Humbrol rail colours any good?

[RBTKraisee]

I'm trying to find a source for good rail paints here in the US.   UK companies can't ship paints to the US as they are considered hazardous materials.   Anyway, Humbrol are one of the only companies that officially sell "UK rail colours" over here and I wanted to ask what people's opinions are regarding their use?

How do they compare to colours used on mainstream models such as Dapol and Farish?

I'd appreciate any other feedback too, such as how easy they are to use and what sorts of thinners work well with them.

Cheers,

Ross.

https://www.paint4models.com/humbrol-railcolour.html

[ntpntpntp]

By "UK rail colours" do you mean rail liveries rather than specific hues for painting the rail?

I've used Humbrol enamel colours since the 60s and they are my "go to" paints where an acrylic (such as Tamiya) won't do the job so well.  They have a good range of colours.  As always they need to be mixed thoroughly.  I use their own enamel thinners.

I have a Humbrol colour chart book with swatches of the actual paints which is handy for matching to models, and the book also has "recipies" for achieving other colours not in the range.

Humbrol also do an acrylic range I think but I've not played with those.

[PLD]

The Humbrol "Railway Colours" range has I believe been discontinued. (They were Acrylics not Enamels which most modellers seem to prefer). They were reported as a reasonable match to contemporary Hornby models, (Hornby being the parent company) but that's no guarantee of matching other manufacturers models - Bachmann have used at least 3 different "BR Green"s  and as for Dapol's interpretation of BR Blue...

With regards to Humbrol Enamels in general, they have been through several phases as manufacturing locations have changed.
Original Hull made samples are very good, and last almost forever so long as the tins are properly sealed after use.
For a few years, production was moved overseas (Indonesia I think) and they were horrid. Black, Blues, and Greens in particular were like unspreadable treacle, and you were lucky if you could use the tin more than twice before it went solid.
Current production is in Manchester, and while it doesn't have the shelf life of the original recipe, most colours are pretty decent. They do sometimes get a bit thick, but can usually be reactivated with suitable thinners and some vigorous stirring...

[RBTKraisee]

I'm building a fairly eclectic mix of UK rail through the ages, but I guess I'm looking for the main colours that are so distinctive on the UK rail system such as GWR/BR Green, Maunsell Green, Malachite Green, Apple Green, Southern Green, Crimson Lake, a suitable Red & Cream to match Blood & Custard coaches, BR Diesel Blue, Intercity Grey and maybe a yellow that matches the front of most diesels.

Most other colours I can probably find something suitable to use from local sources.

If they're no longer in production - and assuming they are worth getting - I should probably pick some up as the acrylic UK rail paints are all currently in stock, directly from their website, for example:   https://us.humbrol.com/products/gwrbr-green-rc405-acrylic-rail-paint-ab2405

Ross.

[PLD]

Interesting... ...

They're no longer listed on the Humbrol UK website... 
https://uk.humbrol.com/search?q=rc%20405&category=all_products&resultType=product
Guess old stock in the US warehouse?

[Platy767]

I'd appreciate any other feedback too, such as how easy they are to use and what sorts of thinners work well with them.

You didn't say if you were brush or spray painting. I started with an airbrush in September 2021 and have since sprayed quite a few models, with Humbrol, Precision and Revel enamels, Tamiya acrylic and some locally produced lacquers. For thinning in the both airbrush and palette for brush painting I use Mr Hobby Levelling Thinner. If you are in need of airbrush tips and techniques, I recommend Barbatos Rex on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_66OBQNO8jXkHjlxnnxT-A

Mark

[RBTKraisee]

I'd appreciate any other feedback too, such as how easy they are to use and what sorts of thinners work well with them.

You didn't say if you were brush or spray painting. I started with an airbrush in September 2021 and have since sprayed quite a few models, with Humbrol, Precision and Revel enamels, Tamiya acrylic and some locally produced lacquers. For thinning in the both airbrush and palette for brush painting I use Mr Hobby Levelling Thinner. If you are in need of airbrush tips and techniques, I recommend Barbatos Rex on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_66OBQNO8jXkHjlxnnxT-A

Mark

Thanks Mark, I'm planning to do both brush and spray.

I've still got a lot to learn about both and I'm definitely still looking for advice, so thanks for the link.

I did see his
How To Airbrush Acrylics.Perfect Every Time !! video on the NGF thread a while back and it has certainly proven useful. I also saw his vid on
Alclad metallic paints and was seriously impressed with what they could achieve, so a few of those went straight into my arsenal here

Ross.

[icairns]

Being based in the United States (like @RBTKraisee ), I have spent many years trying to find a good source of UK rail livery paints stateside.  I have also spent a small fortune buying colors (note: no "u") available here in the US in the hope that they match the UK livery color that I am looking for. 

Unfortunately, whatever you see on a color chart, computer screen, or even on the lid of the tin, the finished color often doesn't match what I am looking for (or at least what my eyes interpret as the "correct" color).

Having said that, I have used the Humbrol colors available in the United States extensively, and like @ntpntpntp , they are my "go to" paints for railway modelling. 

I try to use Humbrol acrylic aerosol spray paints whenever I can and my experience includes the following (all spray paints):

#3 Brunswick Green
I have only used this for a BR brake tender.  It is good, but a slightly different shade from the color used by Graham Farish and Dapol.  The Humbrol paint seems a little lighter and brighter. 

#85 Satin Black
Very good.  I use it for all my steam locos followed by a coat of varnish (either Humbrol acrylic or Testors (whichever is available).  Very pleased with the results. 

#67 Tank Grey
My new favorite color!  Although it is described as a dark grey, it is really a light black.  I used it to repaint the roofs of my fleet of Farish pullman coaches (the ones with the original white roofs which always looked odd to my eyes).  This has vastly improved their appearance, in my opinion.
I have also used Tank Grey on a few wagon underframes and they look good. 

#1 Primer
I tend to use whatever spray primer comes to hand.  I have used the Humbrol grey primer and it is very good but more expensive than primers available in local hardware stores. 

I do not typically use the Humbrol tinlets as I prefer spraying and I do not always feel like getting my airbrush out for a small job.

However, I do have experience with Humbrol RC406 tinlet which is described as "Buffer Beam Red".  It is NOT!  It is a distinctly pink/red and not like buffer bean red or home signal red at all. 

As for thinners, because I usually use aerosol sprays, I do not usually thin my paint very much.  When I do, I use the thinners produced by whatever paint brand I am using to ensure compatibility.

I hope this helps.

Ian

[Panpa]

I have only used one Humbrol Rail Colour - RC411. I have found this to be an excellent colour match with the shade of BR blue that Dapol use on their blue Hymeks. During lockdown number one (right at the start), I purchased (among other things) a Dapol dummy Hymek (D7035). There was a small but noticeable scratch down one side side. Rather than return the model , I purchased some of the aforementioned RC411 acrylic paint and attempted to paint over the scratch using thinned RC411 using the smallest brush that I had. I can honestly say that I cannot tell where the scratch was. I have two of the BR Blue dummy Hymeks  (same number) and I can't tell which one had the scratch.

So, a thumbs up from me from my one and only experience using them!

[RBTKraisee]

Ian and Panpa, thanks for the specific advice on those colo(u)rs!

I'll stay clear of the Buffer Beam Red, but it's good to hear that their enamel Brunswick Green and especially acrylic BR Blue seem to work well.

I usually try to use the appropriate thinner from the same manufacturer, but I am always interested to learn how some of the "universal" thinners work with various paints.

Ross.