again right now though!
Attachment:
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Jamaicasail.jpg [ 50.45 KiB | Viewed 3622 times ]

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Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
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Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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PostPosted: Fri May 11, 2018 8:57 am 
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When we introduce new colours, it is a somewhat iterative and experienced-based process to match the colour exactly despite the computerised injection of pigment!

The computer scans a sample, measures its colourspace values and then calculates pigment injection quantities to make that colour. It's seldom spot-on however.

Image

What happens next is that a small sample of the paint is applied to a card using a special stick with small rings to give a 100 micron clearance from the card and thus apply a 100 micron film thickness of paint. This is allowed to dry (which almost always results in a colour shift) and the dried sample is measured and human experience and expertise makes small adjustments to the pigmentation. This is repeated until the dried sample measures within the tolerances we expect. In the photograph you can see some of the paints we have in production as of today, and most of these are the new Royal Navy shades. Shown in the image are two layers of test cards; these paints have had their first correction today.

Once the samples measure out properly, the adjustments made to the pigmentation formulae are saved, and the machines are accurate enough to replicate that formula over and over again thereafter.

N.B. usual caveats of photographs apply. This was taken on a camera phone indoors under artificial light so several of these do look somewhat weird! The actual matching process is done using measurements by spectrophotometer with calibrated light source! ;)

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James Duff
Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
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Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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PostPosted: Sat May 12, 2018 4:50 am 
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Very nice display to show a novice to the subject when the colors were used. I just have to make a joke and call it the Periodic Table of Royal Navy Colors.

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PostPosted: Sat May 12, 2018 6:28 am 
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Brilliant. :big_grin: :big_grin: :big_grin:

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PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2018 4:29 am 
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:big_grin: :big_grin:

It should only be used as a rough guide, but it should help insomuch as it would be an anachronism to have B&G colours before 1943, and indeed B20 before 1944. We should never see B&G series colours used in conjunction with the paints they replaced i.e. the MS paints.

Deck coatings, and particularly Semtex is more complicated than is shown here - there were at least 3 brands of latex based trowel-on deck coatings of which Semtex was one brand, and each brand was a different colour. I may revise this in due course. Likewise the Flotta colours are somewhat "interpretational".

Still, hopefully this is useful of sorts even if it shows how the camouflage colours look relative to one another. I did this not to try to simply the subject down to one page, but in recognition that most of my customers don't have reams of reference material and struggle to know what to do with all these paints. My experience is that when it's not summarised, some potential customers just follow the kit instructions and paint RN warships Dark Sea Grey, US Haze Gray with some camouflage blotches in Radio Active Snot Green.

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James Duff
Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk

Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2018 3:16 pm 
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SovereignHobbies wrote:
It should only be used as a rough guide, but it should help insomuch as it would be an anachronism to have B&G colours before 1943, and indeed B20 before 1944. We should never see B&G series colours used in conjunction with the paints they replaced i.e. the MS paints.


Uh oh! So Renown's late 1942 scheme that supposedly had B5 along with MS1, MS3 and 507C isn't right? So what were the "B5" areas really? MS2?

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PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2018 2:39 am 
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PaulC wrote:
SovereignHobbies wrote:
It should only be used as a rough guide, but it should help insomuch as it would be an anachronism to have B&G colours before 1943, and indeed B20 before 1944. We should never see B&G series colours used in conjunction with the paints they replaced i.e. the MS paints.


Uh oh! So Renown's late 1942 scheme that supposedly had B5 along with MS1, MS3 and 507C isn't right? So what were the "B5" areas really? MS2?


No, B5 was in use from 1941 to 1943 so it is feasible for 1942. I haven't really studied Renown otherwise so would not like to comment on whether I agree with the colours, but they are all viable in that time period. :thumbs_up_1:

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Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
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Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2018 7:54 am 
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SovereignHobbies wrote:
No, B5 was in use from 1941 to 1943 so it is feasible for 1942.


Phew! Thank you.

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PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2018 4:37 am 
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Any remaining stocks of outgoing paints will remain available with ourselves and the dealer network until stocks run out. We have taken this decision based upon a a volume of enquiries from modellers with part-complete projects to finish, or collections they wish to keep consistent, or should anyone simply decide that they prefer to believe the outgoing colours over the new research.

Thank you to all who have contacted us to express interest and support over the past while. Your encouragement has fuelled our enthusiasm and commitment to this project.

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James Duff
Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk

Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 4:50 am 
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certainly an already asked question, but...

why don't you develop this range in waterbased acrylics (vallejo- or lifecolor-like for instance) ????

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PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 5:21 am 
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mister me wrote:
certainly an already asked question, but...

why don't you develop this range in waterbased acrylics (vallejo- or lifecolor-like for instance) ????


Honestly? I hate water based acrylics. I have hated every single brand I have tried. I could not recommend anyone bought a product we made that behaved like water based acrylics do, and hence it is unlikely I would ever see return on the very large investment necessary to duplicate our range in another formulation. That would mean double the physical space, double the capital tied up on shelves, an investment in new mixing machines and pigments since they are not compatible, double the labour to maintain stock and for a product we just don't believe in.

We do keep experimenting with different binders available, but we have not yet found one I would prefer to use over our enamel formulation. If we ever do find something I could recommend, we may change our position.

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Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
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Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 10:50 am 
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The first of the new paints are here (6 new colours plus some others needed for general restocking) and I am very pleased with them. I am about to start spraying lids and hope to have these on sale during this week.

The new ones include:

507A / G10 at 10% LRV
507C / G45
MS3
MS4
MS4A
B20

plus some more Corticene and what used to be RN02 Medium Grey which is now Equal Parts 507A/507C Emergency Mix

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Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk

Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 4:26 pm 
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Hi James,

How far away are we from being able to buy the new paint for Hood 1941?

... and thinners? I have some really old Colourcoats thinners (certainly 7 or 8 years old) which I'm not sure I should trust...

(BTW... I received the paints for modern RN over the weekend... thanks).

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PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 3:49 am 
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HI Bill,

Glad the modern ones arrived safely :)

We've got plenty of NARN21, the 10% RF Home Fleet Grey now with sufficient to divert some to larger containers. The next batch of NARN20, the 13% version, isn't here yet. We've plenty of the 14ml tins of NARN20 but need a fresh bulk size to do bigger containers. We've loads of thinners, both 125ml and 250ml sizes in stock presently :thumbs_up_1:

Amongst yesterday's arrivals were 2.5 litre batches of NARN21 - Home Fleet Grey 507A / G10 at 10% RF and NARN22 - Light Grey / 507C / G45
Image

I got through a personal best of 8 colours of tin lids in a single evening after day-job last night.
Image

Tonight I will start tinning. I hope this will prove to have been worth all the effort :heh:

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Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk

Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:04 am 
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Thanks for all your efforts, James! Can't wait for some of your new colors to ooze across the Atlantic.
John


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:35 am 
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I don't think most people realize the amount of work that goes into producing these paints. Just to have continued with what was in place was a job, but to have done the research, made these sorts of changes and then implemented them - the amount of blood, sweat and tears you've invested in this boggles the mind. It's certainly a labor of love.

Colourcoats has been my "go to" paint for ship models for years. Thanks for all your efforts to not only keep the brand in production, but in refining and improving it.

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PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:39 am 
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Thank you James,

I think its the 13% I need for Hood (if I have read everything correctly!).

I presume this is a full matt paint, even at the 13%, or is the 13% NARN20 supposed to be the example with enamel in the mix, hence the greater reflectivity? In which case it really ought to be the 10% by 1941, NARN21... shouldn't it?

But then again, maybe I am overthinking everything... weathering and shading will result in variation on the model, even if less so than on the prototype, (Hood was repainted just before Denmark Strait, so should be reasonably 'clean'... especially on all the vertical surfaces).

Then there is 'scale effect'... which inclines me toward the 13% if fully matt... with heavy weathered 507A/Home Fleet Grey NARN21 (10%??) on decks... not that any of the steel decks will have a pure colour anyway...

Like EJ... I am beginning to realise that the steel decks and the rest of the ship are much the same colour, with the variation on horizontal and vertical surfaces only due to heavy weathering/wear on the decks... and the fact the decks were mixed with more or less a 'paste', making them very rough/non-reflective/prone to holding dirt/grime/wear. So any difference is likely to be the state they were in, not the actual 'colour'.

(If you look at photos of HMS Cornwall (F99) which I'm building at the moment, none of the decks look close to the base colour due to wear/grime/weathering, so I cant see Hood being a great deal different! :smallsmile: )

Anyway... there is a question in there somewhere amongst all the waffle... lets see if I can extract it.

Which should I order? NARN 20 or NARN 21?

(And when will there be some thinners available?)

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:02 am 
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Royal Navy WW2 paint colours MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4, MS4A and B5 now revised and updated in line with latest primary source research and available now

Image

1944 to 1945 B20 is also now available.

507A / G10, 507C / G45, Equal Parts 507A / 507C Medium Grey Emergency Mix to follow tonight.

B6, B30, B55 and Western Approaches Blue to follow shortly, and Flotta shades will come in after those.

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Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk

Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151


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