Basics. Colors. Types of paint

This is the place to get answers about painting, weathering and other aspects of finishing a model.

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SJM
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Post by SJM »

Hmm, ok thanks :)
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Post by joe155 »

Hello everyone! I hope someone can give me a little advice, I am building the P/L 1:350 Enterprise Refit and I am right now at a cross road, I am prepairing to shoot the inboard Flux chiller or as I call them the (flux grills) my eyes when it comes to shades of black aren't what they used to be, are they more a flat black,or a matt, or saten,?? PULLING HAIR OUT!! :?:
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Post by fokkerpilot »

joe155 wrote:Hello everyone! I hope someone can give me a little advice, I am building the P/L 1:350 Enterprise Refit and I am right now at a cross road, I am prepairing to shoot the inboard Flux chiller or as I call them the (flux grills) my eyes when it comes to shades of black aren't what they used to be, are they more a flat black,or a matt, or saten,?? PULLING HAIR OUT!! :?:
I think you mean the outboard nacelle grills? Regardless, what I had done was shoot the grills on the front nacelle caps, outboard nacelle grills, and inner slots of the inboard (blue) grills with a mix of MM Panzer Schwarzgrau (base medium) #4795, a touch of MM Flat Black to darken it a bit more, and a 1 ml drop of MM Steel #4679. Hope that helps.

(Edit) Those are the water based acrylics
Last edited by fokkerpilot on Tue Jan 01, 2008 11:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by joe155 »

Thank you!! yes this will help very much.
Last edited by joe155 on Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by raser13 »

hey guys, i'm kind of a nooby especially at airbrushing. so here's my question. i've worked with enamels when i was younger working on models with a paint brush. now that i'm working with airbrushes i have heard that acrylic are easier to shoot and clean up. but i was wondering if a water based outer clear coat would hold up to the high hummidity of missouri ? or could spray clear coat enamel over the top of the acrylic without it peeling up, or making the enamel run? just wondering thanks
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Post by TER-OR »

In general, I have fewer problems with humidity when using acrylics.

PolyScale is my current favorite dullcoat, it airbrushes great. Ask anyone who has seen my stuff whether it goes dead flat!


Go acrylic, you won't regret the choice. It's so much easier to deal with.
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Post by raser13 »

thanks i apreciate it! i was just afraid of water base and hummidity, but if you guys haven't had any problems i'll try it. thanks again for the info.
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Post by joe155 »

fokkerpilot, just to let you know, I shot the grills this evening, and they came out excellent!! followed your instructions to the letter, the paint combos, worked nicely, the grills look authentic. thanks again Jack. :D :D

Joe.
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Enamel

Post by starmanmm »

Ok, giving MM Enamels a try this weekend.

Thinned it to AB now how long do you leave it to dry?

Someone told me that you should also lightly sand the paint to make it smooth, due to the fact that it is an enamel. If so, I am guessing using 800 or finer?
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Post by TER-OR »

It depends whether you are using gloss or matte, and how the finish worked for you. I've sanded finishes sometimes and not other times. It all depends. With an enamel you will need to allow it to cure for a little while. If you're masking or putting a sealant coat you'll probably want to give it a couple of days during the moist summer days.
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Post by starmanmm »

Talking about matte finish.
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Post by TER-OR »

If you're satisfied, you don't need to buff it. The buffing will smooth it down and gloss it a bit. I wet-buff finishes occasionally, but with 3000+grit sanding pads, if it's a bit grainy. You need to be careful - unless you WANT to chew through the paint for an aging effect.
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Post by starmanmm »

Thanks!
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Post by sztriki »

Hi all, first post here! :D
I would like to ask a tip for the colour of the TIE Fighters. I'm currently building an MPC TIE Advanced, and I'd like to do the finish much like Tony Augustin did it in his Deadly Trio diorama with the same preshading technique.
Can anyone tell me a colour that's more or less the same as he used as the primer coat? I can't really find anything similar bluish grey in the Revell colour chart.
Thanks!
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Post by starmanmm »

Not really for me to say... but maybe this question should be asked in the Star Wars Modeling section?

I would figure there is where you would find the answer(s) that you are looking for from those that build these kits.
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Post by TER-OR »

sztriki wrote:Hi all, first post here! :D
I would like to ask a tip for the colour of the TIE Fighters. I'm currently building an MPC TIE Advanced, and I'd like to do the finish much like Tony Augustin did it in his Deadly Trio diorama with the same preshading technique.
Can anyone tell me a colour that's more or less the same as he used as the primer coat? I can't really find anything similar bluish grey in the Revell colour chart.
Thanks!
Email him using his profile here. He doesn't go on the forum much anymore but should respond to email. Mention his TIE models in the subject.
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Post by sztriki »

starmanmm wrote:Not really for me to say... but maybe this question should be asked in the Star Wars Modeling section?

I would figure there is where you would find the answer(s) that you are looking for from those that build these kits.
Oops, seems like I wasn't looking careful enough... :oops:
TER-OR wrote: Email him using his profile here. He doesn't go on the forum much anymore but should respond to email. Mention his TIE models in the subject.
Hm, will do, thanks!
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Post by SJM »

Whats Tamiya arbrush primer like (the one in the wee glass bottle)

Better than a can?


Just looking for a less-stinky way to prime my models,
Thanks.
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Post by Kylwell »

SJM wrote:Whats Tamiya arbrush primer like (the one in the wee glass bottle)

Better than a can?


Just looking for a less-stinky way to prime my models,
Thanks.
It's a little less fine than the canned stuff, about the equivalent of Mr. Surfacer 1100 maybe and just about as smelly.
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Post by SJM »

Kylwell wrote:
SJM wrote:Whats Tamiya arbrush primer like (the one in the wee glass bottle)

Better than a can?


Just looking for a less-stinky way to prime my models,
Thanks.
It's a little less fine than the canned stuff, about the equivalent of Mr. Surfacer 1100 maybe and just about as smelly.
Thanks, would you recommend it for Sci/Fi models then?
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Post by Kylwell »

Definitely.
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How long do I wait after Primer coat to paint

Post by takos »

Just got back into modeling after a 20 year break. Great site you guys got here. Just a couple of questions. How long after priming with Tamiya primer do I need to wait to start painting my final colors? Also if I paint Testors Acryl white can I then mask off and paint the rest of the colors with Tamiya paints???
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Post by Kylwell »

I let Mr. Surfacer or Tamiya primer sit for an hour or so, depending on altitude & humidity you may want to let it sit a bit longer. I'm a hellaciously impatient painter.

You should be able to hit it with Testors then Tamiya. Acrylics don't reactivate like lacquers do. Just make sure the surface is clean and use a decent masking material.
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Laquer dullcote over decals

Post by Gabriel »

Is it safe for decals to get a laquer dullcote over top?
The only exposed paint will be enamels. The kit will be mostly smothered with decals. (1:1000 refit enterprise)

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Post by photoguy »

Rule of Thumb is to give the model a good clear Gloss Coat > Decals> Gloss Coat > Final Coat (dull cote or whatever)

Make sure the two Gloss Coats are the same stuff (I usually use acrylic) as a sandwich barrier to protect the decals. Once that is completely dry, hit it with your Finish Coat (lacquer is just fine) to achieve the desired sheen. Hope this helps.
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Post by Gabriel »

Thanks photoguy,

That's good that the lacquer will work over enamels, I can't get an enamel dullcote from any of my LHS's. I could order some and wait, but no.

Photo guy wrote- Gloss Coat > Decals> Gloss Coat > Final Coat (dull cote or whatever)

I wasn't planning on using an extra gloss coat over the decals, but if you think I should I'll give it a try.
As an aside thank you for making me realize that I've been spelling lacquer wrong. :)

Thanks alot photoguy!
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Post by TER-OR »

The extra gloss over the decals can help prevent silvering, and it helps adjust the sheen of the decals to match the surrounding area. This lets the dullcoat uniformly adjust the model later.
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Post by Gabriel »

Thanks Ter-or,

I've read a few posts mentioning silvering, but I still don't understand.
I'm assuming that it's bad, so an extra gloss coat shall go down over the decals.

Thanks photoguy and Ter-or, and of course SSM.

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Product Review - Tamiya Pearl Clear TS-65

Post by Gerry »

I've been trying the find the perfect pearl finish. Whether it's a paint, or a clear coat or an additive. And just as a friendly warning.... don't bother with Tamiya's spay can TS-65 Pearl Clear.

It's not a true pearl irradescent finish. It's just glitter spray. Oh, the glitter is ground up really fine, to be sure, but it's still just glitter. You can see the individual bits of glitter.

I sprayed over black, grey, and white primers. Hard to see on white. made the grey pretty! and the black looks like a star field :D But it's no where near a "pearl" look.

So, If you are working on Barbies Dream Spaceship go for it. Or something that will be displayed in your home towns next gay pride festival, fine. But otherwise I don't recommend it.

EDIT: I'm ammending this. If you wanted a metal-flake finish like some cars have, this is an excellent choice. But not for pearl irradescance.
Last edited by Gerry on Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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the ultimate pearl finish

Post by Gerry »

next on my list of paints to test....

pactra brand racing finish number RC726 pearl white.

FAIL

No, let's be fair.... HUGE fail.

It is an excellent pearl finish...texture.
It comes out of the can blobby and leaves a pebble texture not unlike the Krylon textured paints. I mixed {shook the can} for 10 minutes to no avail. I suppose you could sand it down smooth but you'd lose a lot of details in the process.

Now this could work. It's made for RC racing cars. Those are clear plastic shells that you paint from the inside so from that perspective it would appear very smooth.

but it won't work for a plastic model painted from the outside.

*sigh* .... next
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