DiscoRover007

Hey guys so this will be hard question to answer but i'll give it a shot. Ive used TS sprays for years and they are by far my method of choice for painting bodies. What I'm curious about is their TS- Mica Silver Paint. I'm one of the types that puts a lot of value into sticking to the color recommendations of the Tamiya painting instructions. I like sticking to factory body colors for realism. I know that this is just another way for Tamiya to sell their products. However how much research goes into the matching of Tamiya paints to the actual car paints on new kits? Reason being is that I love to use their TS-17 Gloss Aluminum as it is a classic german silver. I also use their Mica Silver. The difference between these paints is that the Mica is a little brighter and has more sparkle to it. But I have heard rumours that TS-76(Mica Silver) was actually developed to be an improvement on Gloss Aluminum. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Or it simply an addition to the color line? I know some people find TS-17 more difficult to use and I can see that argument but you can still get a great in scale silver paint job with it. What's funny is that I look at some of my favorite kits of the early 90's like the NSX for example. The instructions will tell you that TS-17 is their recommendation for Sebring Silver of the real car. But looking at the photos of these vehicles I think you could say TS-76 is a better match. However this is an observation in hindsight as some of these model kits were made with the painting guides before new paints developed such as Mica Silver. So I'm being really nit picky and this is a niche question. But does anyone have any insight into how these painting guides are developed and is it true that Mica Silver was meant to replace or upgrade their Gloss Aluminum?

Sure but all due respect that's not something I would chance. If I had a great metallic paint job. I'm not going to risk lifting the metallic particles and getting an uneven/faded out finish. The safe thing is to clear coat it. Won't hurt anything. But it would be wise to test that theory on a spoon before trying it on a paint job.

You need to clear coat any metallic you use. That way you can polish it. As others have said you can see if you can get that paint matched in scale from a reputable hobby paint dealer. You could also try base coating it in a brown color and the mist coating a metallic lightly over it.

That looks great! What did you mean by MV lenses?

Ah yes I understand. I will be using the kit's lenses for the lights and I will try to minimize the gap of the chrome piece and housing by careful sanding. Ill paint them the same color and hopefully it won't be too noticeable. The kit headlights are poorly designed and "built in" to the bumper. There's no sign of any of that in my photos thought because I completely cut them out.

Oh yeah that's the plan. Going with the testors GTS blue pearl.

Which area are you referring to? I do plan to use the kit lenses.

Hey guys so this will be a slow progress build but I wanted to get the thread started. This is the Revell viper GTS. Probably the best example of the car aside from the prototype version made by AMT. Good kit overall. However if any of you are familiar with it I’m sure you are aware of the horrible panel gap between the bumper and hood. I have almost addressed this by adding extra plastic and putty so it’s newrly fixed. The other inaccuracy of this kit that isn’t talked about much is the horrible headlights. They do not resemble the real ones at all and look very toy like. So to address that I actually bought some cheap burago die cast viper models off eBay. Those headlights are actually very close to the real deal. So I cut those and sanded the backs of the piece to make them very thin. Then I hollowed out the Revell headlight housing with aid of a dremel. If you attempt this be careful as it’s easy to grind away too much. Only one side done right now but I think you can tell it’s a much improved look.

I wonder what the TS equivalents are to the LP paints. I see they have a "Pure Red" I wonder if thats TS-08 or if the LP "Silver" is Gloss Aluminum. I probably wont use these too much to be honest. But I could see using the LP Semi Gloss black frequently.

Duplicolor has always been tricky to paint with for me. I think the issue is that it reacts with hobby plastics and primers. The only way I've found that really cures this is to either undercoat the paint with a similar shade of hobby lacquer first OR use Duplicolor primer sealer before painting, to my memory that has also helped. I do share the frustrations though. They are super susceptible to humidity and the paint often crinkles and allows ghost lines to show through. I pretty much stick to TS Sprays now or a select few Testors Lacquers.

There's an FJ Cruiser model kit!? No way

I've got this kit in in the spyder version. I painted mine yellow. I think yellow or light metallic blue are the best colors for this car.

Yes absolutely. That's why I think there's huge potential in the SUV market. And there are a number of sports cars that haven't been built. They keep pushing old kits from decades ago and it's holding them back immensely. The best thing Revell did in terms of subject and quality the last several years was their 599 GTO up to the Porsche 918(Which still has its drawbacks). Their new Ford GT is a great kit Im sure but Im afraid it'll just be another one off instead of a sign of things to come. Aoshima's been doing right for the last several years. They completely dominated the Lamborghini subjects and have made the best versions of them in history of models. They've tapped into the nostalgia of the Countach and are making the new models as well. Tamiya is obviously great but they don't release new kits too often.

If I were Revell I would dissolve the 1/25 line and shift all new models to 1/24 scale. Then I'd start making niche kits that people want to make that haven't been tapped yet. There is a huge 4x4 market that has barely been touched. I'd kit Land Rover Discovery's, Defenders, Toyota 4 Runners, Tacoma's, Nissan Xterra's, the new Ford Ranger Raptor, etc. There has also been a lack of a decent new 911 Porsche kit. We also need a new Viper in 1/24

If the glass comes pre painted then that's a huge plus. Would be a selling point in future kits.

Im super stoked that Tamiya is making the kit but I also hope they have some other sport car releases on the way.

I would love for them to make a Mustang. Not the biggest fan of the current generation looks wise. But I'd love for them to make a 2013 version. I also would be grateful if they made a 1/24 viper.

BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH. I'm sure this will be an excellent example. Anyone else feel like Tamiya went for the jugular on Revell?

I second that. I’ve always wanted them to make a 2005 Montero or 2004 Land Rover Discovery 2. Even a newer Toyota Tacoma or 4 Runner with gear options would be awesome.

Great to see the master back at it

True yes they did. But it's strictly a race car. I don't believe a street version of it exists. I mean there is the 959 but the styling is a bit different, the front bumper anyway.

I always kind of wish there was a street version of the 961. I know its the race version of the 959 but it's got a much more handsome front end. I had always wondered if there were body kits to mimic this. Thanks for the informative thread.

To each their own but CF decals have gotten pretty advanced now. They even have some that are a masking decal so you paint the correct color of the carbon according to reference photos. I only use pre cut ones though because I have a hell of a time making a mask for them. Using a flexible mesh and airbrushing the pattern does make a convincing alternative though.

I stand corrected. Would be great if Tamiya or Aoshima took that on though.

This will make a great singer style base