Scale modelling basic colours set

A basic palette for a first model

Before a modeler builds up a collection of several dozen bottles, what is needed is a small circle of colors that will cover most ordinary jobs. This set is exactly that beginning: it holds four pure deep colors, the two extreme neutrals and a pair of metallic shades.

What is inside

The deep group is made up of yellow, red and blue to the European industrial chart and a green listed to the American aviation numbering. The neutral pair is represented by a pure white and a deep black, again with a chart number. The metallic part is made up of silver and a dark metal tone in a gun-barrel shade, which suits weapons, exhausts and bare metal parts. It is precisely the combination of pure colors and metals that sets a starter set apart from a themed one: the colors are not tied to a particular army or period.

What it is suited to

• for the basic finish of civilian vehicles, where pure industrial shades are used
• for mixing your own tones, as pure colors mix more predictably than muted ones
• for small details, warning markings and lettering
• for metal parts, where the silver and the dark metal tone complement each other

An advanced modeler will appreciate the set too, as an addition to themed sets, because pure colors usually do not occur in them. A model, thinner and accessories are not included. In working with them, count on the deep shades, yellow and red above all, covering less well than muted tones and needing either a light base coat over a dark surface, or patience and several thin deposits.