# Aster SNCF Green, Nord Chocolate Brown



## bryant (Dec 27, 2007)

I'm looking for a colour match for the green used by Aster on their 232U1.

In the course of searching for information I came across a discussion on this forum about paint for a Chapelon Nord locomotive. 

One of the issues mentioned was that Precision Paints in the UK won't ship outside the country.

One alternative that wasn't mentioned is:

http://www.amf87.fr/prestashop/30-peintures-nitrosynthétiques-pour-aérographe

They offer a very wide range of French railway colours (including Nord "Chocolate") and were quite happy to ship two jars of paint and a bottle of dilutant to Canada.

One little catch is that their web site is entirely in French (no English option) and another (from my point of view) is that their SNCF 306 green, which should in principle be the correct paint for the 232U1, is definitely not a match for the colour that Aster used . I suspect that it's Aster that has got it wrong (the AMF87 paint looks far more like the colour in pictures of 232U1 at Mulhouse) but that doesn't help me much at the moment.

Has anybody out there found a match for the Aster's "SNCF green"?

- John Bryant


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

John,
Whilst the French company may be quite willing to ship the paint, the Post Offices may have a very different point of view.
That is why Precision is unable to ship paint anymore.
I used to get regular shipments from them until the post office started to spot the paint and confiscate the shipments, so Precision decided that it was a 'no go'.
Since then, I have had the paint matched by an automotive paint company and had spray cans made up.
So, how much paint do you need.
Are you touching up, or painting another loco or coaches?
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## bryant (Dec 27, 2007)

David,

Thanks for your response.

Possibly the French and Canadian postal authorities are more relaxed than Royal Mail. Or did you have problems at the Canadian end? It's not as if the French company is completely unaware or disrespectful of postal regulations. Their web site makes it very clear that they will not ship aerosols. In any case they did ship my paint and it did get to me.

This is essentially touch up work although I have removed a significant dent from the boiler shell and so anticipate completely repainting at least this part of the model. I don't have any other items requiring this colour. At the very most I need enough paint for a complete repaint of engine and tender with a bit left over for future touch ups (i.e. not a great deal).

I've had the auto shop option recommended to me before, but gave up on it because I was told that, due to Ontario regulations, the type of paint I'd get would not be suitable. Here I must admit to being unsure as to just what kinds of paint are suitable for a live steam model. Obviously I'm not about to walk into a home decour shop and have my colour made up in eggshell latex, but beyond this I'm at sea. Are acrylic paints a reasonable choice?

- John


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

John,
IF you have any artistic friends, you might consider just messing around and mixing your own with say Humbrol.
I used to watch my brother manage to know what to add to get a perfect match for things that he needed to touch up. I think that you have to understand colour basics to be able to do it, as I have tried with little success!
Good luck,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## bryant (Dec 27, 2007)

David,

As it happens the Ottawa area G1MRA membership includes a very accomplished artist who I'm pretty sure would be willing to help (and who may in fact be reading this and chuckling).

My options do seem boil down to 1/ completely repainting the model using the paint I got from France or 2) coming up with a DIY colour match for the Aster paint. The local Hobby shop certainly has plenty of Humbrol paints to work with.

Lest anybody following this thread have an interest in another source of SNCF green, I've come across one. See:

http://www.train-modelisme.com/mag.php?goto=bout.php&id=4036&famille=Pi%E8ces%20et%20entretien&cat=%20%20&pro=o&cat2=$cat

This is a water based acrylic. I don't know how this might impact a post office's view of it, but it has to be much less hazardous than the enamels that Precision Paints can't ship or (surely much worse) the lacquer paint and dilutant that I got from France. 

- John


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Hi John. The SNCF had quite a few variants of the famous SNCF green. The 306 is a fairly light sienna rich green hue used mainly on passenger cars. The Nord region basically used a deeper variant (Railcolor: vert Est et Nord), which I remember well on the De Caso tank mikados which I ran behind (and even had a cab ride on). On my Nord cars I use that darker shade, the paint manufacturer who caries it in France is AMF 87. Your best bet is AMF 87 railcolor line of paints these are nitrosynthetic paints and they spray very well. Do check though before application if it doesnt disturb the original Aster paint which was celulosic paint (like automobile paints) so that you don't get any blisters. 

But EEC regulations are just as drastic here than elsewhere, I remember when I was working in a Paris hobby shop twelve years ago when the EEC almost forced Humbrol out of business, so beware.


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