Paint Matching - Manufacturer Question...

[ljudice]

This may not be your impression, but I've noticed that Kato seems to do a better job matching paint colors - from run to run, model to model, over years.  Atlas - at least with Conrail blue, seems to come up with a new color with every release.

It's nit picking, because the Atlas models are great, but I wonder if anyone else notices this and what the difference is??

[bobcat]

Kato has had discrepancies too, the last release of CN SD40-2s paint was much better than the paint on the CN C44-9Ws.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Could be, and I'd say it's a good thing, if the Kato CR color looked  anywhere near right to me.

[tom mann]

Could be that Atlas is trying to get it right, whereas Kato doesn't know it's wrong.*



*in the case of conrail blue, at least.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Compair the CR blue from the GP38-2/SD40/SD45/C30-7 to the 2nd run SD40/SD70MAC/SD80MAC... The first blue was too purple. The new blue is much closer but a shade too green. BTW, Conrail used two different shades of blue as well. They started off using somthing close to GN big sky blue but finished with somthing much lighter. If you compaired a restored pre-89 CR engine (after removing soot and sun bleaching) you would notice the color is much darker then 89+ engines (with frame stripe). Not sure why this is the case.

[Allentown Hump]

I challenge anyone here to find more than two Conrail engines that were painted with the same shade of blue, especially between '76 and '89...  ;D

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You know, I'm really thinking about writing something really profound about paint colors... maybe while on in-flight tonight.

[Allentown Hump]

Oh boy, can't wait to see what the cabin pressure at 30,000 feet does to Ed's brains for this next installment!  ;D ;D

[ljudice]

So, Daniel, you're saying the new run SD80MAC's don't match the old ones??

I don't think I need more than 2 of these, so I better pick up one of the old ones instead of 4100...

[ljudice]

What set me off were the recent Atlas GP38-2's which are definitely a half shade darker than anything they have done before. I am just hoping this was the outer limit of darkness.

Keeping the paint colors consistent for a manfacturer doesn't seem like such a big deal as they are mixing the whole thing from scratch anyway - right???

[engineshop]

Proberbly switching from lead to unleaded could make a difference.

[Walkercolt]

I swear Conrail Blue starts fading as soon as it leaves the spray gun! I've got some Conrail videos, and I don't think I've seen two Conrail engines even CLOSE to the same color. They start out blue, fade, turn grey, and then rust. I think a guy could go to Wal-Mart and pick up some Krylon or some "no-name" blues that would match SOME Conrail unit.... :