I've managed to buy a Con Cor UP U50 and Verandah Turbine. Both need some work including a repaint. From photos I have the grey looks from U50 & turbine era looks a lot lighter than what is currently on Kato's SD70M's. Can any UP fans confirm if UP grey got darker over the years? Did Kato miss the correct shade a bit or is it pretty right? The other part I'm looking for is a pair of bogie frames for the turbine. I've tried ordering from Con Cor but have not heard anything so far.
1. Old color slides can fade. 2. Older paints faded quicker than modern paint. 3. It is actually a navy color
Batches of paint can vary. Factory versus home shops. Etc. Do they call it something other than 'Harbor Mist' gray these days?
Based on photos of the Con-Cor model, the dark one looks a little too dark. I think the Athearn HO model is pretty close, and it looks pretty close to brass models too, so I'd trust its accuracy for practical purposes. Here is the Kato SD70M: https://www.katousa.com/onlineshop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78_128&products_id=2145 Here is the Athearn HO U50: https://www.katousa.com/onlineshop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78_128&products_id=2145 I think the colors look pretty similar. The Kato model in the photo does look a little darker though. Getting good photos of models is hard to do, the color can change based on the type and intensity of the room lighting. I would say the colors are supposed to be the same; they don't seem that far off from each other. Have you tested samples of Tru-Color or Scalecoat Harbor Mist Grey?
I'm now thinking my loco might be a bit faded, it had sat on the previous owners layout for many years. I'll go for the Athearn U50 colour as I can access one to colour match from. I know what you mean about getting a true representation from a photo. I had a semi professional video camera and the menu of adjustable light settings to compensate for flourescent, incandescent, mercury vapour, LED , it went on and on. I would recommend anyone that can get Scalecoat go and save yourself a lot of trouble, buy it. We can't get Scalecoat here so it's colour matching school for us.
