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@metalhead RE: Zero Paints


SfanGoch

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U.K shops won't send any paints stateside. No if, ands or buts about it. I also build 1/35 military vehicles. I wanted to order RAL and DKM paints from White Ensign Models. The company won't do it and they post an explanation about the silly EU policy regarding dangerous, environmentally unfriendly chemicals. The U.K. Postal Service will confiscate and destroy the paints. You end up SOL: soooooo, no paints, no refund. Some other countries more amenable to sending oil based and lacquer paints are Czech Republic, Russia and Ukraine. So, It's worth the trouble to check out hobby shops in those countries as sources for neat BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH which is otherwise unobtainable from vendors in the EU. As a side note, you can save a ton of mazooma ordering from Russian shops. The Ruble is tanking against the dollar which means you, the discerning customer, can save, even with shipping factored in, anywhere from 5-10 bucks on the same kit available in the States.

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There was a problem some time ago about shipping paint and other liquids here in the UK, no model shops were shipping paints, glues etc even in the UK, I'm pretty sure they have now been relaxed, another E.U ruling that was implemented incorrectly, I've ordered paints over the last few weeks without any problem, the Trabant paint came from Germany, sent by DHL and delivered to me by Parcel force, my grey plastic primer aerosol was delivered by Royal mail without any problems if you want Zero paints, try giving Steve at Hiroboy a all or email, he'll tell you if he can supply you.

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I order zero paints regularly from Spot Model. Their service is outstanding and never had an issue. You may need to wait a couple weeks for out of stock colors, but they send you weekly status updates in those situations.

I've only ordered photo etch and other products from them, great company to deal with ....

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  • 1 month later...

I use Zero Paints pretty much exclusively, besides Alclad and such for metals. I order just about every month from either Car-Model-Kit in Czech Republic or Spot Model in Spain. I Haven't had any issues with shipping to the U.S. from either. Orders from Spain usually arrive a bit quicker (about 15 days) and orders from Czech usually takes about 40 days but their paints are a little cheaper (about $1 per bottle). Either way I always get my order and their online stores always keep an accurate stock count so I'm more than pleased with their services. Their inventory is definitely a bit less than HiroBoy but that's expected since they are the manufacturer. I spoke with Steve @ Hiro just before the holidays and he is expecting to finally be capable to ship to the U.S. very soon using DHL. He just needed to get some sort of certification on packaging hazardous goods and I beleive that was scheduled for mid-January, so pretty much any day now. Looking forward to it cause his paints are fantastic and his color range is endless.

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Or for us living in the USA, why not use Scale Finishes?, both are automotive paints right ?

I have used Scale Finishes.... and from time to time I still do. I tend to like Zero Paints a whole lot more. I'd be absolutely lying if I went on to tell you about the chemical ( or substance ) differences between the two and why one is better than the other. The truth is simply that it just works for ME. I'm still kinda new to modeling and particularly to airbrushing (only started a couple of years ago). I tried so many different techniques as I started to learn and consistency was absolutely impossible and thinning correctly was getting me very frustrated. So I started to look for "airbrush ready" paints and found a few products during that research. I tried them all and Zero Paints was an instant hit. First time I used it I had finally had an awesome paint job that I was tremendously proud of and impressed with. Huge confidence boost there. Ever since, I seem to get a great paint job just about every time. Finally some consistency. They seem to just work great for me, or I guess my way or technique. Scale Finishes works well for me too. Probably a little less consistent than Zero Paints as I find them to be much thinner. I've become more familiar with their products and getting better results nowadays so I have been using them as well when I need a particular color quickly. Again.....great product but I found what works best for me. And I guess I've gotten a little lazier on experimenting, which is probably not a good thing.

Also, I find that Zero's product lineup is far larger to shop for and their products are of great quality. I know that Jameston can make any color for whomever but the process is easier for me when physically seeing the color and label as opposed to researching a color and trying to find the color code. Typically, I'm also shopping for aftermarket accessories or tools when ordering so it becomes a one stop shop kinda thing.

Again.....it's just all my opinion. I recommend anyone that is or was in my position to do the same and try them all and see what works best for them.

Regards

Chris

Edited by Pizzwizz24
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