bluenote

Myself, I just use Tamiya rattle cans. I know exactly what to expect, they are perfect every time. Quick and easy. They are pricey, but I only build a few kits per year. I use scalefinishes for cars that I need a unique colour for.

I don't think it'd be a problem

I don't think you'd want to apply pearl clear after the decals, then it would show pearl on the decals which I think would not look right. I would suggest applying decals on the pearl white, then decals, then normal clear to seal everything in.

thanks for the advice guys! I think I'll try to sand and blend. the idea of starting over, and buying new decals, etc. doesn't seem worth it. (the body turned out pretty good, besides these couple of blemishes!)

Hey everyone, I am building the Revell 1970 TA Challenger. I have painted the body with Tamiya rattlecan primer (2 coats), and then 2 coats of Tamiya TS98 pure orange. I think sanded/polished using tamiya compounds and then applied decals. I then applied 3 coats of Tamiya TS-13 clear (1 light coat, 2 heavy). However, it looks like I went a bit too heavy on the driver's door. I have a few runs. (sorry, no pics). Should I wetsand and reapply clear just on that area? As well, I noticed during my sanding on the colour coat, that I burned through some of the edges, specifically the edge on the middle of the trunk. Any way to save this, now that it's been sealed with clear? I was thinking to tape off all around it, and give it a very gentle light spray of the orange rattlecan. I sometimes find when I try to correct a problem, that I sometimes make it worse! thanks for any advice.

I wonder if a good option would be to buy tamiya metallic blue in the bottle (x-13), and lighten it or darken it as needed.

This is very informative. I may try the PS paints on a car model, for no other reason than they do have a couple of paints in that line that are not offered in the TS line (specifically, metallic purple, copper, fluorescent pink which is very close to panther pink, cherry red, etc) The metallic purple is one that I definately want to try on a cuda, and I think the metallic flake will be more in scale than the Testors purplicious (yes, I know about scalefinishes, etc but I'm done with airbrushing, much prefer rattlecans now!)

that purplicious looks great! I thought the testors extreme lacquers have very large flake, but that picture looks pretty decent. I heard a flat clear will tone down the flake, is that the case with this one?

actually, tamiya TS102 (cobalt green) is a very close match to grabber green

ah, that makes sense then. yea, don't think tamiya has an equivalent to grabber green.

to each their own, but I would never use paint that is meant for car engines on my plastic models. For me, there's no need to. Just grab a can of Tamiya paint that is much milder and meant specifically for plastic models. My opinion is the same for Duplicolor/Krylon, etc. That stuff is meant for outdoor furniture, real cars, etc. Yes, people have been able to use them successfuly, but i just stick with Tamiya. Much easier for me.

I'm really in the minority, I have exactly zero in the stash. I like to use my local hobby shop as my stash. After I finish a build (I just finished my AMT millenium falcon cutaway), I like to go to my hobby shop and pick out my next project. My hobby shop has a great selection, and between that and ebay, I have literally 1000s of models to choose from, so for me, why would I buy tons of models and just having them sit in a closet for years? A big part of the fun for me is when I finish a project, I clean my hobby desk completely, and then head to the hobby shop. Last weekend I did this, and picked up the revell streetburner 1970 Challenger T/A. Then, I bring it home, open it up and study the parts and manual. Then I choose the colour I want to paint it and make a list of paints that I may need for it. Then, back to the hobby shop to grab the paints that I may need. For me, I have no need for a stash. I build only a couple of models per year (the millenium falcon took me almost 2 years to do). I don't build in the summer. However, the Challenger may be a fairly quick build, only 78 parts. Anyway, this is how I like to build. I'm in a small house as well, so storage space is an issue too.

I agree with this. Instead of messing around with propellant cans, PSI, thinning ratios, spraying distance, etc, just get a tamiya can. I actually switched from airbrushes to Tamiya cans and I couldn't be happier. The finish is perfect, and I'm done in a minute or so. No messing around with ratios, cleaning up afterwards, etc.

For me, I really like HPI guys. I find a lot of the other Youtubers get super detailed and not very much fun. For instance, International Scale Modeler. He's a very nice guy, and i've learned some tricks from him. But man, he does something like 7 or 8 colour coats, preceded by 4 or so primer coats and 3 or 5 coats of 2k clear. Good lord, is that really necessary? It seems like work at that point, rather than fun. And the 2k clear: Not only is it highly toxic, but it doesn't look right. It looks too shiny, and unnatural. But, that's just me. Scale Modelling Channel is also like this. That's why I like HPI guys. He build kinda like I do. Spray paint, 1 or 2 coats, finished painting the body in under 3 minutes. Lots of brush painting (which I like to do, I don't get the point of airbrushing small, tiny parts (especially when they are mostly covered by other parts). To each their own though. Everyone builds differently and enjoys different parts of the build. Some like to be super detailed, and airbrush everything. Others, not so much. Having said that, these channels are very hypnotic to watch! Very relaxing!

I find his videos a breath of fresh air! No airbrush, no aftermarket parts, etc. He builds like most of us did when we started this hobby, and I kinda like that. Most Youtubers today airbrush EVERYTHING, using 2k clears, automotive grade paints, etc. It's nice to see someone just using rattlecans, no polishing, handbrushing a lot of stuff, etc.

I actually know nothing about Snopes to be honest! Sorry, missed the emoji you posted as well ?

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chevy-volt-battery-invoice/

This is not the full story. This was a battery replacement for a discontinued car, (12 years old) in which Chevy no longer offers replacement batteries. This particular battery is from a 3rd party, in which these batteries are extremely rare. Most batteries cost between $2k-$8k, and last up to 15 years. As well, electric cars from 10 years ago were basically very early in their development. They've come a long way, and as more and more get made, the technology will get better (and hopefully, the cost of batteries, etc will drop). I get your point, but because this receipt is making the rounds on the internet, tells you that this is by far the exception and not the norm. Again, your point is well taken though, many questions still remain about maintenance costs, etc for electric vehicles.

Many people on this thread are saying that people are touting Electric vehicles as the saviour of the planet. I don't think this is true, but it's definately a good step in the right direction. Yes, the resources needed for batteries, etc is quite high, but the tradeoff is that there will not be emissions from billions of cars on a daily basis. I think part of the problem (just my opinion), is people are getting tired of extreme technological changes that we are now seeing around the world. Think about the technology from the 1950's to the 1970's: Phones were basically the same, records were still the main way to listen to music, cars were stylistically different (but the technology was still the same), TV's were the same (except for the invention of colour tvs), etc Now, compare the technology from say the 1990's to now: Smart phones are introduced, our consumption of media has completely changed (from records/cds that you had to buy to having access to every song ever recorded on your tiny phone), computers, electric vehicles, the ability to do ALL your shopping from your phone, etc. Things are changing extremely rapidly, and I think it may be overwhelming. We've never seen such fast advances like this ever in human history. I'm not that old (47), and while I do embrace technology, I do find the speed of change a bit overwhelming sometimes and sometimes long for simpler times.

Tamiya enamels are an excellent replacement for Testors. Up to now, they were only available in Asia. We now have them across Canada as of last year. Not sure if they plan on bringing them to the US, but they are definately worth importing. They do not dry out, they brush on perfectly. They have about 80 colours I believe. The jars are almost exactly like Testors, but much nicer in my opinion. And they have that nice, enamel smell!

Love that you still use the old Testors Paint carousel with the testors paint (and testors tube glue). Brings me back to my childhood. not sure if you airbrush, etc, but it's nice to just use the basics for modelling.

Yes you can brush out of the bottle. The enamels are not pre-thinned unlike their lacquers

Thanks for the information!

Hi everyone, I was looking to buy a spray can from MCW and I was curious how much bigger their spray cans are compared to Tamiya. If you can believe it, there is not a single picture on google of MCW Spray cans. Does anyone have a picture? I'm just curious on the size differences compared to regular hobby spray cans like Tamiya. thanks!

Several things for me. I used to use Testors enamels, now I use Tamiya enamels (yes, enamel, not their acrylic. Similar square bottles). I now only use Tamiya liquid cement, vs Testors tube glue. My builds are so much cleaner now! I never used spray paint/airbrush as a kid. I either brush painted the bodies (turned out awful!) or left the body unpainted. Now, I use Tamiya spray paint and sometimes Scalefinishes. I think I actually enjoy building more than I did as a kid. It seemed when I was younger, I was always screwing something up and getting frustrated. I still make mistakes, but not nearly as much or as bad as when I was a kid.