Help needed with dullcoating Testors Metallic

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Jimmer
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2017 10:04 pm

Help needed with dullcoating Testors Metallic

Post by Jimmer »

I'm new to modeling and recently picked up Bandai's R2-D2/R5-D4 kit. (Which I was amazed with. I paid 25 dollars and couldn't believe the quality).

Anyway, for the silver parts I used Testors Gloss Metallic Silver Spray paint 1246 and afterward learned that Testors says it cannot be dull/gloss coated. I haven't made the jump to airbrushing yet, and after doing some research I have considered brushing Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish onto the silver parts, letting it cure a week to be safe and then applying a dullcoat over the Pledge.

Does anyone see a problem with this approach, or have a better solution?
Sorry to bother you pros with such a rookie question, but I put a lot of time into this kit and would hate to ruin it now. I should have done better research beforehand, and will next time.

**(on a side note, for Christmas I received a Stormtrooper Helmet that is
designed to be "colored". It came with stencils and felt markers, and is
solid matte white. It is vinyl. It's not a model, and is solid (cannot be
worn) but is actually pretty detailed.
I want to paint it gloss white with black/gray details (movie accurate)
but have no idea how to paint vinyl (use primer? Use a "Krylon" type
paint?). If anyone has recommendations for this, I would be very
grateful. Again, I don't airbrush (yet).

Also, I'm new to this site as well as modeling, and if I posted this in wrong area or shouldn't create a thread with a question like this please let me know.

Cheers,
Jim
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Rocketeer
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Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:48 pm
Location: The outskirts of Hobart, WA

Post by Rocketeer »

1. Of course you can dullcoat over the Testors silver--but it won't look chrome-y any more; it'll look like the silver paint you see on cars. But if you have any doubts, do a test first. Spray a piece of scrap with the Testors, then dullcoat it and see what happens. If I have any doubts whatsoever about paints, I always do a test first; saves me screwing up a model I have many hours of work in. ;)

2. To paint vinyls, you're going to have to use acrylic paints. Enamels and oils won't cure properly and will stay sticky forever. Some people say that you can use Tamiya primer, or Stynlres primer, and then you can use any kind of paint; I can only say that my experience doing so has been that it didn't help at all.

But when I used acrylics (either artists acrylics, in tubes, or wargamers acrylics, in little dropper bottles) the paint cured properly. The technique used with wargamers acrylics is different from that used for oils; think in terms of building up many translucent layer of thinned paint--but there are many websites out there about painting miniatures which will tell you all about it.

I've also used artists acrylics to paint a figure; by adding copious amounts of retarder (slow-dry) I was able to use the same blending techniques I use with oils; but the acrylics still dried extremely rapidly, which was a problem.
Saturn
Posts: 6590
Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2002 9:06 pm
Location: Oklahoma City, OK

Re: Help needed with dullcoating Testors Metallic

Post by Saturn »

Jimmer wrote: Anyway, for the silver parts I used Testors Gloss Metallic Silver Spray paint 1246 and afterward learned that Testors says it cannot be dull/gloss coated. I haven't made the jump to airbrushing yet, and after doing some research I have considered brushing Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish onto the silver parts, letting it cure a week to be safe and then applying a dullcoat over the Pledge.
BTW, Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish is also known as Future. And there's a handy website regarding its use:
The Complete Future @ swannysmodels

Yes, you can hand paint Future- but I'd leave it bare. Top coats (gloss or flat) tend to ruin any finish trying to reproduce Natural Metal.
"Of all the chili that I've eaten in my travels, this has the most.......Cumin."
Jimmer
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2017 10:04 pm

Re: Help needed with dullcoating Testors Metallic

Post by Jimmer »

Thanks for the info guys. Sorry I'm just responding, been out of town for a few days.

I've started keeping a binder with sections such as painting, scribing, weathering, etc. and have found it to be very useful. (Again, I'm new to the hobby).
Saturn wrote: BTW, Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish is also known as Future.
This is very good to know, Saturn. I have read the article at Swannysmodels (actually printed it and put in my newbie binder... :oops: ) and it's probably the best write-up I've come across regarding Future. I'd come to about a 99% certainty that Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish is actually the same product as Future but I'm glad to find out that my assumption was correct.

Again, thanks for the help.

Jim
Saturn
Posts: 6590
Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2002 9:06 pm
Location: Oklahoma City, OK

Post by Saturn »

No problemo Jimmer.
"Of all the chili that I've eaten in my travels, this has the most.......Cumin."
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