Comparing Different Brands of RLM Colours

Transcript*

Intro

[Music] [Applause]

I’m going to kill that box.

Hello all. This is David from Sunward Hobbies and today we’re going to be comparing some RLM paints.

RLM Background

In 1933, the Wright Air Ministry or the Reich’s Luft Farts Ministerium established a standardized selection of colors for all military aircraft to use. This ranged from many shades of gray to many shades of green to several shades of brown, too.

How and What We’ll be Comparing

Now, in terms of hobby paints, uh there are some brands here and there that have a few RLM colors, but there’s really only three that I can think of that include most of, if not the whole range. There is AK Rio colour, Vallejo Modèle Air, et Ammo Atom paints.

So, we are going to take a look at a few swatches from each paint from these lines here. And I’ve got the historically accurate RLM color sheet from 1938 here to compare them to, and we’ll see which one or if any of them are 100% accurate.

There is all of our colors lined up for inspection. Now, if you are an RLM purist, which if you are, what are you, a Nazi? Anyway, you may notice there are some colors missing here, such as RLM01 uh 23 or 24, but those are just essentially the standard silver, red, and blue colours. So, I didn’t really feel I had to add these. I just wanted to focus on the important colours that were used on German aircraft in the Second World War.

So that is what I picked and that is what we are going to test. And uh one other note, Atom did not have an RLM 80 paint and Vallejo does not have an 81 version two paint. So those two will be disqualified. But uh for everything else, I will be taking some disposable micro brushes, which you can find at Sunward Hobbies, and we’re going to test every one of these paints out.

So, uh I’m going to speed up time to uh not keep you here all day. And uh once I’ve painted everything uh we’ll give it a little time to dry and then we will make our final assessment.

Swatches

[Music]
Hey, hey, hey.
[Music]
Hey, hey, hey.
[Music]
Hey, hey, hey.
[Music]
Hey, hey, hey.
[Music]
Hey,
[Music]
hey, hey.
[Music]

Completed Swatches

Welcome back. So, as you can see, every color has been painted on. Uh, it’s had some time to dry. So, now it’s time to zoom in for a closer look and compare it to the RLM’s color chart.

RLM 02

And to start off, we’re going to take a look at RLM O2. This was basically the first color that the RLM issued, aside from bare metal silver. This was the color that was used to prime the interiors of all aircraft from uh its inception in 33 till around 1941. That’s when they moved over to RLM66. Uh they also use this color for some camouflage schemes as well. they’d usually pair it with uh either RLM 70 or 71.

But uh how accurate is these three colors or which one is the most accurate? So, if I compare it to the RLM’s own standard issue, the real color looks to me more yellow. Uh,the Atom one is more green and the Vallejo one is more gray. So, if we’re going by this, which does claim to be accurate, honestly, neither of them really blow me away, but uh I would have to say Atom is the closest. So, we’ll give this point to Atom. Also, my apologies. I forgot to mention that uh this colour was named grow.

RLM 04

Anyway, moving on to 04, which is Gelb. It’s basically a golden yellow. Uh, Luftwaffe used this for mainly aircraft identification in the early parts of the war, just so uh, ground troops wouldn’t fire on their own planes. So, these three colors pretty similar. Uh, the atom is the darkest and deepest. Uh, Vallejo is the lightest, although that could just be because I may have gone a little light with it on with the brush.

So, if we compare it to the swatch, I would say it’s a tossup between AK and Atom. I think I would go with AK. The Atom one I find is just a little too dark. And Vallejo, who I use personally, I always found their RLM4 too light and not deep enough. So, uh I will give this one to AK.

RLM 65

Now, RLM 65. Uh this was the standard colour used for the bellies of many aircraft in the early stages of the war. Uh around again 1941s when they switched over to 76. It’s usually described as a fairly deep light blue. So that’s the one there. Uh, the AK is pretty close. Uh, Atom is not close at all. That’s too green. And Vallejo, it’s better, but it’s still a little too green. So, uh, yeah, I think that one’s pretty obvious. AK. Did I forget to say the paint name again? Uh, sorry. Uh, 65 is called Hellblau.

RLM 66

Now on to 66, which is Schwartzgrau. Basically, a very dark gray with a hint of blue. This was the colour that uh they moved on to for interior colors after 1941. Uh, this was never used on the exterior of an aircraft. Funny thing though, uh, cockpit switched over to this. However, things like bomb bays or wheel wells stuck with O2. Here comes the swatch. That one right there.

[Music]

So, it’s basically very dark gray with a hint of a bluish green. Uh AK uh basically just looks like black. So I don’t think that’s the winner. Uh Atom is a little too light. Uh Vallejo though to me looked spot on. So way to go Vallejo, you’re on the board finally.

RLM 70

Now 70 which is called Schwarzgrün also known as black green. Uh this was usually paired along with 71 for maritime color schemes. Basically any aircraft that would be flying around or overwater. A lot of flying boats and uh bombers uh in the Battle of Britain era use these. Um it was also used commonly for propeller hubs. Let’s check out the swatch.

Uh AK is not bad. It’s a little yellow. Atom, that’s pretty close. And uh so is Vallejo. Uh it’s really hard to tell the difference between these two. Let me see this again. I think Atom might be slightly more green, which is what it looks like on the swatch. So, I’ll barely give it to Atom.

RLM 71

Number 71. The uh the color again paired with 70 uh the lighter green to contrast with the dark green although it is quite subtle. So our swatch AK is again a little yellow. Uh Atom pretty close. Uh Vallejo is not close at all. Way too yellow. Uh, I think I’ll have to give it again to Atom. [Music] I forgot to say the name yet again. So, RLM71 is Dunkelgrün. And if I forget one more time, I’m ending this video.

RLM 74

All right, number 74. Now, this was when the Luftwaffe started changing their main color scheme to match more urban camouflage. So, uh more focused more on grays and greens as opposed to uh different shades of green. Uh this I believe started getting issued around 1941 starting with 74 which is a Dunkelgrau or gray green. And here’s our swatch. Uh AK kind of dark.

Atom looks pretty close. Uh, Vallejo pretty close as well, although the swatch looks a little more vibrant if you would say, like a little more blue. Well, greenish blue. Uh so we uh Atom looks to be the closest yet again.

RLM 75

Number 75, Grauviolett. Uh basically a gray with a purplish hue to it. K. Pretty close. Atom, nope. Too light and too purple. Uh, Vallejo. It’s more gray and less blue. So, I would say AK wins this round.

RLM 76

Number 76, Weissblau. The belly color of Luftwaffe aircraft from the mid to late war. And here’s your swatch. Uh although I personally think this swatch is too blue. I from what I’ve seen 76 is supposed to be a very pale blue, but uh I mean it’s right from the RLM. I can’t really dispute it. So AK, although I think it looks good, it’s too pale. Atom too green. Uh, Vallejo, I think that looks good, too. But, uh, again, not from what the swatch says. Well, I guess the closest would be Vallejo.

[Music]

RLM 78

So now we have 78. And this is where it gets more tricky as since this was issued in 1938, it ends at 76 as uh everything past that uh didn’t get issued yet. So from here on I’m going to have to rely on other sources and my memory. So 78 or him blow that is the belly colour used for tropical of a aircraft. Basically anything that served in a desert environment.

I did find this photo of a BF 109. So, as you can see, the belly is a slightly darker blue than the usual 65 or 76. So, AK a little dark. Uh, Atom, no. Almost looks like a turquoise Vallejo. It’s just as dark as AK, but more green. Uh, I’m just going by my opinion here, but I think that Vallejo is the closest.

RLM 79

Now for an interesting one. 79, also called Sandgelb. That’s basically the the main color of the desert camo. Now, the odd thing is there were two different versions of this. An early version that was lighter and a little more yellow and an a later version that was darker and more brown. Now, AK third gen mates both versions. However, real color only mates the earlier version. So yeah, as I mentioned, the AK1 lighter, more yellow.

Uh, honestly, it almost looks like a flesh color. Atom, I think that’s too yellow. And Vallejo, their version, they only make one and it’s the late version, which is more brown. So technically AK and Vallejo are the most accurate to their respective versions. Screw it. I’ll be nice.

RLM 80

And 80. That was basically a complimentary accent colour to uh help camouflage tropical aircraft. Uh that’s basically what those green dots are all over this BF 109. So uh yeah, pretty tricky to determine what will be the accurate one. Uh as I mentioned earlier, we only have two contenders for this category. Uh so the AKI uh pretty dark and the Vallejo one is lighter. I would say AK.

RLM 81 V2

Now, here’s where we get crazy. The enigmatic RLM 81. Basically, RLM 81 and 82 were the very late war colour schemes. And uh if you know your history, at this point in the war, Germany was not having a fun time. They were more busy just trying to survive than worrying about what colour their aircraft were. There’s two different versions of 81. There’s a more green version, Dunk Run, and a more brown version, Braunviolett.

Uh, both are accurate. They were both really used in the war. They never really bothered to put this on paper, which is why uh there were two different versions. It was basically just up to the manufacturer. Just just throw it on, get it out there. For reference, I’ve got this DO 335 with uh this one has the more green RLM81 on it, this darker color. So for comparison, Vallejo disqualified from this round. Looks to me like Atom is the more accurate one.

RLM 81 V3

And for version three, I’ve got a different picture of a DO 335 with the brown color to it. Uh, AK maybe. Let’s look at the other ones. Atom, that’s pretty good. Vallejo. Uh, too light. So, toss up between AK and Atom. You know what? I think I’ll go with Atom again.

RLM 82

And now we’ve reached our last color, 82 Hellgrün. Uh, this was the color that was usually paired with 81. And again, I’ll print out the 335 for reference. AK’s close, but it might be a little dark. Atom also close, but a little yellow. Vallejo again. Close, but it might be a little too dark. Well, to me the Vallejo looks a little more yellow, which I think closer matches this picture. So, that is what I will go with.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this was actually closer than I was expecting. I fully expected AK Rio Color to clean sweep, but it ended up being really close. Uh AK had five winners, Atom had six, and Vallejo had five. So, which paint brand makes the most accurate RLM colors? I don’t know. Who cares? I mean, half the time the Germans didn’t know what they were using, so why should you?

Bottom line, use what you want. If you think it looks right, do it. Except, um, don’t paint a desert stook magenta. That’s just dumb. Well, uh, thanks for watching this video and you can find all those paints that I tested on our website at Sunword Hobbies or you can buy them in store. So, thank you very much for watching. Remember to like, comment, subscribe, follow us on our socials, and until the next one. Time to man up. Pack this.

[Music]

Adios.

About the Author:

David Peckam has built scale models since he was 12, specializing largely on military aircraft. He is a makeup artist and background actor for films and TV. He enjoys watching hockey and of course, movies. He has an excellent knowledge of hobby products and if you have questions concerning scale model airplanes.

*Video by David Peckham
Video Edited by Daniela Castellano
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano