Best color for ANH Tie Fighter

[Kuhn Global]

<div class='quotetop'>(JP05 @ Oct 12 2006, 01:14 PM) [snapback]1336960[/snapback]</div>

When Lee and I spoke with Lorne Peterson....the question about the color of the TIE came up...he said they were all painted the same color. Empire, SW, Jedi. All the same. I have the color written down in my notes. Will try and dig it up. For what its worth.
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Wow... and kewl.

Can't wait to hear what that was. Funny how they looked different on screen. The card Bob showed was definitely taken for ANH. I find it funny that the TIE on the table looks bluish and not the grey I thought it would be.

I will indeed be looking forward to your posting the color that Lorne stated they all were painted. :thumbsup :thumbsup

 

[Hand Solo]

I offer this scan I made from page 29, From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives, A New Hope section...

Note that even the TIE proto is painted a blue-grey.

 

[Treadwell]

I might experiment with the colors Steve reccommended and Rustoleum Slate Blue, which I happen to have on hand from painting my X-Wing chest box (pretty good match for that). Maybe I'll do a wash with it, or a very light airbrush misting of it, or something.

 

[Kuhn Global]

Very interesting indeed. This color thing for the ANH Ties is really messing with my thought patterns. LOL. My mind keeps thinking GREY,..but I am obviously in error. Can't wait to see Steve R.'s (JP05) post to confirm the color.

Good pic Bob... I had forgottem about that book.

Question... what film effect or lighting would cause the TIE to look grey instead of the blue shown?

 

[jvasilatos]

<div class='quotetop'>(swpropmaker @ Oct 12 2006, 07:27 PM) [snapback]1336937[/snapback]</div>

OK guys... the VAders TIE was painted the same color as the TE Fighters in a New Hope. The base color is grey. The trim is dark grey. Krylon stopped making the equiment grey primer that was the base color but walmart sales a colorplace brand Grey Primer that is perfect for the standard ANH TIE Fighter. The trim pieces are Krylon Grey primer (Dark Grey)

Ive got some really good shots of vaders TIE and its grey there is not even a hint of blue to be found and on screen the TIE's all look the same color.

There is no doubt in my 8 years of research that the ANH TIE's were painted Krylon Equipment grey primer (discontinued in 1979) The above Walmart brand is the clostest i could find using chip samples from Vaders TIE.

The ESB TIE is also an out of production (Mid 80's) Krylon Slate Blue color. Ryan has found a color that matches but only comes in satin so it has to be dulled down with dull coat. The trim pieces match the Krylon grey primer color.

ROTJ Interceptors were painted with the Krylon slate blue OOP and the details were painted with Krylon grey primer. The only change was the canopy it was painted flat black.

Thats my two cents on painting TIE fighters.. it may be right... then again it may be wrong but its the closest I could come up with. In the end find what you like and recreate it the best way you can. Do tests and see what works and what doesnt. A TIE your happy with is all that really matters.

Steve
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Steve-

I got the ColorPlace Equipment Gray (20010) as you suggested when I got my kit, and did some tests, but it did come across to me as having too much "warmth" to it. I got another primer, Rustoleum Gray Primer 7582 which is what I ended up using that had the cooler look to it, and reflects light nicely with the subtlest touch of "blue" because the primer has a cool tone to it, instead of a warm one.

I would invite people to try testing both to see which the prefer in how the colors reflect light. In the end they are only $2.50 a can and you can see how natural light reflects against both.

And the Krylon Equipment Gray Primer (1318) you guided me to is the best match for the highlights. I had to special order it online though because it's hard to find in hardware stores.

I don't like the slate blue color of the ESB or ROTJ fighters but that's apersonal preference.

JV

<div class='quotetop'>(Hand Solo @ Oct 12 2006, 09:10 PM) [snapback]1337000[/snapback]</div>

I offer this scan I made from page 29, From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives, A New Hope section...

Note that even the TIE proto is painted a blue-grey.
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Although that photo is in the ANH section of the book you found it in, check the outer frame edges of the wings... they have a double layer, which is indicative it was an ESB produced model. The pics of the ANH fighter I have found do not have that double edge on the outer frames. I found these quickly in a Google search but have seen larger copies of these pictures, when I get to my office later I will post the hi-res ones I have on my computer there. But these pictures are of the ANH TIE. It's not blue.

If you can find higher res versions of these pictures before I can post mine to see the difference between the outer edges of the wing frame on an ANH TIE and an ESB one you will see what I mean.

Steve's point about the Vader TIE being the same color as the other ANH fighters is dead on. Why would they paint Vader's gray and the others blue and then they all look the same color onscreen in ANH? The standard TIE on display in the MOM exhibits is an ESB model which is what is causing the confusion.

And Kurt, as for why they may look slightly blue in ANH is influenced by studio lighting, blue screen reflection, and the film stock.

JV

 

[stonky]

I'm sure that I read somewhere (I think in an interview with Lorne Peterson - I can't quite remember) that the ANH ties were originally painted blue and then changed to grey after many unsuccessful attempts to pull a clean bluescreen key. That being said, I don't know whey they went back to blue for TESB and ROTJ - maybe they deveveloped a better process for those films.

That might explain why the TIE in the orange ANH trading card is blue, color corrected or not.

 

[Rogue Studios]

Well here's the bad news you can't find this paint anywhere and it to my demise it was not a floquil color. . It was a blue I remember Lorne stating that for a fact. You are better off just mixing it close because I ahve searched and searched and the mfgr of the paint stop producing over 20 years ago.

 

[bobbyfett]

Was it a Pactra color? If you check a few posts up, I posted that a local hobby shop near me has a bunch of old Pactra paints in a clearance bin. I can see if he has the color.

 

[imaginager]

I concur with JV on the pic Hand posted. It's an ESB TIE due to the U-channel around the perimeter of the wings. Plus, the wingstar struts don't extend all the way to the edge of the wings, like they do on ANH TIEs.

I'm happy enough with Ryan's/Steve's ESB color suggestion, but need to get a dull coat for it. Or, possibly rub it with fine steel wool....

Cool pics everyone.

 

[Hand Solo]

Well, we learn new things every day.

Chroma-keying problems had occurred to me with the ANH blue TIEs. I had also thought film stock or color timing had washed out any blue tones there may have been in the original paint.

Jsvasilatos did a nice color-correction on the card. It WAS a bit cyan. I opted to leave the card as scanned, but as noted, even with correction, there's some blue in that particular TIE.

I echo the advice to simply color-match as close as possible the desired color anyone wishes their TIE to be. We all know different monitors are adjusted differently, each of us perceives color differently, and even different batches of paint from the same lot can differ somewhat in color. We run into trouble when we attempt to make objective a very subjective perceptual issue.

 

[imaginager]

Well said, Hand. I appreciate your taking the time to make the scan for us.

 

[Hand Solo]

<div class='quotetop'>(imaginager @ Oct 12 2006, 07:30 PM) [snapback]1337217[/snapback]</div>

Well said, Hand. I appreciate your taking the time to make the scan for us.
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Never a problem. :thumbsup

 

[swpropmaker]

OK, here are some shots I gathered from our favorite Chronicals book, The first picture shows a completed ANH TIE Fighter (grey) with painted hulls and details laid out (grey) The model maker is trimming a unpainted wing star (tan).

The second picture is a Top view ANH TIE in Grey. Matches the above pretty close but more grey than blue as far as I can tell. This is the color the TIE's apear as on screen in ANH.

The next capture has two images the larger is a misplaced picture located in the Empire section of the Chronicals. They are clearly ANH TIE's (you can tell by the wing construction trim pieces Empire TIE wings were slightly bigger than ANH. So you see the grey color once again as seen in ANH. Now look at the smaller picture Its blue. No doubt about it. Thats Blue and looks like Empire version. They may have had to tone it down because of the blue screen but that aint grey.

The last picture is of a close up of the Vader TIE Fighter. Doesnt look blue to me. Or grey Blue. Looks like what you see in the first picture and a little light added will match the others. There is no way this is the same color as the ESB and ROTJ TIE Fighters. No Way.

Hope you like the pics. Once again thanks Chronicals. I like the concrete color myself for the ANH TIE. Bright Lights.. weird angles and 30 year old pictures may be doing a color trick here but this is what I think. Then again It just my observation. I say paint it like you want and press on.

Steve

 

[jvasilatos]

Another detail that drove me mad on the ANH paint scheme... I think only Vader's fighter has the grey highlights on the top hatch, not the standard TIEs. Also some pictures of the ANH TIEs also show that the greeblies in the 3 and 9 o'clock position on each side of the window frames are not highlighted either, and that picture above seems to show that the engines aren't a different color either, but then the lower picture shows the grey engines and highlights on the back of the cockpit sphere. it's hard to tell from picture to picture though.

JV

 

[Kuhn Global]

HOLY MOLY ..... this is good stuff.

Thanks for the awesome info fellas.

Can't wait for these 2 beasties to arrive. They will be built up immediately. They will make for great displays behind the 3 Salzo HERO X-Wings that Bob (Hand Solo) is building up next. All I will be needing to finish the display at that point will be an accurate Vader X-1 and an appropriate sized (half pipe) Death Star trench. My drool factor just wengt up a few notches.

You guys are awesome.

 

[Hand Solo]

Don't you just love this stuff?

<div class='quotetop'>(swpropmaker @ Oct 12 2006, 10:16 PM) [snapback]1337290[/snapback]</div>

OK, here are some shots I gathered from our favorite Chronicals book, The first picture shows a completed ANH TIE Fighter (grey) with painted hulls and details laid out (grey) The model maker is trimming a unpainted wing star (tan).

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I did a color correction on this one, because I thought the skin tones appeared too magenta. I had to pretty much the opposite correction that JV did with my trading card post.

I think the final grey color was arrived at after a bit of experimentation on toning down the original blue.

 

[imaginager]

Steve, one more time for the cheap seats....I must have failed to write this down when we spoke last....what color, or more precisely, what finish is used for the styrene sheet sandwiched between the Koolshade? I'm thinking semi-flat...??

EDIT: Any difference between ANH and ESB?

Thanks.

 

[DARKSIDE72]

I'd say it's clear plexi for ANH. Look above, you can see through the wing at a certain angle.


<div class='quotetop'>(imaginager @ Oct 16 2006, 02:30 PM) [snapback]1339182[/snapback]</div>

Steve, one more time for the cheap seats....I must have failed to write this down when we spoke last....what color, or more precisely, what finish is used for the styrene sheet sandwiched between the Koolshade? I'm thinking semi-flat...??

EDIT: Any difference between ANH and ESB?

Thanks.
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[Treadwell]

Was wondering about being able to see thru. Is it possible there wasn't anything sandwiched at all? I haven't seen coolshade in person so I don't know if it would stay in place without something between.

 

[DARKSIDE72]

No it's too flimsy, and with the thickness of the wings and for strength something is in there. Which is why I think it's a sheet of plexi in there. Coolshade reminds me of a heavier photo-etched brass.
The vents on the ANH Falcon don't have a support but then they are smaller than the Tie wing panels.