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Did you know that Testors has two enamel candy reds?


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I'm doing this from memory (which is always dangerous, and I'm sure you guys will correct me if I get it wrong), but from the 1960's to the 1990's I recall three colors = Transparent Red, Hot Rod Red, and Candy Apple Red. The Transparent Red was part of their main lineup, while the Hot Rod and Candy Apple Reds were leftovers (I think) from the original Roth licensed Testors colors that wore Roth nomenclature in the mid 1960's and quickly switched over to non-Roth names such as those in the late 1960's. I recall doing test chips back then and the Candy Apple was a darker, more intense transparent red, while the Transparent Red and Hot Rod Red were very close to each other - less intense with a slightly more pink transparent red color.

All but four colors (White Pearl, Mysterion Yellow, a light blue pearl, and one other color that escapes me right now) made the Roth-Testors labeling switch - those four colors were discontinued in the States circa late 1960's. Those four (or three) discontinued Roth colors did remain available in the Testors lineup in Canada well into the 1980's.

I know, I know, more than you ever wanted to know about the subject.....Best Regards...TIM

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More trivial info on the subject (after checking my paint stash) to add to what Tim said;

1605 Hot Rod Red is (was) Roth Road Agent Red and 1607 Transparent Candy Red is Roth Beatnik Bandit Red. Both reds were (are?) widely available in Canada well into the '80's with both the old and new names appaearing on the cans.

I don't recall ever seeing a pearl white or Mysterion Yellow anywhere in Canada post-1960's, but if one searched in the right places 1601 Outlaw Green, 1615 Orbitron Blue and 1617 Tweedy Pie Purple were out there. Orbitron Blue was particularily tough to find though.

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I'm doing this from memory (which is always dangerous, and I'm sure you guys will correct me if I get it wrong), but from the 1960's to the 1990's I recall three colors = Transparent Red, Hot Rod Red, and Candy Apple Red. The Transparent Red was part of their main lineup, while the Hot Rod and Candy Apple Reds were leftovers (I think) from the original Roth licensed Testors colors that wore Roth nomenclature in the mid 1960's and quickly switched over to non-Roth names such as those in the late 1960's. I recall doing test chips back then and the Candy Apple was a darker, more intense transparent red, while the Transparent Red and Hot Rod Red were very close to each other - less intense with a slightly more pink transparent red color.

All but four colors (White Pearl, Mysterion Yellow, a light blue pearl, and one other color that escapes me right now) made the Roth-Testors labeling switch - those four colors were discontinued in the States circa late 1960's. Those four (or three) discontinued Roth colors did remain available in the Testors lineup in Canada well into the 1980's.

I know, I know, more than you ever wanted to know about the subject.....Best Regards...TIM

Tim, your article in the August 2005 issue of Scale Auto about the 60's spary paint list Mysterion Yellow, Orbitron Blue and Pearl White being dropped in the US.

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I know, I know, more than you ever wanted to know about the subject.....Best Regards...TIM

Au contraire. I've always envied those who got to work for model companies, model paint companies & other ancillary industries. There seems to be so much history, but only a few knowledgeable insiders capable of conveying it in an interesting manner.

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More trivial info on the subject (after checking my paint stash) to add to what Tim said;

1605 Hot Rod Red is (was) Roth Road Agent Red and 1607 Transparent Candy Red is Roth Beatnik Bandit Red. Both reds were (are?) widely available in Canada well into the '80's with both the old and new names appaearing on the cans.

I don't recall ever seeing a pearl white or Mysterion Yellow anywhere in Canada post-1960's, but if one searched in the right places 1601 Outlaw Green, 1615 Orbitron Blue and 1617 Tweedy Pie Purple were out there. Orbitron Blue was particularily tough to find though.

Mike....when both Chuck Helppie and I worked at the Renaissance Center, Detroit, on the Detroit River, one day we took a lunch break (back when I actually had time to do that sort of thing), took the Windsor tunnel and went to a department store in the shopping area east of downtown Windsor. Came back with cans of all three of those colors, White Pearl, Orbitron Blue, and Pearl Yellow - all wearing the same labeling designs as Testors in the states, other than the colors and the equal visual weight of english and french lettering fonts. This would have been either 1981-82, '84-'87, or '88-'90, periods when I lived and worked in the Detroit area. For what it's worth....(smile).

Best regards....TIM

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Interesting info, Tim. Sounds like you went to the Devonshire Mall.

I specifically remember searching in the London area in the 78-81 and 87-mid 90's and never finding Mysterion Yellow. I wasn't even aware of a pearl white.

Guess I just didn't drive far enough.

And I'll second what the other guys said, Tim...your rumblings are always welcome!

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Are any of those reds the same as tamiya x 27 clear red.

I know the Transparent Hot Rod Red is no where near the clear red of the tamiya.

They're clear enamel reds, as is Humbrol's #1321. Do you happen to have some pictures to support your statement? As you probably know, the final shade of a translucent color is mostly determined by color of the undercoat and the number of candy coats sprayed over the undercoat. All things being equal, I'd be very interested in seeing a comparison between the Testors and Tamiya paints over a common base, although that might be a little tricky since X-27 is an acrylic.

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They're clear enamel reds, as is Humbrol's #1321. Do you happen to have some pictures to support your statement? As you probably know, the final shade of a translucent color is mostly determined by color of the undercoat and the number of candy coats sprayed over the undercoat. All things being equal, I'd be very interested in seeing a comparison between the Testors and Tamiya paints over a common base, although that might be a little tricky since X-27 is an acrylic.

Sorry Monty i threw the whole can away.

But i did decant it and it looked like plain red overly thinned.

I sprayed some on plain white styrene it looked pink.

After about 5 layers it looked like plain red.

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Sorry Monty i threw the whole can away.

But i did decant it and it looked like plain red overly thinned.

I sprayed some on plain white styrene it looked pink.

After about 5 layers it looked like plain red.

Any candy is going to look washed-out over white styrene. I wish you still had the can so you could spray it over a gold undercoat. I did a black & candy red Mopar back in the early '80s using Hot Rod Red over gold. Who knows where the car ended up, but the color combo was so striking, I went as far as asking the board for tips on creating better stripes, as I intend to do a copy of that car. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=60790&hl=

Mind you, I'm not knocking the Tamiya stuff. Both their acrylic and lacquer candy reds can produce beautiful finishes if used correctly.

Show us what you've painted using X-27.

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Monty i also tried over alcad and it still did not have the same as the tamiya.

It did look alright over testors plain gold.But it still did not have the transparency of tamiya.

I do not like the tamiya acrylic ether but for different reasons it peels to easy when masked.

I have been looking at the alcad clear red it is some new stuff they have come up with.

I sent them a email they told me to black base coat.Then what ever metallic i wanted.

They said to then coat the metallic with their aqua clear it is water based but will not

break down with their lacquer based paint.Then they told me to use their transparent red.

And coat it with their clear coat. Alcad has a new line of candy colors also.

Edited by grayghost
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