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NIR Bumblebee livery codes


murphaph
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Hi all,

Does anyone have some tried and tested colour codes for the NIR bumble bee livery. I am happy with Revell 52 for the deep blue but I could do with some pointers on the roof grey, the red dining stripe, the yellow first stripe, the yellow cheat line stripe (or whatever it's called, the actual bumble bee stripe yellow part), the light grey and the dark grey at the bottom? Please note I won't be able to do anything with Halfords etc. car paint names as I'm in Germany. I would need actual RAL codes or model paint manufacturers codes.

 

All the best,

Phil

 

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Thx chaps. I'm aware of the railtec lining which I'm sure is a great product given the quality of their transfers but I wanted to give the airbrush route a go first. I'll be using Railtec for all the numbering and lettering.

 

I am pretty sure when I checked the Phoenix Paints website they did not list the colours I need. They have the NIR blues but I am very happy with Revell 52 for that already. It matches the Murphy Models blue perfectly. Yeah I just double checked and they don't have the yellow or any of the Grey's listed on the Phoenix site.

 

Does anyone know if the roof grey is perhaps the same as BR roof grey as is available from Humbrol? I think it's RC212 (I would use it just to match up a water based acrylic to be honest, I'm not wanting to spray enamels)

 

What about the lower greys? Any ideas there? Even a car colour might help. I could try to locate a can here and match it up.

 

 

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Phil, you keep mentioning a two greys on the bottom half of the side. I am assuming that the 'dark grey' you refer to is the band along the bottom edge. This band is in fact black, although road dirt can make it appear greyish in many photos. I studied the 'Bumblebee' livery quite closely when it first appeared, which is when I discovered, after numerous swatches, that Revell 52 was the closest match for the blue, and Murphy Models confirmed this some twenty years or so later.  

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Hi David, yes indeed it was one of your posts over on IRM that led me to Revell 52 which I've also tested in acrylic and which for me is also a dead ringer for the MM blue.

 

Thanks for the info on the lower "grey" band. That obviously simplifies matters a lot.

 

Did you ever figure out codes for the light grey above the black band or did you do your excellent resprays by mixing by hand?

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One more question if I may...

 

How thick were the bumble bee stripes? I am trying some masking tape combinations and 1mm for the white stripes and 2mm for black and yellow seems to result in a band that is too deep (4mm scale by the way).

 

I could try to source some 0.75mn tape which seems rare enough and not available from any shops I'm currently a customer of. 0.5mm I can get easily however at a local shop.

 

 

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I think using decals would be easier and result in a better finish.  Masking and painting narrow stripes tends to leave a ridge of paint along the edge of the mask, which can be quite visible.  The decals would also be more likely to be straight and would avoid the risk of paint bleed.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

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I may buy one set to try. It's not a given that I would be able to get such a long transfer on straight to be honest. At least with masking tape you can pull it straight. I have done down to 1mm reverse masking on IR coaches with the airbrush with very satisfactory results, though this is a more complicated livery.

 

 

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On 27/06/2021 at 20:06, murphaph said:

I may buy one set to try. It's not a given that I would be able to get such a long transfer on straight to be honest. At least with masking tape you can pull it straight. I have done down to 1mm reverse masking on IR coaches with the airbrush with very satisfactory results, though this is a more complicated livery.

 

 

Hi Lay the long stripe on if say 4 pieces easier to manipulate Also make a break for the grab handles and let the around the end be over long - decal softening solution useful as well . On a gloss surface the railtec transfer adhere very well and it may be possible to have a short piece between grab  and the door edge "trench" on the body side . 

I was told to slide lining transfers off the side of the backing paper - going length ways can cause stretching, another reason for doing having shorter sections.  At least the window frames give a good register to help keep all in the right place. 

Good luck and look forward to seeing works  - which reminds me I need to get back to my coaches but day job in the way !

Robert  

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Thanks Robert. I have indeed ordered a single transfer to try and given the high price per coach (twice as much as I paid for the coaches themselves!) I have ordered a sheet of transfer paper to attempt my own transfer printing.

 

I'll try all these methods and go with the one I feel most comfortable with. 

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If printing these coloured bands on decal paper you are best using white decal paper rather than clear as the lighter colours will show better on the white base.  With a clear base they show up a bit diluted and wishy washy when placed on the model.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

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2 hours ago, murphaph said:

Thanks Robert. I have indeed ordered a single transfer to try and given the high price per coach (twice as much as I paid for the coaches themselves!) I have ordered a sheet of transfer paper to attempt my own transfer printing.

 

I'll try all these methods and go with the one I feel most comfortable with. 


Which coaches are you using?
 

Cheers

 

Darius

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Cheers Darius, yes I've ordered white backed decal paper. I think this is basically essential because my printer can't print white.

 

I'm using Lima mk2b's, mostly ex FKs. Some TSOs and eventually BFKs to be modified into EGVs.

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Thanks Pat. I did. It's just a scrap coach for testing paint schemes on though. Having said that I do intend on removing these on the "production run" and replacing with wire grab handles and cast door handles. They cost very little but add a lot I feel so worth the effort.

 

I will also make a greater effort to get the finished stripes to sit down into the door shuts. I didn't even give this test job a coat of gloss varnish before applying this stripe. I just wanted to know would it roughly work, and it does. I can refine my techniques now.

 

I'm grateful for the suggestions pushing me towards a transfer rather than painting up each colour. There is significantly less work this way and I think the end result is going to be much better too. The black ink cartridge needs an alignment run on it however. 

 

I've ordered Railtec transfers for the remaining lettering. 

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