On the question of Scale Colours
by Robert Robinson
 

Many modelling fraternities have come to near civil over the vexed question of ‘scale colour’ and does this exist. The real question should be is there such a thing as scale paint and light? Let me explain.

When we look at an object we are seeing light reflected from it. The colour that we perceive that object to be is affected by how much of the visual spectrum is contained in that reflected light, so, for example, if most of the light is in the red portion of the spectrum we will perceive the object as red. In turn the light reflected is influenced by a number of factors the most important of which are:

- The colour of the light shining on the object in the first place
- The direction from which the light is coming
- The amount of light (is it bright or dim?)
- The nature of the object (does it absorb or reflect particular wave lengths of light and is the nature of its surface and the material underlying this such that it affects the way light is reflected in a particular way?).

There are other factors such as atmospheric conditions (for example is the air dry or moist, does it contain dust etc.?) but for the purposes of modelling we can probably ignore them.

"Scale light"

The colour of the light is important in determining what colour is perceived. Thus an object seen in the reddish hues of a Middle Eastern sunset might look a very different colour from the way it would appear on a grey cold morning on the Western Front even though physically it is covered by the very same paint from the same pot. If there is only reddish light then mainly red will be reflected, if the object is fairly reflective of red light it will look particularly red, if not it will look dark. On the other hand if the light has a higher proportion of blue then the same object may look a very different hue. When we look at photographs of an object it is worth remembering that different film types have different degrees of sensitivity to particular parts of the spectrum and may be even more affected than the human eye (especially as the brain is quite good at adjusting perceptions where possible). The direction of the light can have an affect as this may cause different parts of the object to reflect light differently. The amount of light is also important; as light diminishes colours look washed out and in very dim light human sight switches from colour vision to monochrome. Wellington was well aware of this fact, this being one reason why he insisted on British uniforms having headgear that gave a different silhouette from those of the French so as to avoid confusion in the often murky battlefield conditions where the differences between a red and a blue coat vanished.

Now a tank or armoured car would usually be seen in the open air in some form of natural light, a model will usually be viewed indoors under either artificial light or natural light from a window. Unless one is using special (expensive) daylight bulbs artificial light does not exactly replicate the balance of natural daylight, it will always be skewed to one end of the spectrum (the difference between fluorescent lights and ordinary incandescent light bulbs is in part the amount of blue light the former produce, new energy saving lights produce a yet different colour balance). Light from a window will often be in part reflected from walls, curtains etc and again will usually be different from light under an open sky. It will also be at a different angle. Thus the light we normally view a model in is not true to the light in which the original would be seen so that even if we have exactly replicated the paint it will still look different. There are two solutions to this one of which is to attempt to produce ‘scale light’.

There is a competition class of model often described as boxed or cased diorama. This is where the model is displayed in a glass fronted box (usually with accompanying model scenery) In many cases an attempt is made to illuminate the interior of the box with lights, mirrors and the like so as to mimic the effect of the real lighting of the full size situation. This is what I would call ‘scale light’. It is extremely difficult to achieve this and the effect rarely ‘comes off’. I have only ever done one box diorama and found it very challenging, I used the knowledge I once gained from a stage lighting course (at the Library Theatre Manchester) and managed to gain a 3^rd place at a British Model Soldier Society ‘Nationals’ but even then I cheated – I did an indoor tavern scene! I wouldn’t even know where to start with a tank or other vehicle in an out door scene.

The second solution of course is to accept that ‘scale light’ is a delusion and adjust the hue and shading of the model to give the same impression as the original in the specific conditions in which one is representing it. Unfortunately this is never simple as the nature of the object itself and the scale of the model can also affect the way it is perceived.

"Scale Paint"

If one had a ‘Honey I shrunk the kids’ machine and could miniaturise a real A7V the result would not be a realistic model!  It is often forgotten that scale models are never covered in paint that is true to scale. Consider if a typical ‘braille scale’ model were painted in true scale the thickness of the paint would be over 70 times thinner than that of the original and so thin as to be effectively transparent. The shrunken schwerer kamfwagen would look almost as if it were bare metal. At the same time the surface granularity cannot be effectively scaled without changing the look of the model. The difference between a matt and glossy finish is down in large part to the texture of the paint, i.e. how rough it is. The scale paint on our shrunken tank would therefore look far more glossy than the full sized version. The amount of light reflected from various surfaces (and conversely the depth of shadows) is affected by the area of the surface and the deepness of overhangs and the like and this too effects the perception of the colour. Effectively contrasts tend to vanish and rough areas (for example canvas covers on a truck) are smoothed. This effect of miniaturisation is well known to figure modellers so that, for example, it becomes necessary to highlight and shadow creases in a uniform to achieve a ‘realistic’ look. Much the same applies to models of vehicles. Reproducing the exact original colour paradoxically results in an unrealistic model. Fine detail on many models (such as textures) is actually significantly oversize (otherwise it would not be seen).

Very few, if any, models are truly scale in all aspects. If one takes our hypothetical magically shrunk A7V, such a miniaturised vehicle would collapse as metal reduced to that thinness would loose much of its strength. Models therefore do not usually use the same material as the original. The colour of an object is often influenced by the nature of underlying material  (a good example in real life from WW2 can be seen by comparing early canvas covered Hurricane Mk I wings with later aluminium covered Hurricane Mk I wings where there is a definite difference in the colour tone even though the same paint was used on both. Similarly a piece of plastic will tend to look different from a piece of metal even though the paint colour is the same (unless one lays it on so thickly as to obscure detail), the effect is greater if the original material was wood or canvas. In such cases merely painting the model in a colour identical to the original will not produce a realistic reproduction.

In essence there is no such thing as ‘scale paint’ and it becomes part of the modeller’s art to produce a colour that, whilst it might have a different spectroscopic value convinces the eye that it looks real. Unfortunately having done this someone will take a photo of it and what looks right to the human eye often does not produce as convincing effect in the camera (which is why TV presenters wear makeup). Nothing is ever simple!