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Author Topic: Union Castle colours  (Read 5306 times)

john strapp

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Union Castle colours
« on: January 22, 2008, 01:44:12 pm »

Can anyone help me get the right hull colour for a Union castle cargo ship, the ROCHESTER CASTLE?
I've tried with a Dulux shade card against a colour photo and got the paint mixed, but it has not come out right   YUK!
J.S.
 
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2008, 02:05:11 pm »

A bit too lilac on my screen! The Union Castle hull colour is notoriously difficult to reproduce on a model. I think it was officially described as "Lavender Grey". What made matters worse is that it looked different depending on the lighting conditions. I have a book of Union Castle postcards and the shade is different in just about every one! Years ago I made a model of the first Dunnottar Castle and it took me ages to get a shade I was reasonably happy with.

I think you need to start with a light grey and then gradually introduce red/pink until it begins to take on some colour. Grey with a distinctly pink/mauveish tinge is what you need to aim at.

Nice looking model though!

P.S. I've just looked at a Dulux Trade Colour Card and I reckon that the closest matches would be "Lilac Love" or "Gentle Lavender". I'd say that for a model it would be somewhere between these two.
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DickyD

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2008, 02:24:35 pm »

Hi John the hull colour was described as Grey/Lavender.
Unfortunately I'm colour blind but it is going to be one of the Dulux lavenders as Colin says.

http://www.dulux.co.uk/colours/index.jsp         Type Lavender in the search box.

Loads of photos on here.  http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/UnionCastle4.html


 O0
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2008, 02:49:55 pm »

Just found my Dulux retail colour card from Homebase. You can get "Gentle Lavender" in Satinwood paint. That's probably the nearest you will get off the shelf. Maybe just a very tiny bit too dark to my eye but I reckon it would look OK on a model.
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DickyD

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2008, 04:12:08 pm »

In WW2 the navy found that the Union Castle colour was good for camouflage so they painted several of their ships in the same colour and it was called Mountbatten Pink.

Check this out ,it might help.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountbatten_pink    O0
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DavieTait

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Colin Bishop

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2008, 04:45:14 pm »

The trouble with comparing colours on your PC screen is that the settings don't always render them correctly although it is possible to calibrate the screen to improve things.
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john strapp

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2008, 05:18:45 pm »

Thanks Colin, I'll try B&Q tomorrow for paint - its pensioners discount day!
 and thanks Davie,  I've registered with Shipnostalgia now. JS
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riggers24

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2008, 05:47:03 pm »

John,

Have a look on the website below, a fellow member of the forum "positive" has built a union castle vessel and I am sure if you were to drop him a email he would help.

http://miniatureships.blogspot.com/2006/10/mulbera-moravian.html

Scrol down to the bottom of the page and you will see the model I am on about the "Winchester Castle"

Hope this helps

Riggers
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2008, 06:05:13 pm »

A friend of mine, Ronnie Lawson, now sadly no longer with us built a large model (medal winning) of the Stirling Castle about 12 years ago. In his write up in Model Shipwright he described the "official" colour of the hull as "French Grey". Dulux do this in their "Heritage" range and it looks very similar on screen to the other two shades I identified earlier. You may be able to buy tester pots at your local Dulux dealer.

See: http://www.heritagepaints.co.uk/light_french_grey.html for sample.
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John W E

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2008, 09:52:39 pm »

Sir Strapp

Isnt it funny how things come back to haunt one?  I thought this topic was familiar and that I knew something about this colour and the Union Castle ships;  but,  I could not put my finger on it......until I was sitting - looking at one of my other models and then the penny dropped.  Mountbatten Pink....its the one I did all the research on, I spent weeks researching the colour and shades of Mountbatten Pink and ............

"Mountbatten was escorting a convoy and noted that one ship in the group vanished from view much earlier than the remainder, a Union Castle liner that was still painted in its pre-war medium lavender mauve grey hull colour. Mountbatten became so convinced of this pigment's efficacy as a camouflage during the dawn and dusk periods, before the sun was visible but was near enough to the horizon to tint the sky this shade of pink, that he had all of the destroyers of his flotilla (the 5th flotilla) painted with a similar pigment, a medium grey (507B) with a small amount of Venetian Red mixed in. By early 1941 several other ship captains began using the same camouflage, though no formal testing was done to determine how well it worked."

If you really do want a true match to the colours I know that White Ensign Models helped me out a lot and they may be able to give you a proper colour match as they did for me.   If it turns out that the colour you are after is very very close to Mountbatten Pink that I used - which is coded WEMCCRN18 - I have four spare tinlets - and you are more than welcome to have them.

The only thing I would add is; you are going to have pay the import duty and taxes for the paint across the border into your side of the waters.

 :o :o

aye
John e
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DickyD

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2008, 09:58:56 pm »

Nice to know I gave the penny a shove for you John  O0
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John W E

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2008, 10:05:14 pm »

Dicky, my hands are up - I am guilty; same as everyone else on this forum, read the first post and last post  :D :D :D 

Dicky is this the first sign of senile dementia, would YOU KNOW ....  :embarrassed: :embarrassed: :embarrassed:

aye
john e
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DickyD

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2008, 10:07:45 pm »

Would I know what ? :-\
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Bunkerbarge

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2008, 10:28:52 pm »

Sir Strapp

Isnt it funny how things come back to haunt one?  I thought this topic was familiar and that I knew something about this colour and the Union Castle ships;  but,  I could not put my finger on it......until I was sitting - looking at one of my other models and then the penny dropped.  Mountbatten Pink....its the one I did all the research on, I spent weeks researching the colour and shades of Mountbatten Pink and ............

"Mountbatten was escorting a convoy and noted that one ship in the group vanished from view much earlier than the remainder, a Union Castle liner that was still painted in its pre-war medium lavender mauve grey hull colour. Mountbatten became so convinced of this pigment's efficacy as a camouflage during the dawn and dusk periods, before the sun was visible but was near enough to the horizon to tint the sky this shade of pink, that he had all of the destroyers of his flotilla (the 5th flotilla) painted with a similar pigment, a medium grey (507B) with a small amount of Venetian Red mixed in. By early 1941 several other ship captains began using the same camouflage, though no formal testing was done to determine how well it worked."

If you really do want a true match to the colours I know that White Ensign Models helped me out a lot and they may be able to give you a proper colour match as they did for me.   If it turns out that the colour you are after is very very close to Mountbatten Pink that I used - which is coded WEMCCRN18 - I have four spare tinlets - and you are more than welcome to have them.

The only thing I would add is; you are going to have pay the import duty and taxes for the paint across the border into your side of the waters.

 :o :o

aye
John e
bluebird


John,

Not sure what water you are referring to but I'm on my way back to the States in just less than two weeks and I can take some small tins of paint with me and post them internally when I get there.
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john strapp

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2008, 10:50:20 pm »

Bluebird.
Its a good job you can type as the Makems can't do joiny up writing! {-)
Still, the missionaries will help you when they get across the water soon as the new tunnel is built
JS
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john strapp

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2008, 08:40:45 am »

Hi Colin, been out and got a sample of Dulux "gentle lavender", and  its as near as dammit to what I think would be Union Castle lavender grey many thanks . JS
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Union Castle colours
« Reply #17 on: January 24, 2008, 08:58:38 am »

That's great! Post a new picture when you've done the repaint, it will be interesting to make the comparison.
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