Blue 68 Camaro -- what colour?

[Matt Bacon]

Can anyone tell me what colour this Camaro is?

...and ideally, either a match from a model paint range, or a paint code so I can order it to be made up by Zero Paints?

Any help gratefully received and much appreciated!

bestest,

M.

[Snake45]

If that's a factory color, it's prolly Grotto Blue Poly.

If I were building a model of it, I'd airbrush Model Master Olds Engine Blue.

Closest rattlecan model paint I can think of would be Model Master Nassau Blue lacquer--good stuff!

[fseva]

Can anyone tell me what colour this Camaro is?

...and ideally, either a match from a model paint range, or a paint code so I can order it to be made up by Zero Paints?

It's hard to tell because your photo is in shadow, but it could be Lemans Blue...

[Longbox55]

Looks a little dark to be Grotto Blue. Like Frank says, the lighting in the picture isn't the best. LeMans Blue was a Corvette only color for '68, but Teal Blue was a '68 color, and is very similar to LeMans Blue. Tripoli Turquoise looks pretty close, too. http://historicalcolorlibrary.axaltacs.com/hcl/search/imageViewer.jsp?imgurl=/hcl/data/Data/Domestic Cars/GM/Gm 1968-1971/CHE 1968/003908.jpg&mode=fullscrn

[Snake45]

I didn't realize LeMans blue was available for Camaro but apparently, like '68 Corvette Bronze it was, and was actually seen on quite a few of them. I change my vote to LeMans Blue. My recommendations stay the same.

[Longbox55]

According to the specs from GM Heritage and the DuPont Historical Library, it was Corvette only. But most of the spec sheets from GM are from the start of the model year, and do not include any mid year additions, with a few exceptions. The DuPont site, however, does include full model year colors, including mid year additions and seasonal colors not generally listed.

[Longbox55]

BTW, Nassau Blue is an Oldsmobile color name, it's Glacier Blue on a Chevrolet.

http://historicalcolorlibrary.axaltacs.com/hcl/search/imageViewer.jsp?imgurl=/hcl/data/Data/Domestic Cars/GM/Gm 1968-1971/CHE 1969/003939.jpg&mode=fullscrn

[Snake45]

BTW, Nassau Blue is an Oldsmobile color name, it's Glacier Blue on a Chevrolet.

http://historicalcolorlibrary.axaltacs.com/hcl/search/imageViewer.jsp?imgurl=/hcl/data/Data/Domestic Cars/GM/Gm 1968-1971/CHE 1969/003939.jpg&mode=fullscrn

Really?

http://autocolorlibrary.com/aclchip.aspx?image=1965-Chevrolet-pg01.jpg

[Longbox55]

I was looking at '69 colors, in which case, it was Oldsmobile. In '65, it was available, on Corvette only.http://historicalcolorlibrary.axaltacs.com/hcl/search/imageViewer.jsp?imgurl=/hcl/data/Data/Domestic Cars/GM/Gm 1965-1967/CHE 1965/003784.jpg&mode=fullscrn

[Exotics_Builder]

Looks a little dark to be Grotto Blue. Like Frank says, the lighting in the picture isn't the best. LeMans Blue was a Corvette only color for '68, but Teal Blue was a '68 color, and is very similar to LeMans Blue. Tripoli Turquoise looks pretty close, too. http://historicalcolorlibrary.axaltacs.com/hcl/search/imageViewer.jsp?imgurl=/hcl/data/Data/Domestic Cars/GM/Gm 1968-1971/CHE 1968/003908.jpg&mode=fullscrn

Not true. My 68 Z/28 was LeMans Blue. Picked it up in April of 1968

Edited May 6, 2015 by Exotics_Builder

[Longbox55]

As I stated in my second post, it might have been a mid year addition. According to the specs, which are from the beginning of the model year, https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/docs/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits/Camaro/1968-Chevrolet-Camaro.pdf (page 12), LeMans Blue is not listed for a Camaro. DuPont also does not list it in '68 for anything other than Corvette. That's not to say that none were made.

[Mike Chernecki]

The Camaro in the first picture looks like code LL Teal Blue.

[Snake45]

Here are several pics of '68 Camaros in Lemans blue. I'll bet Corvette Bronze and Rally Green don't show up on your beginning of '68 chart, either, but lots of Camaros were built in those colors.

http://69pace.com/paint1968lemansblue.htm

[Snake45]

The Camaro in the first picture looks like code LL Teal Blue.

Could be. Here are some '68 Camaros in LL Teal Blue.

http://69pace.com/paint1968tealblue.htm

[1972coronet]

Marina Blue ?

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks, guys... now for a more difficult problem. I can't find anywhere this side of the pond that carries Model Master auto colours. The UK importer has the FS range for aircraft, but no others. Any thoughts on a similar colour in Tamiya sprays, or Zero Paints? (Zero will match any colour I can find a paint code for in the Lechler database, but none of the codes from any of the links and charts you guys have found for me gives a "hit" in the database. I think I need something that looks the same or close to that's on a car from this century, from any manufacturer...)

Edit: Zero does Cobra Guardsman Blue:

http://www.hiroboy.com/Cobra_Guardsman_Blue_Paint_60ml--product--906.html

which looks like a great colour, even if not exactly right!

Also, a metallic blue like Tamiya X13

http://www.hiroboy.com/Metallic_Blue_Paint_Similar_to_Tamiya_X13_60ml--product--5226.html

A Corvette Le mans Blue (Modern)

http://www.hiroboy.com/Corvette_C5R__Le_Mans_Xenon_Blue_Paint_2003__60ml--product--4400.html

bestest,

M.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Matt Bacon

[Matt Bacon]

Tamiya options seem to be TS-58:

And TS-54:

I quite like the look of the TS-54: it may not be a good match for a real Camaro colour, but it certainly looks like the colour in the photo!

bestest,

M

[fseva]

Thanks, guys... now for a more difficult problem. I can't find anywhere this side of the pond that carries Model Master auto colours. The UK importer has the FS range for aircraft, but no others. Any thoughts on a similar colour in Tamiya sprays, or Zero Paints? (Zero will match any colour I can find a paint code for in the Lechler database, but none of the codes from any of the links and charts you guys have found for me gives a "hit" in the database. I think I need something that looks the same or close to that's on a car from this century, from any manufacturer...)

Edit: Zero does Cobra Guardsman Blue:

http://www.hiroboy.com/Cobra_Guardsman_Blue_Paint_60ml--product--906.html

Also, a metallic blue like Tamiya X13

http://www.hiroboy.com/Metallic_Blue_Paint_Similar_to_Tamiya_X13_60ml--product--5226.html

I would go with metallic blue like Tamiya X13... I think Cobra Guardsman Blue looks the right shade, but may be a bit too dark...

BTW, if you are hoping for a formula, I think you're going to be disappointed - the small hobby paint manufacturer's guard this type of info like it was gold - took a lot of work coming up with formulas that match existing car paint colors (intellectual property)!

[Guest]

And TS-54:

I quite like the look of the TS-54: it may not be a good match for a real Camaro colour, but it certainly looks like the colour in the photo!

bestest,

M

I was going to recommend TS-54. I have a couple of models painted with it and it's my favorite shade of blue. This is what it actually looks like...

Model Masters Nassau Blue isn't even close to the color of the Camaro in the first post.

[Snake45]

Model Masters Nassau Blue isn't even close to the color of the Camaro in the first post.

Agreed that it's not an exact match, or even particularly close, but I can tell you that it's as close as you can find in the Testor rattlecan lacquer rack at the typical Hobby Lobby.

As I said, I've used (in an airbrush) Model Master Olds Engine Blue for several of the '60s factory blues, including '67 Chev Marina Blue.

[Guest]

This is Testors Colors By Boyd True Blue Pearl. I think it's now known simply as Blue Pearl. I can't remember the color of the primer I shot it over (gray I think). But, it looks fairly close. The down side is that it's an enamel.

[Snake45]

This is Testors Colors By Boyd True Blue Pearl. I think it's now known simply as Blue Pearl. I can't remember the color of the primer I shot it over (gray I think). But, it looks fairly close. The down side is that it's an enamel.

I didn't look at any of the "custom" colors, as most of them are much too flaky or sparkly to represent anything like a factory paint.

[Guest]

I didn't look at any of the "custom" colors, as most of them are much too flaky or sparkly to represent anything like a factory paint.

It isn't flaky or sparkly. It's not even a metallic. It's a pearl paint. In person, you have to look at it closely to even see the metallic in it. At arms length, it looks like a solid color. It has a better in scale appearance than a lot of the Model Masters paints I've used. Maybe you're thinking of the Testors one coat paints.

[Brett Barrow]

Bumping this old thread because I was searching for some info on Lemans/Mulsanne Blue.   I noticed that the MM Olds Engine Blue and Blue Pearl paints are nearly identical in the bottle in both color and flake size.  There is another MM color that I think is even closer to Lemans/Mulsanne and that's #2768 (bottle) #2968 (Spray) Metallic Blue.  I think it's a fairly recent addition to the line.  Less intense of a blue.  I'll have to do a spoon test but I think it's the winner if anyone's looking for a hobby enamel Lemans Blue.   

[Snake45]

Bumping this old thread because I was searching for some info on Lemans/Mulsanne Blue.   I noticed that the MM Olds Engine Blue and Blue Pearl paints are nearly identical in the bottle in both color and flake size.  There is another MM color that I think is even closer to Lemans/Mulsanne and that's #2768 (bottle) #2968 (Spray) Metallic Blue.  I think it's a fairly recent addition to the line.  Less intense of a blue.  I'll have to do a spoon test but I think it's the winner if anyone's looking for a hobby enamel Lemans Blue.   

Good info! Olds Engine Blue is one of my favorite MM colors but I can't buy it locally anymore. But I think Hobby Lobby has that Blue Pearl in the bottles. I'll have to check that out. Thanks much!