This paint matching "thing" is really annoying.. indeed with all this technology, it's doubly frustrating since it shouldn't be that difficult. One problem is that most of the machines we have that need repainting are not one-offs. Surely someone has repainted a 1948 Clubman before in a correct colour match! But no one seems to want to share the information. Nor do the firms that specialise in this kind of work. Give the secret handshake and we'll tell you! Or more to the point, spend $400. I just want to get some touch-up paint!!
Of course paint is one thing; even more frustrating are transfers (decals) which is simply maddening!! You take a really good digital pix of a transfer in good shape and see what you can do with that!! Everyone who is supposed to be in the business of doing this just throws up their hands.... they want a perfect reproduction on a flat piece of paper. Wow... if I had that, why would I need a duplicate?! The so-called suppliers of transfers in England are notoriously unreliable and uncommunicative. I recently received a set that was also just plain wrong.. missing an entire colour.
It's all enough to make one collect c. 1920 English roadsters... they were dipped, not sprayed, in thick treacle-like black enamel, lined and had no fancy transfers! Then again that paint was so good, you usually don't have to do anything with it but use rubbing compound to bring it "back"!
P.C. Kohler
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