Fantastic job GF!
Here's a repost of the out of the can sample test I did using the original hatch -
The Haze Gray is really a damn close match. I took this today with the rest of the tests below -
Getting back to the eFX TIE -
We have to be careful about what we are looking at, simply because different people are posting different photos taken with different cameras and trying to compare color. Unless you have a calibrated monitor and a camera balanced for that monitor, you cannot definitively say - yes, that is the
perfect color. And let's face it, that's what we are trying to say here, isn't it?
Two examples of how lighting and camera can affect the perceived color -
I took the above photos of Richard Edlund's TIE before it got sold. The first set was taken at his shop as we were repairing it and getting it ready for the sale. The bottom set was taken at Profiles. Both were taken with the camera in automatic mode. Color fidelity of Canon Point & Shoot aside, you can see the
relative differences in the
perceived color value.
COLOR TEST PART 2 - (COLOUR TEST for Ralphee :unsure, I guess)
What I did for this latest test was dip some sheet plastic in the same TIE Fighter Base paint that eFX has and compare it to the actual hatch in a variety of lighting and camera settings -
This is a tin of the same paint eFX got for use on the prototype. It's a automotive urethane based lacquer (or something like that) that was custom mixed to match the hatch (as opposed to just choosing a color that came close). The big caveat here is the that the eFX TIE at SDCC is a prototype, so who knows what paint will be used on the actual production versions. Based on past experience, I've been very satisfied with what I've seen and most complaints seem to stem from the variations in weathering. Also, I don't know if the SDCC TIE was primed, how thick (opaque) the paint was etc. So I just dipped a piece of styrene in and let it dry (it has a semi-gloss sheen). It's about as scientific as we can get, and probably waayy more than it deserves. Read the little slates on each photo, but remember you are judging the relative difference (or sameness) in color. Auto means that the camera is doing everything. When I go into manual mode, I can choose from one of the different pre-set selections, and I chose the appropriate one. The daylight one had a couple of different choices.
I feel that any way you look at it, the color we got from the paint shop damn near the actual color. In fact, if anyone says that the color is way off, I'm going to offer them a free set of glasses -
I cannot comment on either the ESB or ROTJ TIEs as I have never seen one of them. Short of seeing one that we know is vintage and has not been retouched, I don't know if we can say for sure if they are all painted the same. Personally, I see huge differences between SW and ESB's TIE color onscreen, and some subtle differences between ESB and ROTJ. I don't think filmstocks and lighting can account for all the differences, especially between PR images. My gut tells me it was a different brand of paint between SW and ESB, and the same brand with maybe some formula changes on the paint manufacturers side between ESB and ROTJ.
I don't know. I don't care. I think the eFX TIE looks fantastic. Looking forward to seeing it in person.
I had dinner last night with Carson Dyle and he admonished me for my previous, uncharacteristically brief, post on the color of the TIE. I hope this makes up for it :lol!
Gene