Colourcoats paint

[zuludog]

I brush paint with enamel paint, mostly Humbrol but over the years I've acquired & used various other brands
Recently I've noticed a couple of things about enamel paint -

I hear that changes to the rules & regulations, and the formulations mean that modern enamel paint is not as good as it used to be
As acrylic paint & airbrushing has become much more popular, so enamel paint is not as common as it was.

So although I have enough paint for the moment I thought I'd stock up for the future, and I've found Colourcoat paint on t'Net, and I'm thinking of trying that

Has anyone used it? ....... any good? ........ other comments?

 

[Tim Marlow]

Sorry, not used colourcoat paint. I think Bob the Stug has been using it recently for his ship models.

However, as a modeller that exclusively brush painted enamels (mostly humbrols, but including Phoenix precision and model master) until I decided to go acrylic in the early noughties, I would agree about the changes impacting quality. Very early enamels, up to the late seventies, were superb. Easy to mix, long lasting, and free flowing. I have some from the seventies that are still as good as the day I bought them. Once they started tinkering with the formula to speed up drying, and gradually lost some of the more toxic chemicals, the paint became harder to use. It was much more difficult to get a brush mark free finish and coverage declined as well. Pigment size appeared to increase, making the paint grainy, and some colours, such as flesh colour, settled out quickly and solidified at the bottom of the pot. Quality, pot to pot, also became very hit and miss. Some pots excellent, others unusable.
One area enamels were unsurpassed until very recently was in metallic colours. Humbrol metalcote paint was my gold standard. Acrylic paint just couldn’t match it. Very grainy texture, poor coverage, large particle size, acrylics had all the problems. The Darkstar acrylic range were the first I found that could at least compete, and they finally enabled me to go completely acrylic for brush painting. Recently, I would say the newer vallejo metal colour range has consigned my metalcote paint to the drawer for good though.
I still think enamels are better than acrylics for dry brushing. I believe the decline in enamel usage coincided with the reduction in dry brushing as a technique.

 

[davecov]

I have used Humbrol and Colourcoats enamels for years. I found that the last reincarnation of the Humbrol enamels and Colourcoats were both excellent when used in an airbrush but the Colourcoats were more predictable when it came to thinning - 50% ratio worked fine every time with them. Humbrol not always the case. Both brush fine but only if you apply many thin coats. You will find some of my ship builds dotted around the forum and they were mainly painted with Colourcoats.

I heartily recommend Colourcoats and even though I have lots of their enamels already, I will be stocking up today at their stand at the Scottish Nationals in Perth.

Dave

 

[stona]

Colourcoats are my main paints and I use them predominantly and have been doing so for many years, long before Sovereign Hobbies took over the brand. Kudos to them for maintaining the standard, something not always the case in such circumstances.

If you want to use a 'traditional' type of enamel paint you won't go wrong with them.

Their aircraft colours are very good, very accurate, better than most of the competition and far better than some (I can't speak for others, ships, vehicles etc., as I don't know enough about them).

They brush paint well and airbrush superbly. As another answer intimates, they are easy to thin and are very tolerant of inexact thinning ratios, which is just as well, given my method

I thin with generic white spirits and have never had any issues. Clean up with generic cellulose thinners. There is no need to invest in any fancy and vastly overpriced 'branded' solvents.

 

[Ian M]

As another colour coats user I can only agree with Steve above.
I find that the finish is the same if brushed on as a touch up.
Humbrol is now banned in European EU countries due to one of the components in the paint. So how long before they are either changed or lost to all including GB. Colour coats does not contain the chemical in question.

 

[zuludog]

Thanks for your replies
I think I'll order a couple of RAF Sets and see how I go on with those.

 

[stillp]

Humbrol is now banned in European EU countries due to one of the components in the paint.

Any idea what that component is Ian?
Pete

 

[stillp]

Any idea what that component is Ian?
Pete

I asked Mr Google, and found this on the Test Valley Models site:
"Hornby's statement on its Humbrol Enamel range of products issued to the model shop was as follows:

"The CLP (Classification, Labelling & Packaging) Regulation regularly assesses and occasionally reclassifies chemicals. “Meko”, a popular anti-skinning agent, extensively used in the paint industry has been reclassified under CLP. The change in classification resulted in the substance being phased out for supply to the consumer in Europe. The affected paint cannot be sold to the general public after 1st March 2022 under the REACH Regulation."

Test Valley Models has said that Humbrol isn't offering retailers a credit or any form of reimbursement for stock purchased before January 1, 2022, and that "as such, from March 30 2022 Test Valley Models will no longer sell any Humbrol products."

The retailer ended its statement with, "As Humbrol are part of the Hornby group of companies, Test Valley Models is also considering its position on stocking any Hornby group related products."

Presumably this explains why Hobbycraft have severed connections with Airfix and Humbrol.
Pete

 

[zuludog]

Well, I tried to place an order with Colourcoats yesterday, mostly for WW2 RAF colours, but changed my mind

I suspect Colourcoats is a small company with small production runs, and a couple of the colours I wanted were not available
Their packaging is a bit expensive owing to the nature of the product and the rules & regulations, at £7-50p for 1 to 11 tins, so I'll wait till they have all the colours I want , to spread the P&P
I'm on their email notification list, so we'll see.

 

[Ian M]

Well, I tried to place an order with Colourcoats yesterday, mostly for WW2 RAF colours, but changed my mind

I suspect Colourcoats is a small company with small production runs, and a couple of the colours I wanted were not available
Their packaging is a bit expensive owing to the nature of the product and the rules & regulations, at £7-50p for 1 to 11 tins, so I'll wait till they have all the colours I want , to spread the P&P
I'm on their email notification list, so we'll see.

It is indeed a cottage (or garage) enterprise. The paint is mixed to order as stock is depleted and sent to them in bulk. Then is is very thoroughly stirred/shaken and then poured into the smaller tins and tinlets. It is even James that sprays the lids from the batch that is in the tins so there is also that as a control that the colour is correct. You can read all about it on their home page.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Blimey, that’s expensive postage. Looks like their thinner is basically Ronson lighter fluid as well…..I used to spray Humbrol using that as a thinner. Sprays superbly. Needs good ventilation though.

 

[dave]

In Europe Meko was added to Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation, as a carcinogen and therefore products containing it cannot be sold to the general public after 1st March 2022

 

[Ian M]

I asked Mr Google, and found this on the Test Valley Models site:
"Hornby's statement on its Humbrol Enamel range of products issued to the model shop was as follows:

"The CLP (Classification, Labelling & Packaging) Regulation regularly assesses and occasionally reclassifies chemicals. “Meko”, a popular anti-skinning agent, extensively used in the paint industry has been reclassified under CLP. The change in classification resulted in the substance being phased out for supply to the consumer in Europe. The affected paint cannot be sold to the general public after 1st March 2022 under the REACH Regulation."

Test Valley Models has said that Humbrol isn't offering retailers a credit or any form of reimbursement for stock purchased before January 1, 2022, and that "as such, from March 30 2022 Test Valley Models will no longer sell any Humbrol products."

The retailer ended its statement with, "As Humbrol are part of the Hornby group of companies, Test Valley Models is also considering its position on stocking any Hornby group related products."

Presumably this explains why Hobbycraft have severed connections with Airfix and Humbrol.
Pete

So they gave withdrawn it from the UK market as well then?

 

[Tim Marlow]

Probably not Ian. UK REACH and EU REACH are separate regulatory entities, albeit with a common goal. The regulations would have been the same when the split occurred, and UK REACH was taken into UK law, but newer EU regulations may now not be adopted by the UK at the same time.

 

[stillp]

Probably will be though Tim, unless adopting the EU regs would cause a significant disadvantage for the UK economy.
Pete