OcCre Paint Conversion

[kgstakes]

I'm new to this forum so forgive me if I'm not posting correctly.

 

What I'm looking for is a conversion chart or list of other paint colors for the OcCre Mississippi riverboat.  I sorry but 124 bucks for paint colors is way too much for me.   One of the colors that is puzzling to me is 19141 - Judea Bitumen.   What color is this??  I come from the model railroad world and I'm thinking it's like a grimy black or engine black (hopefully someone knows what I'm talking about.  The other colors seem to be pretty common.  Here's a complete list of paint colors I'm looking for a conversion of Vallejo or Mission Models or MicroMark paint colors.

 

 

• 19141 - Judea Bitumen
• 19142 - Primer
• 19300 - White
• 19301 - Black
• 19305 - Ochre
• 19306 - Yellow
• 19307 - Dark Brown
• 19310 - Red
• 19314 - Light Green
• 19315 - Dark Green
• 19380 - Gold
• 19381 - Copper
• 19382 - Silver
• 19384 - Grey1
• 19386 - Grey3
• 19209 - Satin Varnish

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Roger Pellett]

These river boats were painted with cheap readily available colors. Bitumen is of course petroleum based tar, a byproduct of reducing coal to coke.  It would have been used for tar paper on upper level decks not subject to foot traffic.  White would have been white lead.  Bright (expensive) colors would have been in applications intended to attract customers.  Model railroad colors should be fine.

 

BTW, MSW has A resident riverboat expert.  He hangs out on the Scratch Built Models 1850-1900 area under the name Cathead.  He knows many times more about Western Rivers Steamboats than all of the European kit companies put together.  Look up one or more of his outstanding models.

 

Roger

[Bob Cleek]

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These are Occre colors. Of course, they are only as accurate as your screen can make them. I'd strongly advise you to get a copy of the Ship Modeler's Shop Notes, volumes one and two. (Ship Modeler's Shop Notes, Vol. I – Nautical Research Guild and Ship Modeler's Shop Notes, Vol. 2 – Nautical Research Guild (thenrgstore.org) (thenrgstore.org) Volume 2 has an excellent discussion about painting miniatures. (Buy Volume 1 at the same time and perhaps save some on shipping. They are classics and chock full of great information. You'll want them both.) Then get a color wheel if you have to but consider mixing your own colors from high quality tubed artists' oils or acrylics. There are plenty of how-to-do-it articles on mixing your own colors for modeling on YouTube. Once you free yourself from buying pre-mixed colors in tiny little bottles for big bucks, you can save an amazing amount of money on paints. 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Bob Cleek

[Roger Pellett]

The Shop Notes article that Bob mentions is a slightly abbreviated version of one published in about 1990 by maritime history researcher and professional model builder Eric Ronnberg.  As far is I am concerned it is the definitive word on actual Nineteenth Century paint colors and how to “miniaturize”  them for ship models.  The article includes color chips.  Highly recommended!  

 

Roger

 

 

[kgstakes]

Thank you !!  To everyone on helping me the paint colors for my model.  Greatly appreciated.  I've also found that artist tube paints are the way to go for my model railroading as well.  Those pre made colors can be great for certain things but you all are right mixing your own colors is best.

 

I just didn't know what some of the colors were like that Judea Bitumen never seen or heard of that color before.  Also, thought well if the kit says to use this or that color might as well my those colors.  But holy cow OcCre paints are expensive.

 

I will definitely look into getting those books and also look up the other information everyone suggested.

 

Thanks again.

 

KG (Kurt)

[Roger Pellett]

Since you are mixing your own colors you might consider adding just a touch of brown to your black Bitumen paint.  Also, you can scale down your colors by adding a little neutral grey.  The idea is to reproduce the effect of looking at the real boat from a distance.  For example, looking at a 1:48 scale model from a distance of 1 ft is equivalent to looking at the real thing from a distance of 48ft.

 

Roger

[kgstakes]

Like I do on my model railroad layout.  See picture

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by kgstakes

[kgstakes]

So basically paint everything that needs to be painted but tone the colors down a bit.  Basically what I would call “light weathering”.  Still see the colors but “faded just a touch”.

 

 Am I understanding you correctly?  More or less?

Edited October 5, 2023 by kgstakes

[Bob Cleek]

"More" is the correct answer. You've got it. It's no different than your model railroad work. Exactly the same. And the smaller the scale, the more you tone it down because the "scale viewing distance" will be greater the smaller the scale you are working in.

 

I'm glad you mentioned that you are among those of us who have started to mix our own paint from tubed artist's colors. The palate for marine models is far smaller and less demanding that railroad models, at least for those railroad cars that have to be exactly the right color livery. I never could figure how some guys have amassed those huge collections of eight and twelve dollar one or one and a half ounce bottles of various colors. It never made much sense to me unless I had to have the marine equivalent of Pennsylvania Rail Road Pullman green, which has so far been never. The modelers of modern naval vessels do have some challenges matching colors, particularly when the various combatant navies used various shades of grey and blue-gray at different times during the same war and after the invention of color photographic film. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Bob Cleek