Dave G.

Model Master solvent paints are gone as far I know ( Rustoleum stopped production last year). I'm intending to go with AK Interactive Xtreme metal paints as I need metal finish in place of MM Metalizer. Right now I'm ok. .

I built an original back in the day, top up painted it black with off white top. Put in working lights . No photos though. Oh well, thanks for the memories , nice build !!!!

Wow you guys really stirred up the memory banks, I built several of those starting in 58 till about 65. Then I was old enough to start branching off into classic cars and other kinds of builds. Built the Big T and Deuce also. Many more memories, too many to talk about.

That's a good price, didn't know they carried it. I checked NAPA, they have quality LT but forget the price, want to say it something like $14 or more a quart. So I just stick with Kleen Strip.

Ya you can cut enamels with lacquer thinner from the hardware store, just make sure it's not the new green label synthetic stuff. You might even like how it sprays better ( I get a tremendous gloss from that with Testors or MM enamels when airbrushed). It will also clean your airbrush great. For brushes I'd get mineral spirits and you can use that to spray with as well or to cut the paints just slightly for brush painting.. I actually do a blend of that and hardware store paint thinner sometimes and enamels go down nice with that from the airbrush too. I'm not a fan of hardware store paint thinning alone for spraying, the paint want to flow nice but will crater, looking almost like fish eyes but it won't do that if it's mixed 50-50 with mineral spirits and thin with that combo.. Now you get the nice flow out, a little fast tack up and no craters. Same with lacquer thinner as the thinner. I haven't bought the Testors thinner since the mid 1970's lol !!! You can get a full quart of these other products for about $9 each.

Sure, no problem.

I've been airbrushing since the mid 1970's but some of my nicest build in my mind were from rattle cans I used all through the 1960's. It's all in how you handle things lol !! You can probably expect an initial setback switching to airbrush but you will learn quick. A good place to start will be with your flats and semigloss paints, maybe some small parts as well. so interiors, floorpans, chassis, engines, good practice.

The 5.0 is a 302 Ford and used in many model Fords from 1968 on up. The only iteration different is the Boss 302, also 5.0 but with different heads and wider valve covers. Course there were various induction systems too.The so called or infamous version of the Windsor engine is a 351ci 5.7 engine. This has a taller block deck and very slightly wider head placement so a slightly wider intake. At 1/25 scale it would be hard to tell the difference between a 5.7 and 5.0. Then of course you have your late model engines, Mustang again has a 5.0 in these, different looking engine. The kit has the standard or longest running 5.0 in it as I recall ( the older version). The FE is a completely different animal.

Sure thing, hope you make out well !

Never tried that, I've used slightly thinned enamel paint before and that should go over the lacquer ok just test it first. I've seen on here where guys have used Future/Pledge with good results, that's what I'll probably do in the future no pun intended assuming I ever flock again. Those products should go over the lacquer fine.

Looks the same as Badger. He says it is.

If you're using a standard needle ( .4-.6) or even a .35 you probably won't need to thin it at all. It really snuggles into every detail well. Don't over do the thinning. Soaking in lacquer thinner should work to soak it clean, I find 91 ipa to do well. My over night soaks I do now and then are lacquer thinner though and who knows what residue is inside my brushes, never had any trouble. Just make sure you really flush out the bulk of the Stynylrez ( plain water gets the bulk out) because it hardens up pretty quickly if not. It's good stuff, I think you will like it.

First of all it's basically odorless ( faint underlying sort of musky smell). It goes on like paint lol and levels out nice when dry. It will spray from the bottle but I often use a .25 needle and being lazy well that's not the best nozzle size for primer. So I cut it a little bit, takes very little thinning. I was using alcohol or a thinner I make up for craft paints and cutting 5-10% but then I found that Badger suggests just plain water. Funny you should ask because yesterday was the first time I tried water, very very little, maybe 3-4% plain water. It mixed right in and just cut the tension, mixed like light cream, sprayed on very smooth with the .25 needle. It dries in about 30 minutes but I like to give it a half day or so or cook it for 20 minutes in the dehydrator. You don't have to do this but I like to buff it with 000 steel wool, it will come out semi gloss if you do and gives a super smooth surface for your finish coats, plus pluck out any little flecks of dust you might not realize is there.. So happens this time I shot in the late afternoon so it's sat overnight. Really clean your airbrush. I flush and backflush, then flush in running warm tap water about three cycles. Then use 91% ipa and run that through back flush, then flush with water again. I use a Qtip inside the nozzle end. Then one more flush with water fwiw. Worth a tear down if you will put the brush away for a while. But I'm usually painting again within hours. It really clings inside the brush and when it fully cures it's a bear to deal with then. So I make sure it's well flushed out. I do a lot of craft paints for my color coats these days, so I'm often following up with acrylic.

Let us know how you make out ! I've been using it as my main primer now for a bit over two years.

I've sprayed lacquer nail polish over it thinned with hardware store lacquer thinner. I haven't shot automotive lacquer over it. I did have one failure when I thinned with xylene but not with the LT. I've shot enamel over Stynylrez many times, in fact I did my 1/16 scale Mercer that way. Good luck !

That's a nice natural looking finish for that era car !

When ever I shoot craft paints and want a gloss finish I just automatically figure on clear coating. And as such I actually prefer flat or satin acrylics. But the level of gloss you get from gloss acrylics will vary by how you thin them and apply too. And polishing as well. I just go for the clear coat though with craft acrylics that I want to really shine. I do quite a lot of craft paint shooting and clear coat with either Tamiya clear gloss acrylic or with clear lacquers, then buff to a full shine. I like the satin craft paints for interiors but flat is fine with me too then I add clear satin Liquitex varnish to my mix according to how I want the interior to look. Bodies get clear coated if craft paint is the color coat. Just sayin.

No paint products stick to a waxed surface.

I wouldn't sand it to primer intentionally, you might be able to recover this with scuffing off the drops and worst case reshoot the clear and polish it. Best case just polishing after scuffing. But if you go to primer I'll bet you can never get the exact match of metallic finish you shot the first time and it won't match the rest of the car.. Much of that though depends how opaque that green paint is. The last green I shot was very prone to shade differences according to what was under it. I'm so glad I did a test shoot first and ended up due to the outcome of the test going from light grey primer to black to get the shade green intended. I got a tiny piece of some kind of fiber in my second coat on top of the roof though. I stopped right there, let it dry and sanded that out and reshot the whole car, then later clear coated. The color came out uniform that way. Candy colors are the worst though, this one was not candy at least. I did a car in rose gold metallic with candy blue over it. same thing, dirt in the hood. Tried wet sanding but the dirt was too deep, it went into the purple pond and I refinished the hood from primer up. It's close but it really doesn't match. It's close enough it's going to live life that way and by the time I get the flat black portions done on it it won't matter much anyway.

Ah hah ! I knew/thought I had seen it in 1/32 long ago.

I remember an MGA kit back in the day but I'm thinking it was maybe 1/32. I know there was a Jaguar kit of that vintage ( I built one that I barely remember the details of probably around 1960 or 61 that was smaller than 1/25 or 1/24). I think there was a Triumph kit kit too. I was into hot rods though or totally stock sedans and such, so barring time they also weren't sharp on my mind anyway and I surely could be wrong.... Also they may have been Lindberg but Aurora sticks out in my mind really.

Black craft paint works great. I also make a wash using Liquitex Soft Body artists paints ( acrylic), this adheres stronger but the process is the same, dilute to a wash brush it on. You can see it wash off the high points and settle into the lows of the grill, you don't need any thinner than that, if it flows thats great.. Don't worry that it looks puddled too deep it will flatten out as it dries. Then you can polish up the high areas. Works the same for craft paint or the Liquitex artist paint though except as I mentioned the artist paint has more bond. What I use is largely based off my mood at the time or if I have to dig for something when the other is on my bench already lol. Folk Art Licorice black works nice fwiw. As does Liquitex Mars Black.

Too bad, that's a fine looking copper posted above !

MM Metalizer has a pretty strong odor but it doesn't linger long and it dries fast. You've got to keep them stirred up and keep the lid on the bottles as much as you can because they evaporate quickly. When airbrushing, swish the cup around often so the metal doesn't settle.

I mostly use MM Metalizer paints, especially for aluminum and such. But I went to Molotow for chrome. If you're looking for chrome I think it's Molotow or Alklad will be the winners there. But the MM Metalizer buffing series is awesome for other raw metal looks. When you buff them you get the specular inner tones and such of real metals imo. I use the aluminum plate buffing color a lot. You know what's tough to find is a really good copper, you would think it should be easy. well I'm still looking !! And still just going back to plain old Testors enamel for copper. Flory did a review of the AK extreme metal and I think he concluded their Stainless steel was a good stand in for chrome, better than the AK chrome . And he liked several others as well.