Hey All, I’m trying to match the color for a 40’ trailer for Superior Fast Freight. The Microscale Decal sheet reccomends “Jade Green”, but the photo I have shows a more blue color. What other color would you guys reccomend?
See attached photo, taken near Fresno, CA in July 1985.
Guys, with a little editing in Photoshop, I concentrated on the sky color and brightness and got the colors closer to natural. Got the trailer to move closer towards that Jade Green, what do you think?
I’d try what is reccomended, the jade green, and not depend too much on a photo.
Get the green, do a test panel on a piece of white styrene. Let it dry thoroughly.
Mike.
Looking at the color of the sky in that photo, I would think that the ambient light was not the best to produce colors accurately.
Can you locate another photograph?
-Kevin
Instructions for Mircoscale decal set for Superior Fast Freight mentions trailer color closely approximates Floquil Jade Green. Oops, sorry, U already know that.
Regards, Peter P.S. sent U a P.M.
The same picture, on another forum, shows a more jadelike color:
This is still darker than other references that show an almost NYC/PC color jade.
The OP’s picture had a sky that had magenta in it. There is probably a way in photoshop type software to filter that out and get a better idea. I’d go with jade and some weathering.
If any body has the book ‘‘PIGGYBACK COLOR GUIDE VOLUME 2: I TO X by JAMES KINKAID’’, look at page #79 top photo taked December 1983 on Tehachapi Loop. Maybe not pure Jade, but has a tint of blue in it. The sun is high and to the rear of the trailer.
Hello,
When I saw the color on the Superior trailer my mind immediately recalled the old “Dark Teal” color that was popular with Sears-Roebuck back in the '60s and '70s:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ertl-sears-1970s-transtar-truck-1794709468
To my eye it is a bit darker and perhaps a touch of blue added to the Microscale recommendation of “Jade” green (AKA Century green to the New York Central).
Century_green by Edmund, on Flickr
Microscale does a great job with their research but I have found some of their documentation, and they admit this, as simply a starting point or suggestion.
Century_green_RBL by Edmund, on Flickr
I can’t say my lighting or camera white balance is perfect but IMHO the Jade/Century green seems to be a bit on the light side. IF you use it as a starting point I would plan on adding a drop or two of dark gray and perhaps a drop of blue to your mix.
HOWEVER (there’s always a however):
Take a look at this photo (the paint may be sun-bleached and faded)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rwmods/14047423983/in/photolist-PBNKdG-oGFMUC-rwB48b-npjHKe
That almost looks like sky blue, or Robin’s egg blue?
[2c] Good Luck, Ed
If you want to start a great load of discussion and different references for the color and perhaps paint codes used on the equipment, go to RyPN and sic this question on user NVPete (see the thread on Reading paint color for an idea where this will then go…)
While doing the editing work I noticed that there was a unauthorized passenger. [:O]
That fellow hiding in there really speaks to how dark the photo is.
Now, I’m assuming that the color didn’t change over the years. Athearn did a different trailer and this is the color they chose:
I also came across this:
At first, I thought that it would be more of a teal, but it looks like a slightly darker jade green to me.
That’s making me think a 60’s Ford Turquoise might work best.
Looks excellent to my eye.
Looks great! Excellent work!
