Paint Questions

[Marc]

It's compound, you can use it to polish surfaces. You can find plenty (fine to coarse) of types here:
http://www.hlj.com/hljlist2/?Word=compound&SeriTxt1=&GenreCode=All&MacroType=All&Scale=0&Dis=-2
Some say toothpaste also works for that purpose.

[makalaka]

@Grail

Looks similar to Novus Polish.
http://www.novuspolish.com/

I got some from my hobby store to clean up the scratches on a helicopter canopy. It worked really well.

[Grail]

THANKS! I've been trying to figure this out,so the last couple posts were awesome answers. Thanks again. Just a couple additional questions. I noticed the modeler has 9800 and 3000 numbered bottles which I assume is important as it's highlighted on screen. Does this refer to "coarseness" ? If so, It seems he's using coarse and fine grade types? Could you recommend a similar grade coarseness or ANY grade in the 2 compounds mentioned? (Novus and the other from HLJ.) example. "I use the fine for watermarks,and coarse for windows followed by fine on the window". Do either of you think that one is better than the other?, or is it going to be basically the same result with either product ? Thanks again very much for the answers. I have models in holding patterns,this was torturing me.

[makalaka]

You pretty much got it. For Novus, no. 1 is a cleaner/shiner, no. 2 is a fine scratch remover, and no. 3 is a heavy scratch remover. The one I bought at the hobby store came with no. 1 & no. 2 in 2-oz bottles, and some polishing cloths. It worked perfectly on my heli canopy; it's now clear with no scratches, although I have yet to start the kit so I don't know if it'll react to paint/clear coating. To give you an idea of how it worked for scratch removal, I bought the kit on ebay and all the sprues were loose in the box with no bags. The canopy broke free from it's sprue and was freely rubbing against all the other sprues. So, unless you have some really deep scratches you should do just fine with the Novus package I got. That is if it doesn't react to paint or clear coating. The package does say that it leaves a clean greaseless  shine so it should be fine. I think it cost either $10 or $15 from Hobby Town USA.

As to which one is better, I have no clue. Sorry. The hobby grade stuff may be better since they're geared to model kits while Novus is advertised for all things plastic (along with models). I even used some to polish out some old headlights; unfortunately the no. 2 wasn't course enough but it did help some.

[Grail]

Exactly the answers I needed. Thanks very much. REALLY helpful.

[pixelhead]

hi, I was wondering whether or not it makes a difference if I use flat or gloss paint for the base layer if i am going to be applying a gloss top coat anyways for panel lining and then another flat top coat to give it a dull look.

thanks!

[Pulse]

Okay, after doing a massive amount of research, I'm more than convinced that it is best for me to invest in an ab/compressor in order to produce some quality gundams in the future. But before I go and do that, I have several questions that need to be answered.

1. After reading FF's tutorial, he suggested tamiya primer over mr. surfacer and I was wondering can anyone provide me a link to a nice deal of quality tamiya primers? Because when I tried searching online, all I could find was the mr. surfacer primers. How does the 1200 match up to the tamiya primers, do they provide similar quality?

2. I.E, if I were to prime using mr. surfacer, do I have to resort using strictly mr. color paints or are does the TA paint work nicely wth the mr. color stuff?

3. I know that both companies are acrylic based but I also know that some brands hate eachother. At home I have a box full of citadel paints laying around and I was wondering if I could put em to good use. Do the citadel paint work great with the other brands or are they incompatible? Can I use em for airbrushing? How will I go about thinning the citadel stuff? Because when I used em to paint my minis, I usually used water to thin out the paint.

4. I also have these washes from citadel which I believe is acrylic, I'm sure most of you know what they're used for. Anyways I was thinking of using these washes that I have for panel lining but then I heard it works horribly with FFA since that is acrylic based as well. Is there an alternative step for applying the panel lines with the washes or do I have to invest in a different paint for panel lining? If so, suggestions would be nice.

5. After painting and leaving the model to dry/cure, do you secure them in a dry booth or a cover of some sort to protect it from dust? Or do you just leave em on the clips to let dry?

I just want to make sure I know what I'm getting into before going out and purchasing all the paint. Thanks in advance, your replies will be greatly appreciated.

[warder120]

First time posting,

I will be airbrushing for the first time and Acrylic paints are my only option at this point.  After applying the acrylic paint and applying several layers of acrylic gloss/matte finish, is it safe to apply enamel dry brushing/pin washes?  If so, is it then safe to apply more layers of acrylic finish over that?  Will the enamel/enamel thinner eat through the acrylic paint?  What if I use FFA?

Thanks

[tmajor]

First time posting,

I will be airbrushing for the first time and Acrylic paints are my only option at this point.  After applying the acrylic paint and applying several layers of acrylic gloss/matte finish, is it safe to apply enamel dry brushing/pin washes?  If so, is it then safe to apply more layers of acrylic finish over that?  Will the enamel/enamel thinner eat through the acrylic paint?  What if I use FFA?

Hi there

FFA is acrylic based and makes for a good and inexpensive glossy barrier coat and is a great alternative to the more expensive hobby specific options. It should be left to cure for a day or two. You can then use enamel or oil washes over it and the thinners wont damage the clear coat or acrylic paints underneath. As long as your enamels are good and dry you can apply FFA over them without problem.

You can also alter the sheen of FFA by adding some Tamiya Flat Base to it so your not restricted to gloss. Theres a good article on using FFA here:
http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
It provides ratios for achieving different sheens.

Hope this helps

[warder120]

It does help, thank you.  As a question out of pure desire to know, would enamel/thinner eat through the acrylic if there was no finish to protect it?  I know that artists use acrylilc paints underneath oil paints and that works fine.

[tmajor]

would enamel/thinner eat through the acrylic if there was no finish to protect it?

No, it shouldn't. It will however penetrate the acrylic. So if you have enamels underneath acrylic it will effect them
and as a result probably ruin the acrylic finish on top.

It's best to try an experiment on some scrap.

[warder120]

I will do so, thanks for the assistance! :)

[allesbraun]

Hi there guys!

This is my first/second post here. There is so much to learn and also so many awesome posts to read.
I believe you guys can help me with a little doubt I have:

I would like to know how would be the best way to achieve a really shiny/glossy(?) paint on a model.

What I want to do is to get the colors on the model to look something like the red and blue on this model, they look so vibrant.



Sorry if my english is weird, but I´m from Brazil and portuguese is my main language. ;D

[tmajor]

For a showroom type automotive finish your best bet is to check out some car builders forums for more details on the process.

In a nutshell, it's a rather arduous process of Priming > Sanding³ > Painting > Sanding³  > Clear Coating > Sanding³  > Polishing³  > Waxing.

If you like a challenge go for it, but its a tough job as in that type of finish even the smallest flaw will stand out like a sore thumb.

[allesbraun]

Hi there!

Thanks for the tips. Doing some research on that thing called Google.

Last night I did some tests at home and ended up with a blue part of Optimus Prime Dual Model Kit looking like this. It´s not very far from what I wanted, actually. But if I find any way to get it shinier, I´ll try;.

Thanks for the response!

[Grail]

Try something like a white basecoat, then a really bright silver or chrome, then you can put a thin layer of a metallic color, or just put clear blue over the silver. Or you can also use a pearl coat, or future floor tricks, then put a color over top. Buff each layer for more shine too.
Also Alclads are awesome for this too. http://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagories/Paint_and_Construction/browse.php?s=3&t=1&u=1
As well as some Mr color paints too. Matt T and a few other here have been using ink as well.
That help?
PS. your English is great.

[allesbraun]

Hi there Grail!

Thanks for the reply! It helped a lot actually!

With the information acquired here (and a few more from skynet Google) I did some more test here with local products (but already ordered Alclad for future projects). I´m also looking for some substitute for Future, probably going to do some tests on spare parts to avoid total destruction of a good kit. hehe

The picture below shows a piece from Takara´s Dual Model Optimus Prime (his shoulders). I used the followinf sequence:

Primer (Mr.Color)
Gloss Black (Chemicolor - Brazilian Brand)
Chrome (Chemicolor - Brazilian Brand)
Clear Red (Tamiya - a few coats)
Clear Gloss (Mr.Color Clear)



Not perfect, but not that bad, I would say. 

[Sharkdog]

Looks pretty good, definitely getting to the desired effect!

[Grail]

Not perfect, but not that bad, I would say.  Oops

That looks awesome.   Seems like you are getting the effect you want , yeah?  
I know these kits are loaded with impossible seam lines.  

Depending on how deep you wanted to go, you can use a base white or Base Black, Silver/Steel/or chrome type layer, Red clear or other color, Pearl Clear, Red clear or other color, Clear,.. and just add more steps if you want to go deeper. Very thin layers though.

Anyhow, your effect looks awesome,   great work man!

 

[allesbraun]

Hey guys!

Thanks for all the help! I´m almost finished with Prime, there are just a few red parts to paint.

Reading the posts and the tutorial parts of the site/forum I´ve learned a lot. I know I have a long way to go if I want to get results at least similar to all the wonders I´ve seen here. ;D

Just a quick pick last night with Prime: