Started with Tamiya paints
Pick a color from an image and list nearby paint candidates, with keep-list and text export.
299 MODEL WORKS / JOURNAL 037 ARTICLES / JUN–AUG 2026
WEB APP / PAINT / REFERENCE DATABASE
OPEN 299 PAINT FINDER ↗
299 Paint Finder
A free browser-based reference tool for scale modelers. Pick a color from a photo or search by paint name, use, FS / RLM / RAL standards, legacy codes, and kit references. It currently includes 2,194 searchable colors from six paint makers and supports Japanese / English UI and English search. The development posts linked below are in Japanese.
PAINTS2,194
MAKERS6
KITS45
REFERENCES953
01 / GROWTH
From “Which paint is closest?”
to a practical model-paint reference.
FROM TOOL TO ARCHIVE
Expanded to three Japanese makers
Added GSI Creos and Gaianotes, plus filters, history, and a cleaner data-update workflow.
Beyond color matching
Expanded to five makers including Vallejo and AMMO, with searches by use, standards, legacy codes, and kit names.
Added AK Interactive
Added 3GEN, Real Colors, and Xtreme Metal, reaching six makers while clarifying the evidence shown with search results.
Japanese / English UI
Added interface switching, English paint names, and English search so the tool is easier to use outside Japan.
The feature set grew from real modeling work rather than from a fixed specification. Color matching remains the simplest entry point, while reference terms and kit information provide other ways to reach useful paint candidates.
02 / SEARCH
Two ways in:
search by color or by reference.
CURRENT FUNCTIONS
Find paints close to a color.
Pick a color from a photo, illustration, box art, or reference image and rank registered paints by similarity. Narrow results by maker, series, color type, finish, and color-difference threshold.
- Images are processed in the browser.
- Compare the selected color with candidate paints side by side.
- Save useful candidates to a keep list.
Search by use or reference.
Search across paint names, standards such as FS / RLM / RAL, legacy product numbers, model-kit names, and use-related terms. Source and confidence are kept distinct where possible.
- Search across use, paint names, and color standards.
- Use legacy codes to find current candidates.
- Check kit-specified colors and reference information.
03 / MILESTONES
Read the major development milestones in release order.
7 ARTICLES
FIRST↗
v0.2.6↗
v0.2.8↗
v0.2.9↗
v0.5.1↗
v0.6.3↗
v0.6.4↗
First release: 189 paints.
Started with Tamiya colors and basic image-to-paint matching.
Three Japanese makers, 746 paints.
Reworked the interface, filters, keep list, history, and data management.
Added Vallejo: 1,242 paints.
Added 496 Model Color, Model Air, and Mecha Color entries to the searchable set.
Added AMMO: 1,301 paints.
Added AMMO Acrylic Colors and reached five supported makers.
Search model paint by more than color.
Expanded into a reference database spanning uses, standards, legacy numbers, and kit-specified colors.
Added AK Interactive: 2,194 paints.
Added 668 3GEN, Real Colors, and Xtreme Metal entries and clarified why results are shown.
English interface and English search.
Added Japanese / English switching and English search for broader international use.
04 / LIMITS
Useful reference,
without pretending to be measured truth.
REFERENCE VALUES
Search results are a starting pointfor narrowing the candidates.
Color data are reference values derived from sources such as manufacturers’ official digital charts and product images. They are not measurements of every real painted sample.
Actual appearance changes with primer, thinning, film thickness, gloss, lighting, photography, and monitor settings. Final decisions should be checked against physical paint and official references whenever possible.
Legacy numbers, cross-maker equivalents, and use-related inferences are kept separate from current official information. Unverified information is not presented as confirmed fact.
05 / ARTICLES
Seven development posts and the current tool.
READING GUIDE01FIRST RELEASE
I built 299 Paint Finder.
First public version: find nearby model paints from a photo or image color.
READ JAPANESE BUILD LOG ↗02v0.2.6
Expanded to three Japanese makers.
746 colors plus filters, history, keep list, and a more maintainable data structure.
READ JAPANESE BUILD LOG ↗03v0.2.8
Added Vallejo.
Added 496 overseas paint entries and expanded the searchable set to 1,242 colors.
READ JAPANESE BUILD LOG ↗04v0.2.9
Added AMMO.
Added AMMO Acrylic Colors for five makers and 1,301 searchable colors.
READ JAPANESE BUILD LOG ↗05v0.5.1
Beyond color matching.
Added cross-search by use, standards, legacy numbers, and kit-specified colors.
READ JAPANESE BUILD LOG ↗06v0.6.3
Added AK Interactive.
Added 3GEN, Real Colors, and Xtreme Metal for six makers and 2,194 colors.
READ JAPANESE BUILD LOG ↗07v0.6.4
English interface and search.
Added Japanese / English switching and English search for international users.
READ JAPANESE BUILD LOG ↗Turn modeling questionsinto usable tools.
299 Paint Finder was not designed from a finished specification. It grew by adding what was actually missing during model builds, fixing what was awkward, and gradually accumulating paint data and references.