33 replies to this topic

[Edmundo2]

Hi All. I'm new to the forum and hoping that somebody on here might be able to help? Does anybody know the paint code for the 90's Leyton House F1 cars, namely the CG901, ( seems the hue changed between years/models etc ). I've been advised it may have been RAL6027 with an extra tint which looks like it could be correct poss with the tint towards blue? The reason I ask is that I hillclimb a small single seater which is overdue a tidy up and is going for paint in a few weeks time. I've been mulling over loads of options but love the Leyton House colour so will probably go this route with refurb end split rims etc, ( without it becoming replica/pastiche scheme ). Any advice appreciated. Thanks, Ed

[Barry Boor]

Not a paint code but a paint colour name. It was called MIAMI BLUE.

[Edmundo2]

Hi. Thanks I'd heard it was Miami Blue but wasn't sure if there was a code to accompany it? There seems to be plenty of scale model forums with Timiya colours etc for models but I can't find any reference re getting the colour right on a car. Is the only option to get paint shop to match from photos, ( tricky as appears different shades depending on light ), or was the colour taken from somewhere else and " Miami Blue" will have a code of sorts? Thanks for the info. Ed

[D-Type]

If you have to resort to colour matching, rather than matching to a photo, try matching to a (pre-built) model as hopefully the model maker will have researched it as they would have got a lot of stick from collectors if they got it [seriously] wrong.

Edited by D-Type, 31 January 2016 - 20:18.

[Louis Mr. F1]

You can use Tamiya spray can paint code TS-41, they called it coral blue.  This is according to the instruction manual included in their 1990 Leyton House model.

 

 

 

 

 

[Lee Nicolle]

Problem with colors like that it was probably not a stock color but one the painters mixed them selves,, a base color with X amount of extra tinters.

IF your local auto paint store has a color chart have a good look and you may find a color very similar and then maybe ask to either brighten or dirty it up.

Colors like that often get darker in the sun.

Model paints are only good to use for a color match and again with age may well have changed anyway.

Worse different paint manufacturers sometimes arrive at the same color a different way.

Greens are shocking to match and that color has a LOT of green!

[Seedy]

Leyton House Colour

Good question. I repainted 25 x MG Mero 6R4 models for Rally Models a few years ago.

The paint information we got came from Grand Prix Models who said it was Mazda Cerullean. They had got the information from the team years ago.

Or if anyone is doing models try this link

https://www.hiroboy....duct--2115.html

Hope this helps?
Chris

[Edmundo2]

Hi All. Many thanks for the info on what is proving to be a trickier search than I imagined!

I think the further complication arises from the fact the colour appears to have changed from model to model as well , not only between Porsche 962's, 935's, Nissan skylines, Mercs etc but also between different year models of F1 Marchs' therefore when asking someone for the colour they may remember it but could be recollecting a slightly different version hence I've had a bit of conflicting info but all of which looks close all be it sometimes too blue or green!

I've put the feelers out to a company who restored one so hope that clarifies it but if no joy I think I'll buy a tin of model paint to take to the body shop + a few images etc and just see how close he can get! ( either that or just paint it bloody white! )

Thanks, Ed. , ( now where to find the code for Jagermeister BMW gold wheel centres..)

Edited by Edmundo2, 31 January 2016 - 22:17.

[sabrejet]

Years ago when building a March 871 and the following year's 881 in kit form, I was told that the colour was a straight road vehicle tint and I'm sure it was Toyota or Nissan. I recall getting a standard spray can from the local Halfords.

 

I still have the completed models and the colour looks good to this day.

 

I have to admit that I can't particularly recall seeing this colour on the road, but hopefully this might help.

[E1pix]

Pardon my ignorance if applicable, but if researching this my first question would be... what was Leyton House? An entity using a PMS color? Still accessible? Any known vintage racers have these cars?

It's been my experience that a "proper owner" would know this color, and it's not hard to get such a collector to want to speak about their cars.

So far as "matching" to a stock spray model paint, that could fall anywhere from pretty close to hardly close. Not an accurate avenue. And I presume a designer came up with these colors specifically, not a paint shop. It really all depends on how close a match you want.

Barring the above, a good start might be looking for any color consistency between published book photos, by quality shooters and publishers, as the art director or production manager would pay special attention to color -- particularly in a monograph book where the photographer himself would be approving colors before printing. That Leyton House blue would get special attention, as would any really distinctive color.

Reading the above, the advice about a "Toyota or Nissan color" and then the named Mazda color tells me the Mazda color might well be it.

Edit: below is a link to that color. Now, we would always like to assume the person managing color on any website knows what they're doing... but in this case the odds are MUCH higher being a paint code site, and it actually notates the color's RGB coordinates.

Next, possibly-dangerous variable is monitor accuracy, and I wish I could check that on mine, but can't for a few days. That said, on my iPhone at least and as a quick view, this color looks quite close:
http://mazda-mx-5-mi...e-firemist.html

If a dead match weren't critical, and you know how to print using a calibrated setup, I would:
-- notate the RGB color numbers
-- print a block of this color on glossy stock at a few inches square
-- (or have a pro-grade photo lab print it)
-- take the print to a paint shop and find the closest match to their color chip books yourself, and...
-- call it good.

Edited by E1pix, 01 February 2016 - 06:23.

[king_crud]

E1pix - on my laptop the colour you have linked does not look like the Leyton House colour, seems to have a bit too much grey in it. I'm not here to criticise, as you know more about these things than I do, so please don't take it the wrong way

[kayemod]

Finding the exact same shade might not be a perfect answer, anyone heard of "colour perspective"? That's the reason that something like a tree, which up close is green, appears almost black when viewed far away on the horizon, and a brightly coloured object like a car seems much duller when seen from a distance. Speaking as someone who has been a professional model maker for much of my life, this means that small scale models have to be painted in a slightly duller shade to represent the full-size version seen from a distance, they just appear too bright otherwise. In a case like the one we're discussing, I'd apply a final ever so slightly tinted clear coat to slightly dull down the colours of everything on the model, we have several professional car modellers on TNF, surprised we haven't heard from one of them yet.

[Seedy]

E1pix - The Leyton House colour you have put a link to looks nothing like the Leyton House colour I have here.

The colour I have is Mazda Cerullean, there is no mention of the Blue Firemist bit. I had this mixed at my local Halfords in the UK and they found it pretty quickly.
The code they have just given me is Mazda Cerullean DT5638 and they have all the variuos constituent colours to make this now.

Leyton House was a Japanese Real Estate company https://en.wikipedia...on_House_Racing

Chris

[D-Type]

Many kit makers recommend standard production car colours as you can get spray cans of touch up paint everywhere.  eg Western Models specified BMC "Tartan Red" for a Ferrari model.  Obviously Tamiya will recommend Tamiya colours.  Bearing that in mind, I suggest dropping a line to Grand Prix Models explaining your problem.  They may be prepared to look at the instruction kits of any relevant models they have in stock.

 

Kayemod, thanks for the information on "colour perspective"  that explains why some of my diecast models look wrong.  Should the gloss also be reduced a bit?

[kayemod]

Many kit makers recommend standard production car colours as you can get spray cans of touch up paint everywhere.  eg Western Models specified BMC "Tartan Red" for a Ferrari model.  Obviously Tamiya will recommend Tamiya colours.  Bearing that in mind, I suggest dropping a line to Grand Prix Models explaining your problem.  They may be prepared to look at the instruction kits of any relevant models they have in stock.

 

Kayemod, thanks for the information on "colour perspective"  that explains why some of my diecast models look wrong.  Should the gloss also be reduced a bit?

 

First E1pix, I know you're just trying to help, but the shade you suggested is nothing like the Leyton House colour.

 

On Duncan's query, a light toning-down spray of almost clear varnish or lacquer would do the job OK, but some things can be quite difficult to replicate in model form, often an accurately scaled model just doesn't look right, mainly because we see most models from different angles than we do the real thing. Very many years ago, I'd have been about 12 or 13, the mother of one of my Father's employees worked at Hornby/Meccano/Dinky in Binns Road, Wavertree, Liverpool, and knowing my interest in anything to do with models, they managed to get me invited onto one of their VIP guided tours of the factory. As you can imagine, it was a wonderful experience, huge Hornby Dublo railway layouts, the largest and most complicated Meccano models I'd ever seen, and production lines of chattering women with their hair in curlers under their headscarves, busily assembling what must have been thousands of Dinky toys, they were huge sellers all over the world in those days. The commentary from a man in a suit who seemed to be quite high up in the Company was wonderful as well, among other things, he explained how most Dinky cars weren't true scale replicas at all, for one thing, they had to be widened and fattened to replicate what most buyers imagined they saw when they looked at the full-size versions. Such products were much more toy-like back then anyway, nothing like similar models today, many of which are remarkably good, but even in 1960 or so, our guide said that toned-down colours looked better than too bright ones. I don't think he mentioned "colour perspective" to us, but that's what he meant.

[E1pix]

Sorry guys, I Googled "Mazda Cerullean" and that's what came up. That's what I meant by 'quite close,' not that it looked right on my phone but that the Cerullean theory may be worth exploring. Might be worth the OP's time to see if the older color is listed as well.

King Crud, Thanks. :-)

[JacnGille]

Check with these guys. They seem to have everything race car related.

 

http://mcwautomotivefinishes.com/

[SJ Lambert]

Dunno the code - but do love the colour!! (and the locomotion!!!)

https://m.youtube.co...h?v=BwOXUkphxfA

[SJ Lambert]

Actually, when I think about it, a certain forum member will know exactly what the correct colour is!!!

 

[2F-001]

VW had a 'Miami Blue' as well (L-51C) which 'might' be somewhere in the ballpark.

In some light conditions the Leyton House cars appeared to have a greenish or turquoise tint, while in others it seemed rather nearer to a 'very-faded-cyan' and lots of the pictures look different.

 

It's fairly tricky (close to pointless really) trying to colour match on screen, unless you have a properly calibrated monitor (and controlled viewing conditions) and a known-to-be-faithful original with a useable colour profile.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a laptop, even a 'high-end' one with a supposedly calibrated screen, that I considered entirely trustworthy for a subtle colour match.

Edited by 2F-001, 03 February 2016 - 12:15.

[Barry Boor]

I'm very confused by all this chat about the Leyton House colour.

Back when the cars were running it was the accepted fact that they were Miami Blue. End of story.

Any photograph, be it in print or on line, is likely to give a false impression of the colour.

It's Miami Blue! Trust me, I'm a doctor......

[2F-001]

I agree Barry, but whose version of 'Miami Blue'? - And what is it? Anybody can name anything whatever they like (well, up to a point), but it doesn't tell us what it is and how to reproduce it.

Edited by 2F-001, 03 February 2016 - 13:10.

[SJ Lambert]

Patrick Morgan would know how to get it just about exactly perfect!

[kayemod]

I agree Barry, but whose version of 'Miami Blue'? - And what is it? Anybody can name anything whatever they like (well, up to a point), but it doesn't tell us what it is and how to reproduce it.

 

Bazza's suggestion is quite sensible on the face of it, but as Tony P says, whose version of the colour? Miami Blue is an invention, there is no BS or RAL standard for it, so it can be whatever anyone wants, the pic below is Peugeot Miami Blue from their standard range some years ago. We can all agree that it's nothing at all like the Leyton House shade, but all the same it's "Miami Blue" according to Peugeot. Porsche had a Miami Blue in their range, and that too is quite a distance away from what LH used on their cars, so the name alone isn't going to help us very much.

 

[Barry Boor]

It's a long while ago but my old brain is telling me it was a Honda colour.

[kayemod]

Here's a better example of the wide definition of the term "Miami Blue", it's a Miami Blue American pit bull terrier, you'd need to watch your fingers with this one, maybe even your entire arm.

 

 

It stretches the definition of the term a little, as for that matter does the use of the word "terrier". It must weigh at least ten times as much as any of my Cairn terriers have done, with muscles to match, don't think you'd want that one sitting on your keee.

[E1pix]

Sorry Rob, your dog's color is nothing like the car's.

[Edmundo2]

Hi All. Many thanks for all the responses. Interesting stuff. FYI I've been advised that the Miami Blue is a VW shade of a 1970s polo/rabbit etc. Looks similar but a bit too blue however i fully take on board the colour perception thing hence my quest to arrive at a code rather than match from photos all of which will look different due to the previously posted factors. Also I tried Patrick and he responded but unfortunately doesn't know the code as bodyshop never told him. Fyi i've just received a pot of Zero paints Leyton House Aquamarine model paint to see if looks sufficiently close as its advertised as "colour matched". If i like it ill ask the body shop to match to that. Thanks and keep it coming! Ed

[SJ Lambert]

If it were me I'd chase Morgan's body shop spray man to ground.

[kayemod]

VW Miami Blue? Definitely not, nowhere near the Leyton House colour. There was indeed a VW colour bearing that name, but like the Porsche, Peugeot and now Honda Miami Blues, not what we thought you were looking for. The true LH shade is what most would refer to as "turquoise", which I can't recall ever seeing on a standard road car.

[swintex]

These people might be worth a call?

The colour looked better on a low loader on the M20 this afternoon.

 

They're definitely missing Newey's expertise though.

[Edmundo2]

Yes I seem to be spotting similar shades everywhere - clothes pegs, toothbrushes, food packaging..Problem is they all look close but never strike quite the right balance between blue/aqua/turquoise.

Further info still welcome as the model paint i ordered looks like it might be bang on for a Leyton House porsche 962 but i think that looks a tad darker and more green/aqua than the version on the cg901? Again hard to say due to perspective etc. Stick a green BP sticker on it and does it suddenly look more blue..! As mentioned a CG901 code would be very handy. Ed

[marchracer]

The colour changed over the years to a darker hue of Miami blue.   I still have a few small body parts from my CG901.  Never resprayed them as there original colours were quite good.  

[mfd]

Are you still looking Ed ? I have a period spray out card for the colour of the F1 car