Paint Mix Guide

From JCWiki

One of the biggest issues in customizing, that I've found, is trying to match up existing paint colors with those sold in stores. This is easy if you have access to or can afford high-quality paints like Citadel, but what if you're like me and only have cheaper brands, like Apple Barrel or Delta Ceramcote?

You mix 'em, of course!

The following is a list of tried-and-true paint mixes I've whipped up over the past couple of years that have worked out well for me. In each case these assume you're using Apple Barrel paints, unless noted otherwise in the description. In every case a "drop" is just that--one drop, from slightly squeezing the bottle.


Abernathy Green (close shade to VvV Wave 5 Gen. Abernathy cap/costume)

  • 2 drops Forest Green
  • 1 drop Black


Bombstrike Khaki

  • 4 drops Brown Oxide
  • 4 drops Yellow
  • 1 drops Cinnamon apple


Brekhov Tan (matches the '98 Brekhov colors)

  • 3 drops Mango
  • 1 drop Dark Chocolate
  • 1 drop Sandstone


1982 Cobra (Officer) Blue (a very near -- and highly sought after -- match)

  • 2 drop Delta Ceramcoat Midnight Blue
  • 2 drop Too Blue (1 drop to match some yellowed parts)
  • 1 drop Delta Ceramcoat Ocean Reef Blue
  • (This mix was compared to a 1983 Cobra Officer v1.5. Also compared to Viper v1, Tele-Viper v1, and 2004 Cobra Infantry Troopers.)


Comic 3-Pack Stalker's fleshtone (an almost exact match to Comic Pack #7 Stalker's face)

  • 1 drop Golden Brown
  • 1 drop Brown Oxide (2 for a darker shade, as used on CP #7 Stalker's hands)


Dusty's Sand Brown (shade very similar to SpyTroops Dusty)

  • 3 drops Toffee
  • 1 drop Mango
  • 1 drop Brown Oxide
  • 1 drop Yellow


Heavy Duty Brown (matches the brown straps, etc. on the Heavy Duty Spytroops torso)

  • 1 drop Black
  • 1 drop Brown Oxide
  • 1 drop Chocolate Bar


Heavy Duty brownish-gray (matches the Heavy Duty Spytroops torso)

  • 2 drops Pewter Gray
  • 1 drop Brown Oxide
  • 1 drop Dolphin Gray


Original Joe green (Produces a shade of green very similar to that of the original Joes)

  • 1 drop English Ivy Green
  • 1 drop Leaf Green
  • 1 drop Brown Oxide


Steel Brigade Sky Blue (an exact match to Steel Brigade's arms and collar)

  • Use Apple Barrel Pool Blue (no mixing needed!)


Steel Brigade Desert Khaki (a near match to Steel Brigade's pants)

  • 2 drops Toffee
  • 2 drops Golden Brown
  • 1 drop Yellow
  • 5 drops White (There should be one drop of White for every drop of Toffee, Golden Brown, and Yellow.)
  • 1 drop Sandstone
  • (Think of Sandstone as an equalizing agent. The resulting color is a much closer match with it, but a nice near miss can be made without it.)


Venomous Maximus Blonde (produces a shade of blonde identical to that on V. Max's head)

  • 1 drop Toffee
  • 1 drop Yellow


Medium Dark Flesh (typical of the painted on skin tone found on VvV Mindbender and some SpyTroops)

  • 4 drops Medium Flesh
  • 1 drop Dark Flesh (Delta Ceramcote)
  • 1 drop Cinammon Apple
  • Note: when applying fleshtones, I've found it a good idea to add a single drop of water to the mix; this results in a smoother, more natural look.



Special Paint Mixes

This list is basically non-standard colors I've used with various customs, provided here for you to try out and see if you like.


Native American Fleshtone (might need to be adjusted)

  • 3 drops Medium flesh
  • 3 drops Dark Flesh (Delta Ceramcote)
  • 2 drops Mango


Sand Clay (produces a very light tan, similar to the color of clay sand)

  • 1 drop Toffee
  • 1 drop White


Medium Sand Clay (produces a slightly darker Sand Clay shade)

  • 1 drop Toffee
  • 1 drop Sandstone


Oxide Khaki (produces a lighter shade of brown oxide, darker than Desert Khaki)

  • 3 drops Toffee
  • 1 drop Mango
  • 1 drop Brown Oxide


Old Leather Brown (produces a very dark, almost black shade of brown)

  • 2 drops Cinammon Apple
  • 1 drop Black


Rust Brown (produces a darker reddish brown than with Cinammon Apple alone)

  • 1 drop Cinammon apple
  • 1 drop Chocolate Bar


Desert Khaki

  • 2 drops Sandstone
  • 2 drops Toffee
  • 1 drop Yellow (Delta Ceramcote)


Dark Green Khaki (produces a very dark olive green, similar to WWII khaki)

  • 1 drop English Ivy Green
  • 1 drop Chocolate Bar


Olive (creates an olive color lighter in tone than English Ivy Green)

  • 1 drop English Ivy Green
  • 3 drops Brown Oxide (4 for a lighter shade)


Blue-gray

  • 3 drops Storm Grey (Delta Ceramcote)
  • 3 drops Denim Blue (Folk Art)
  • 1 drop Pewter Gray


Tanker Tan (desert tan shade I used for my custom tank crew)

  • 1 drop Fleshtone (Delta Ceramcote)
  • 1 drop Dark Chocolate
  • 1 drop Toffee
  • 1 drop Mango
Retrieved from "http://wiki.joecustoms.com/wiki/Paint_Mix_Guide"
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