Anglia105E

Thanks Chad, and I take your point . . . Keep in mind please, that where I live in Derbyshire rural UK, we do not have any stores that sell Tamiya aerosol cans, and Mr Hobby products are not available in UK . . . This restricts my scale model building to using paints from the Halfords chain of stores, which sells paint products specifically intended for automotive application ( so not plastic ), then the specialist automotive paint suppliers (also not for plastic models), and finally the Rust-oleum products, which according to US model builders are intended for garden furniture (PVC) and cheap surfaces around the home. Unless I can find a paint product that does not damage my prized Cortina model car, I shall not risk applying any of the above products. At this moment, I have only applied the two Rust-oleum products to parts of the kit that will not be visible when it is completed. David

I take your point Bob, but can I draw your attention to the wording on the back of the can for the Rust-oleum Spa Blue Gloss . . . See photo. This clearly states ' Bare plastic should be primed with Rust-oleum Plastic Primer ' - ( fourth line down, from the centre to the end of that line '. I am applying these two products to bare plastic (okay this is 60 year old plastic) and my local store 'Boyes' are authorised distributors for Rust-oleum paint products. This means that I am following the manufacturer's instructions to the letter, which clearly states that I must use the Plastic Primer product on the surface of the plastic, before applying the second product which is the gloss enamel. I quite understand that you guys probably have considerably greater knowledge of the Rust-oleum products than I do, because as I said previously, I believe these paint products are more widely used and available in the US than here in UK. . . . Also, I might not be as experienced a scale model painter as you guys, but in this case I am taking extra care to get this right, hence the extensive pre-testing. The Frog Ford Consul Cortina kit is extremely rare, and I have paid a considerable amount of money to get hold of the kit. So far (fingers crossed) there have been no unusual effects appearing on the surface of the plastic, but that does not mean that further down the line there may be something nasty that happens after one week, one month or even one year ! David

I totally agree Bob . . . This is why, despite reading about some disturbing Rust-oleum issues, I have decided to proceed with testing of the Plastic Primer White and the Spa Blue Gloss products, both of which are Rust-oleum branded. David

Russ . . . I forgot to include this photo of the paint cans in my recent post . . . David

Okay, thanks Les . . . Understood David

Sorry to hear that this has happened to your Cadillac paint on the Mercedes kit Russ . . . and here are my thoughts, based on what you have discovered. Your can of Rust-oleum primer on the left of your photo states ' Stops Rust ', so I would imagine the primer is intended for metal surfaces rather than plastic. Also, it says '2 in 1 - Filler & Sandable ', which implies this is a specialist product. Your next can to the right is an automotive basecoat, which I would guess is a kind of primer itself. I hope this might help you in some way Russ, but this is my experience of Rust-oleum products during this past week. I have applied Rust-oleum Plastic Primer White over a 60 year old Frog Ford Cortina kit body, and so far there has been no unpleasant reaction between the paint and the plastic. Having said that, I have only applied the paint a few days ago, so not one week as in your case. Also, I have applied Rust-oleum Spa Blue Gloss over the plastic primer white, and after 24 hours drying overnight I haven't noticed any odd reaction . . . The two Rust-oleum products were applied in a fine mist spray, three coats, with 5 minutes drying between each coat. I shall be getting a bit nervous by the end of this week, having seen what happened to your model car ! I have never seen that effect with the paint before . . . most odd ! Here are some photos of my efforts. David

That is a really nice build of yours Patrick, and much as I like the blue with gold wheels colour combination, this looks great in white. So many decals, and brilliant application over the many curves of the Subaru Impreza. Excellent ! David

Some very interesting reading on here with this topic, and to keep it short, here are my thoughts . . . I usually go for plastic kits to assemble, and usually in 1:24 or 1:25 scale. Every so often I really need to find a particular car that has not been produced as a kit, and this is where the diecast model comes in. Personally, I am drawn to Franklin Mint and Danbury Mint, but only if I can afford the asking price ! This is why I like Ebay, because if you have the patience to wait for the right model, you can be lucky enough to win an auction or even spot a cheap ' Buy Now ' price. I like to use parts from diecast Rolls-Royce models and fit them to a plastic kit build, or I might even repaint a diecast (carefully). Most important of course, is that these diecast model cars must NOT appear to be toy-like . . . Absolute realism and accuracy are always top of my list of priorities, and especially when I have a photographic project in mind. I cannot purchase a model car that does not have the correct proportions and details. My collection includes 1:12 scale models, as well as 1:25, 1:24, 1:20, 1:16, 1:32, 1:35 and 1:43 scales, and I wish I could build a 1:8 scale Pocher one day ! David

Yes Peter . . . I shall carry out test applications of any paints on parts of the rare model that will not be visible once assembled. Top of the list might be the Tamiya acrylic paints, then the Halfords enamel primer, followed by the automotive cellulose paints and bottom of the list will be Rust-oleum primer and gloss paint. I am hoping there will be enough surface plastic to carry out the tests ! This is a 1:16 scale kit, although the Cortina is not a large car. David

Thanks for the suggestion Carl, but the problem with that approach is that this Frog Cortina is 60 years old vintage plastic, and I don't have another kit that is anywhere near that old. The paint reaction on the much newer plastic would not give me the confidence to apply the paint to the older kit body. David

The Franklin Mint 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I is actually a very nice model, except there is no boot lid number plate plinth, like we have here in England. The trunk lid license plate mounting is different for the US version of course. Usually on Ebay there are several of these diecast FM model cars, and the prices are mostly very reasonable. The Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet / hood motif is always missing on the Ebay items, and the roof aerial is also always missing, as these two parts are very fragile. Franklin Mint also produced the Bentley S1 version of the Silver Cloud I, and their 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I is also a very nice model. David

Thanks Chad . . . I am in England, UK so from around mid-May the outside temperature goes above 13°C, and spray painting can begin ! These days I usually allow 5 days after applying any topcoats, which seems to be about right, before using Tamiya Polishing Compounds. I shall commence paint testing later this week, and this will include Tamiya paints if I can get hold of them, and also cellulose over Halfords white primer, but the Rust-oleum products will be used with caution on the actual 60 year old plastic. David

Thanks Dave . . . I am in England, UK so from around mid-May the outside temperature goes above 13°C, and spray painting can begin ! These days I usually allow 5 days after applying any topcoats, which seems to be about right. David

Interesting comments Noel, and I have tried my best to do something significant with the Silver Cloud kit over the past 6 years. Several of these models have parts from the 1955 Franklin Mint diecast Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I, which has an accurate body shell, and of particular interest to me is the windscreen part as well as the 6-cylinder inline engine, rather than the V8 engine. Getting the Franklin Mint windscreen to fit into the Revell body was a challenge ! The tyres in the Minicraft kit are of a very plastic material, whereas the tyres in the Revell kit are much more of a rubber material, so I use those. Various donor kits supply the parts I need for a build, and then I scratch build any further parts. One Silver Cloud model even has a real leather interior ! The hardest part to source is the Spirit of Ecstasy (Flying Lady) on top of the radiator grille, because the kit part is way too large. Apart from the Franklin Mint model, the Hubley / Minicraft / Revell kits, there are no other versions of the car in 1:24 scale. I did mould and cast a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud body and chassis in resin, from the Revell body and chassis, which turned out surprisingly well. David

Thank you Bob . . . Wise words indeed ! The odds seem to be stacked against Rust-oleum. Your advice is much appreciated. David

Thank you Greg . . . I would agree with you that at the very least one week for paint to cure properly is realistic. It seems sensible to wait, rather than handle the model too soon. Based upon your comment and many others on here, I am leaning towards Tamiya products, unless I decide to go with cellulose over the Halfords white primer. Testing of different paint combinations will take place next week, and I shall be using the underside of the actual 60 year old plastic, as opposed to the spoon tests. Althouh Rust-oleum might be tested, I am unlikely to use it for this particular rare model car. David

I must admit Samuel, I haven't actually seen the movie. The good thing to come out of it I guess, is that the DeLorean car has become so iconic.

Did you not like the 2016 movie?

I like the story so far, Samuel . . . David

Okay Lee, I will have a look, thanks.

Thanks Dave, but it says on the can that this paint is touch dry in 20 minutes and hard dry in 24 hours . . . so I am surprised to hear one week ?

Well Noel . . . I tend to specialise in Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I models, from 1955 - 1959, and there is a Minicraft kit in 1:24 scale, as well as the Revell version of the same kit. The Hubley kit was the first one that later became the Minicraft kit when they acquired the licence, which then passed to Revell Germany. That Minicraft / Revell kit has only 26 parts, and as you say is quite crude really, but the overall body shape and proportions are actually very good. By adding a lot of extra parts and many hours of work, I can build a Silver Cloud anywhere between 2 months and 7 months. The old Frog Cortina will be built completely standard, as a replica of my Dad's car, with which he taught me to drive when I reached 17 ( now almost 70 ). David

Thank you Lee, but I have not seen Duplicolour paints for sale in UK ? Sounds like your 1963 kit was fine with that paint. David

Many thanks bluenote . . . I shall have a look at both of those colours ! David

I agree Noel that Halfords Grey, White and Red Primers are all good, and I have used them a great deal. Even the Black Primer was great. What makes me nervous with this Cortina kit from 1962 is the uncertainty of what will happen with any new paint mix. The company that I use for custom mixed aerosols is Automotive Paints, Brighton and they provide me with a 400 ml can that is precidely mixed to the paint code, usually Rolls-Royce cars, and is cellulose because they are 1955 - 1959 cars. As long as the primer is coating the plastic, the cellulose paint does not harm the plastic. I have many finished Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud models to prove it. This Ford Consul Cortina does not necessarily need to be cellulose, as it is a 1963 colour code. I am leaning towards Tamiya primer and topcoat at the moment. Appreciate your comments Noel, thanks. David