[Closed] A word on Brooklin's new 1936 Buick

Good thoughts, Sir John. I have been looking at paint chips on the web for a '38 Willys and see similar problems. There's no way that I can be sure of a close match; there are too many variations in print, color deterioration, and my own viewer. So far I've narrowed it to "Rolls Royce Blue" and "Rust." The first is a soft, medium blue and the second a red/brown. So I will go to the paint store and look at possibilities. I prefer my 1:43 models in lighter colors but Willys had none in '38. Even their gray was "gun metal."

My contribution on this subject

I have found that original color charts are not too difficult to locate for most American cars. See ebay item number 130388673381 for an example. Purchasing a specific year and model sheet and having it in hand is much better reference than a computer monitor for sure.

Over the last 20 or so years, I have accumulated books of these color charts, usually found in large ring binders covering many years and makes, at large car show vendor areas. With these I can see actual samples for most cars from the mid-1930s to recent. Believe it or not, current and near current model year color information is the hardest to obtain.

David, see item number 330390863418 for 1938 Willys colors.

David, I completely agree with you.......

As a Buick restorer for many years, I have never had a problem to find a perfect match to an original period color.

I can even match the exact paint pigments of a 38 YO Datsun 240z that has never been restored and still have its original paint. So, speaking of paint match, you have no excuse.

About the artillery wheels, I will be very curious to see what will come from as you said about the 35's because they are not the same for a 36.

Sorry if my comment is not welcomed.

John, I am confident the color chosen will be a good one, and, of course, there will be more to come from Brooklin with this model or someone could opt for an customizer re-paint.

As I have stated before, I don't see any law written that every model car (in any scale) can ONLY come in colors that someone deems is the "Factory Correct" one. There are a host of variations that would be quite correct as I see it : supposed "factory" colors ; dealer options/colors ; original non-restored colors that actually might well have subtly changed over time ; individual colors that are accurate as to a present-day car that actually was measured and used as a 1:1 example ; colors done possibly on a prototype or on a car no longer in existence, etc etc.

I have seen people insist a certain option or color was not available, and then, sometime later, it appears to show up in actuality. Never say never !

Thank you, David.

I can appreciate the desire to paint a model in an authentic factory colour and I understand why people might fret about not getting an exact match. But maybe it's just worth mentioning the so-called colour "scaling" effect. Colours tend to look weaker and lighter as the viewing distance increases, and looking at a 1:43 model is like looking at a real car from 43 times further away. So if the original colour is seen at full "close-up" intensity, it can actually look far too dark - this is particularly true with darker reds, greens and blues, which can look almost black (or at least disappointing dull) on a small model.

I believe that people who paint models professionally for paying customers take the "real" colour and lighten it by anything from 5% to 20%, and apply that mix with an airbrush for an authentic "scale viewing" effect. In other words, finding a colour which is similar to the factory colour, but maybe a shade or two lighter, may be more important to the final effect than agonising over getting a "true" factory match which may not look quite right on the model.

Just a thought.

Key point, Graeme.

I've spoken with a number of model builders and they all say the same thing. This makes it very difficult to make the model look authentic and is, I believe, the source of a lot of grief for the manufacturer who strives to use proper colors yet still, at times, ends up with a model that is critiqued unfairly. Case in point was Brooklin's original 59 Chevrolet wagon in blue. While it was heavily criticized for its color, when held up to the actual color chart, the paint was spot on.

Thank you for this information. It seems logical and I like it.

That's an excellent and very valid point, Graeme.

John, you mention that the wheels are similar to the '35 wheels. That's good news and it may just be that the picture does not show the perforations in detail. It was hard to tell. Whether or not the chrome rings are fitted is fine either way as they were optional.

Interesting comments everyone. Thank you.

Richard, you are correct. They are not exactly the same.

The plot, therefore thickens as the wheels of the '34 and '35 will not be correct on the '36. But John Roberts tells us that the wheels are correct. My guess is the athe pictures of the test assembly simply don't show the wheels in detail. Brooklin is very careful about such details so we shall see.

I didn't say the wheels on the 36 will be the same as the earlier cars.

I said they are similar...in other words a similar style - with holes rather than without!