--- In acwmb@yahoogroups.com, elcidmaximus@... wrote:
>
> Hi Guys,
> well after a long period of inactivity due to illness I am finally
getting around to painting some figures.
> I intend to use either Humbrol, Tamiya or Vallejo. My question is
what shade to use for the basic uniform for both Union & Confederate.
(ie Jacket, trousers?hat/kepi and webbing.
> I have checked the color charts but cannot me? up my mind as? to
which color is the most suitable for blue and grey etc.
>
> Secondly,?what rules are the best for large scale battles. I was
thinking of Fire & Fury. Any suggestions most appreciated????
> TIA
>
> Frank

Here's a site that lists off testors colors:
hat.com/ColorsACW.html

And I don't recall where I got the following, but it was from
somebody who included that site above, and said he used it to come up
with Vallejo paints, as follows:

At first, I mixed various paint colors and tried to match the color
plates in the Osprey books. That got old! So then I tried colors
straight from the bottle. Here is a list of the Vallejo colors I use,
plus some other brands:

Coat, Cap -- 807 Oxford Blue
Trousers -- 844 Deep Sky Blue
Blanketroll -- 990 Light Gray
Haversack, Pack, Ammo Pouch, Straps, Shoes, Belt, Holster, Scabbard --
168 Black Gray (I also use Delta Ceramcoat Black)
Canteen Cover -- 807 Oxford Blue or light tan (don't have Vallejo
tan, I use Delta Ceramcoat Bambi Brown)
Canteen Top, Cup, Bayonet, Sword blade -- 865 Oily Steel or
metalic-silver (don't have Vallejo silver, I have a cheap craft store
brand. But metalic-silver bayonets and sword blades look *much*
better than oily steel IMO)
Officers Only: Buttons, Epaullettes, Belt Buckle -- Gold (not
Vallejo, craft store brand again)
Officers Only: Sash -- 908 Carmine Red
Rifle, Flag Pole, Saddle, Drum Sticks -- 940 Saddle Brown (Yes,
that's right, I paint the drumsticks on the Perrin drummer boys and
yes, I know about the "3-foot rule" ;-D).
Drum Body -- Mix 807 Oxford Blue and 925 Intense Blue (may switch to
Delta Ceramcoat Denim Blue)
Drum Rim, top/bottom -- 908 Carmine Red
Drum…whatever…the part that gets hit by the drumstick -- 951 White
Carriages, Limbers -- Some may laugh at this, but Americana Light
Avocado, a craft store brand, matches *exactly* the light olive drab
shown in Osprey color plates.
Limber Seat -- Testor's Enamel 1151 Copper (looks just like a shiny
new U.S. penny)
Cannon Barrel, Smoothbore -- Gold craft store brand again; the gold
looks like highly polished bronze
Cannon Barrel, Rifled -- Mix 865 Oily Steel and 168 Black Gray

Again, according to my notes (which were culled from a forum posting
somewhere - sorry I didn't note where), there were a few issues with
the use of Oxford Blue for the main dark blue.

One fellow agreed with the bulk of the list, but preferred 899 Dark
Prussian Blue to replace Oxford Blue, and used 943 grey blue for the
pants.

Another used vallejo dark blue, and then washed it with black to
darken it. Then drybrushed over that lightly with dark blue again,
so that it lightened it up a little on the highlights. He thought
Prussian Blue was too dark.

A third fellow said that on a black undercoat, Prussian Blue
disappears (making it look black) so it's far too dark. And he also
said that the Oxford Blue looked wonderful on a black undercoat, but
yes, a tad greyish. He tried mising the two colors, and didn't like
the result. SO he was going to try the dark blue then black-ink
suggestion.

So there you have it, all the testor or vallejo colors you could
need ... except no single out-of-the-bottle blue suitable for the
union coats.

I have no figures as of yet, so no personal advice to offer.
However, a lazy type, and no good at mixing, whn I get around to
painting, I find the slosest color I can find and go with that. I
don't bother mixing colors. So from the above, I would either try
Oxford on a test mini, and see if I liked ita nd I would try the dark
blue on another, and compare.

Hope that helps.

Steve