Topic: HMS Dreadnought: Colors? (Read 14314 times)

VilleH64 · « **on:** March 05, 2009, 08:35:49 am »

Hi Shipmates!

This is my entry message in this wonderful forum, it's nice to be part of it!

I fulfilled my long-time dream, and bought at last Dean's Dreadnought. Well, it was'nt quite so fine kit I expected, but maybe it is example of the time it was released...Anyway, it is good point to start, I usually build full-scratch. And of course, I have had lot of good hints in this forum, thanks all involved.

Well, the question is: What is the correct color? I will make she as build 1907. I will use some of the ordinary household paints, wich can be mixed in right color easily, but I need chip or some color standard example. Also will do, if exact match can be found in some modell color brands, single tinlet is easy to purchase for example internet shop(WEM-brand?)

Thanks in advance,

Ville H

dreadnought72 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 05, 2009, 10:32:39 am »

Hi Ville!

Good luck! (Can't have enough Dreadnoughts).

Paul Simpson of Sirmar and PS ships has a build of the Dean's Marine model here. Some photos missing, I think.

Dreadnought Dan has a fabulous scratchbuilt model of the same vessel hosted on Model Boat Mayhem here.

Neither appear to be bad guides to the early colour.

My build is at the pre-paint stage, and - to tell you the truth - I'm unsure about the 1915 colour that I want to represent. All the photos I've seen show it as grey.

Not sure of the suitability of WEM's RN colours - they appear geared to the inter-war & second world war colour range. What I may do is take some licence for my model, as I want it to look good on the water - and if this means dulling down the "chroma" to reflect atmospheric perspective, then I'll do it. That, of course, deserves a thread in itself.

Andy

andrewh · « **Reply #2 on:** March 05, 2009, 12:28:42 pm »

Hi, Ville, terve, terve

and welcome to you and your Dread

I'm certain that that you will be helped with a lot of detailed information, (and some of it may agree)

Andy - I thought the way to reduce the chroma (according to Dave Platt and other scale authorities) is to spray overall with a very thin coat of neutral grey!
On the top of the mostly grey finish

Yes, I know it is to flatten the whole effect and take it from "toy" to scale
andrew
greyer than before

John @ WEM · « **Reply #3 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:42:55 pm »

We now have a range of WW1-period RN/USN colours available. The RN used a range of 5 different greys. I'll have a look at my references and see if I can make an educated guess as to which would be appropriate for Dreadnought as-built.

dreadnought72 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:51:03 pm »

Ah...perfect! And the same for 1915 would be most welcome, too!

Andy

VilleH64 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 06, 2009, 07:00:39 am »

Thanks for all so far!

If there is no exact information available, the great consensus will be enought for me.

I will also try those plastic modellers sites, if somebody there has something to say.

Br,

Ville H

dreadnought72 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 06, 2009, 08:56:30 am »

Ville, check out Jim Baumann's insanely lovely 1/350th scale build of the vessel here. It's astonishing. And the colours (accepting that cameras, monitors and eyes all vary) feel right.

Andy

VilleH64 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2009, 09:45:42 am »

Yes, indeed, wonderful model!

But sorry, I don't prefer photos or even colour drawings as reference. There is too much depending different things, as you told.

This model is very light grey. For example contrast between black (masts and funnel tops) and grey seems too big comparing for example photos in AOS. But because it is relatively small modell, light color is better, than too dark (scale-effect, mentioned before).

Otherwise, most of Dreadnought models (or similar) fe. shown in links earlier in this post, seems to be quite a bluish-dark grey, and that feels too dark, especially for original as-built color...

I hoped, if there is some original information about colors still available, as RN is so big navy, everything is perfectly standardised.

Br,

Ville H

Jonty · « **Reply #8 on:** March 07, 2009, 07:02:23 pm »

I think we'll have to wait for John Snyder to tell us the exact colours, but my understanding is that the overall grey changed during the course of the war. Initially an extremely dark grey was used, but at some point this changed to a slightly lighter shade to economise on black pigment.

A similar thing happened in WW2 when Western Approaches Green was dropped due to a shortage of green pigment.

Ron1 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 07, 2009, 11:22:58 pm »

There was a nice one at the show today at Ellesmere,

Ron1 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 07, 2009, 11:27:14 pm »

Ron1 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 07, 2009, 11:52:32 pm »

I like them in 1916 colours.

DARLEK1 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 08, 2009, 12:30:03 am »

Hi Ron, I have got a pic somewhere of your Iron Duke and my Dreadnought together at Tamworth some years ago, I'll see if I can find it and post it.

Paul...

VilleH64 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 09, 2009, 07:29:17 am »

Thanks Ron1 for nice pictures! In this Dread from Ellesmere, seems to be a good guess for color, but again, you cannot be sure with photos... Anyway, mid-light neutral grey is something safe to go. But I will wait, what John Snyder will find out, thanks for him.

By the way, I have searched internet years to find photos of Deans Dreadnought, find nothing, and now there is plenty of better and better models...Is there going a some kind of Dreadnought boom just now?

Br Ville "Another Dreadmaker" H

dreadnought · « **Reply #14 on:** March 26, 2009, 02:01:19 pm »

Hi Ville h

Just a quick note on Dreadnaught colors, I have b een building Dreadnaught since 06 and early on

in the build I was concerned with the proper colors. In an old issue of Model shipwright I read an

article by Ben King building Dreadnought, he said he was at the War Museum to research colors

and after some research decided on an grey made by Humbrol called Dark Admiralty Grey.

I wrote to Humbrol and they gave me a number of a paint that was Admiralty Grey.

I bought a tin of this color and used a bit of it. I have found that Model Master German Uniform

Grey an acrylic is easier to work with and gives a better finish. It is also readilly available.

Dan (Dreadnough)

marmoi · « **Reply #15 on:** May 26, 2009, 08:27:28 pm »

Hi Ville,

Sorry if I am a bit late into this question of Dreadnought colour, but i thought you may like my input as it is my HMS dreadnought that is pictured at Ellesmere port above.

I spent a long time researching the early grey British Navy colours and drew a blank as to any definite specification. This may be in part as they were still experimenting with the colour grey and what should be the correct tone, but also due to the fact that the control of colours was primarily down to where it had been bought from and which dockyard they were being painted in.

So I went back to studying the photographs. Dreadnought is a good subject as she was always being photographed. If you have decided which year you are going to build your model for and study all the relevent photosgraphs ( and make sure they are dated correctly, by checking the details of the equipment shown), you can use known colours to work out the contrast and by trial and error with test samples and a camera, you can switch your pictures over to grey scale and see if the effects match. I did this for the model above with several grades of Grey and felt the nearest for the time I was building was Humbrol 167 Barley grey.

Hope this helps, if maybe a bit late.

Mark

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #16 on:** May 26, 2009, 09:16:54 pm »

There is still a bit of a danger that early black and white films did not accurately represent the degree of grey scale on the subject. This meant that photos did not give a true relative representation of the object being photographed.

Colin

marmoi · « **Reply #17 on:** May 27, 2009, 05:50:43 pm »

That is where the use of objects of known colours comes in. If you check dark colours such as Blacks and shadows for definition and the light colours such as skin and White Ensigns for contrast, you can arrive at a fairly accurate tone level for the Grey.

I agree that if the definition and the shadows is not good then the photograph cannot always be relied upon.

Mark

VilleH64 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 01, 2009, 09:28:47 am »

Hi Mark,

Congrats for Exellent Dreadnought modell, I hope I will get something comparatible done...You're not late at all. My current project has been delayed badly, and Dread is still peacefully in its box.

This 167 is really light grey, first I thought 64 or 129 might be good point to start...But if nothing else information come up, this is what i will use. Thanks a Lot!!

Br,

Ville H

marmoi · « **Reply #19 on:** June 01, 2009, 03:40:49 pm »

Hi Ville,

Yes, I was getting worried when I was experimenting with the Greys as the swatches I painted were almost to pale, but as you can see when applied to a larger area it had the desired affect.

Regards

Mark

p.s. My dreadnought was the wife's bed side cabinet for 3 years while I researched the project and found all the bits I wanted, had to buy hear a proper cabinet when I started the build

marmoi · « **Reply #20 on:** June 03, 2009, 10:22:24 pm »

Hi Ville,

Don't forget, that after you have gone to all the trouble to get the Grey right and the ship looking good, you will need a crew as well.

Mark

dreadnought72 · « **Reply #21 on:** June 04, 2009, 09:52:59 am »

Lovely pictures - which crew figures are these?

Caption competition:

Man standing aftmost on bridge: "Bloody chart's blown away again, sir!"

marmoi · « **Reply #22 on:** June 04, 2009, 01:52:13 pm »

The chart is coming, just takes a while to paint

The figures are from Deans Marine (with modifications, rifles etc.)

Mark

marmoi · « **Reply #23 on:** June 05, 2009, 05:34:20 pm »

Caption Competition 2:

Second Man says "It's okay Sir we have another chart"

News:

Author Topic: HMS Dreadnought: Colors? (Read 14314 times)

VilleH64

John @ WEM

VilleH64

VilleH64

Ron1

Ron1

Ron1

DARLEK1

VilleH64

dreadnought

marmoi

marmoi

VilleH64

marmoi

marmoi

marmoi

marmoi