Dave G.

Much depends on the abrasive itself. In the model world it seems hard to find a standard. For instance, I use a version of micro pads. But to say 3000 is something standard seems optimistic at best. 3000 in my set seems more like 800 or 1000 in 1/1 sand paper. I'd never scuff Tamiya lacquer with it. Starting around 5500 or 6000 would be more realistic. I don't do much sanding of lacquer color coat if I intend to clear coat though. Just knock off any little dust nibs. Then put down about 5 coats of clear. Plus scuffing metallic before cleat coating can be something of a diminished return. However, if Tamiya lacquer goes on real nice, it will be very glossy if it's a gloss paint, I see no need to clear coat it on the classic cars I tend to build. Same for enamels, I've never seen the need to clear coat enamel finishes if put on right. Paints in lacquer, like MCW or Scale Finishes is another matter. These are automotive lacquer, much hotter than Tamiya and much harder surface. They also don't dry super glossy to begin with. Most folks just plan on clear coating that stuff. It's often used as a color coat/clear coat system, perhaps rightfully so.

Just for the record, I use a dehydrator on all my model my paint jobs, using any paints from crafts paints, to Tamiya acrylic, LP lacquer, Createx, decanted enamels, Testors, etc. Even primers get a little blast from the dehydrator.

You can make pink pearl by using pearl white with a little of that magenta in it. I'm planning that on a T Bird build. Supposedly my wife wants to build it, it's her kit. We shall see. She already built a yellow 1960 Bird, so ya. I sprayed two 60 T Birds with Createx, one yellow, one blue. They were the little 1/32 AMT curb side kits.

I flash dry each coat with the hair dryer. I learned this using Createx on T shirts but with a heat press. Then I saw a fishing lure maker who used the heat gun on his lure painting with Createx paints, at each coat, to fully flash dry. His results were awesome, so I incorporated that into model building. Also, the first two coats are very fine mist coats. You can barely see them on the primer. But it's the foundation for later wetter coats. No runs. So, I put down a faint mist coat of color, then flash dry with the hair dryer on medium. Then a second. The second coat you begin to see color, heat set it. Subsequent coats are wetter and wetter, each one heat set. The paint flashes off very quickly so it's not a big deal to perform.

Yeah, I read about that reducer. But 4011, 4030 and Liquitex retarder gives all the leveling I need. I also heat set each coat with a hair dryer and you can watch the coat settle right in to the surface. I just kind of like that ! Not that I won't ever try 4021, after all I did say leveling, not flow out. I actually make my own thinner for Createx, it's a 4011 knock off, but with retarder added.

Just for the record, Mr Leveling thinner is lacquer thinner. It has an initial retarder feature that allows the paint to flow out. But overall dry time is still good. I thin Tamiya acrylics about 1 to 1, so equal part paint to thinner. It acts a lot like shooting the LP lacquers. I've also used hardware store lacquer thinner, for me personally it's good too. But IMO, the MLT gives a result a notch above.

Createx is a system paint. Buy their additives. You should include the 4030 clear intercoat. A small amount added to the paint gives a harder shell finish, converting the colors to poly acrylic. Their part number 4011 is now the correct thinner, try to skip the 4012 because it won't play with 4030 intercoat well. Honestly, it's a great paint If You Use Their System. I found out the basic formula to make what is close enough to 4011 thinner by looking up the msds, to work as well as 4011 does. But I had all the ingredients here. Or close enough anyway. By the way, 4030 intercoat and 4011 thinner is a good combo to use in many craft paints !! Edit: And finally, yes you should use primer. I use Stynylrez under Createx on plastic models. I see no reason why Mr Surfacer wouldn't work as well.

Try lacquer thinner. If you go to the Tamiya site, you will find suggested thinning methods/products. Lacquer thinner is listed for the purpose of a harder finish. That said, while I've used regular lacquer thinner, I prefer Mr Leveling Thinner for it's leveling feature.

I don't recall total engine color but seem to recall reddish valve covers. However, to my knowledge tri power was not a factory thing on a truck in 1960. Most were aftermarket conversions, with something like a Wieand manifold and three Stromberg two barrel carbs. Then three dome shaped chromed air cleaners on top. It was simply the thing to do back then. But in that process, the engine might become any color. I know I guy who converted his 60 Ford panel truck from 6 cyl to a 292 V8. He did the three carb thing and painted the engine yellow. He followed the pattern of two or three different Model A and 32 Ford hot rods we encountered growing up, where they too all had the engines painted yellow. I'm not saying to paint your engine yellow ! Just, once conversions start happening, and maybe a small upgraded camshaft etc. Probably about any color to to tick the owners dreams might be applied.

Basically wrap the cars in paper shop towels ( tis can be bought at Lowes and is actually not paper but rag material, though tearable) or cotton linen. Then you can use foam or whatever you want from there. Bubble wrap perhaps. But you have that protective rag layer between the paint and cushion material. I tend to plastic bag mine, kitchen bags, 1 gal freezer bags etc., give an extra layer. And I don't use much clear coat, certainly not 2K,

I knock off any easy flashing with parts on the tree. Then prime everything. The body is a separate issue or pieces that very obviously need more work than can be done on the tree, I don't prime bodies while on the tree. But I want everything primed for a couple of reasons. The first, is it gives realism to the shape of the parts and takes away the plastic glow or semi opaque look. The other is I can get a better view of what more work may need to be done to each part. From there, Some pieces may get color coat on the trees, minus the body as already mentioned. But I also do some sub assembly work before color paint as well.

Yes, you should be fine, Kyle.

1 oz of pre mixed lacquer is not a lot of paint, especially if you need room for fudge factor. 2 oz leaves a lot of cushion for error. 1 oz of uncut paint is more than enough, even in 1/16 scale. I did a 1/16 Model A, body only in MCW Washington Blue. This was a roadster and the fenders were already done in black. So real estate wise, not so different from a full bodied 60's era car in 1/24. I just made it . One or two areas had sand scratch swelling, which wasn't too bad and I just scuffed out with 3200. I re dusted those areas, blending into the rest ( the wonders of lacquer allow for that). And all was well. I brushed in door jams and such but the paint really is too thin for brushing. And that pretty well did in the 1oz bottle of paint. I might have an 1/8th of the jar left. I got enough paint on the body to make it blue, clear coat is the gloss. Now the fenders I did in Tamiya acrylic and just buffed the color itself up. No clear coat needed, no scuff sanding, just a quick buff up. LP lacquer wasn't out yet, today I'd use that for the black fenders.

I'm assuming you mean the varnishes. If you add it to the paints, you can extend the volume a bit. Too much starts to make the paints more transparent, that could be good or bad depending on your purpose. In most acrylic lines that have gloss or for that matter matt mediums and varnishes 5-20% added to paint can extend them and sometimes/often/usually improve leveling. Paints like Createx have clear intercoats, which also converts the acrylic paint to poly-acrylic. This makes the surface much harder and more scratch resistant, There are modelers who mix certain amounts of Vallejo clear into the colors but I'm not one. In acrylic paints, I tend to use the Createx 4030 up to 25%. Best I can say for now. I also have added Liquitex clear varnish into various acrylic colors. Also US ART supply acrylic thinner has acrylic medium in it, add enough and it improves gloss, which is great as long as you didn't want flat, lol ! Others will probably offer their take on your question, my way isn't the only way.

I guess that's why nobody makes a 1956 Buick hardtop, or better yet a 38 Buick sedan. Nobody ever did it before. Those cars have been missing since I first started modeling cars around 1958. So Moebius comes out with a 55 and 56 Chrysler. I emailed them once about a Buick, no reply.

To my knowledge, it still is ! Suffice it to say that I don't buy it in any product, if the good stuff is available..

Any of the no tox stuff is kind of like that, got no wompum ! But back in the 1960's when I first ran into Pactra, I doubt there was non tox. Or I didn't know about it.

Ya, I actually saw it at Amazon, Trevor. As I mentioned, if it's the same as MM, then my favorite glue for general plastic model assembly, lives on !!

Briefly, on another note: I found out that Testors black bottle glue is available. Anyone know if it's the same glue that used to be Model Master black bottle ( my favorite for that slighted melted welded bond) ? If it is, then black bottle continues for me as my main build glue, though I have others for various purposes. Orange tube, is not the glue I recall as a kid in the late 1950's and early 60's. But then again , I may have had Pactra back then. Oh well, time moves on, I marvel that I can recall anything from back then, but some thing are clearer than stuff I did yesterday.

A little slow is good for me, so I can get in my 6 attempts to get something to where I perceive it as straight lol. Slowish allows for wiggle room factor. It's not just my 74 years, it's always been if something grabs instantly a seam line will be off or whatever else. Double astigmatisms don't help.

I can also reference oil painting on this. You can have an acrylic base and oil paint over that. In fact it's common to acrylic gesso a canvas to prep it for oil painting. But not the other way around. As much as you think the oil has cured enough, then apply acrylic, it will backfire on you. Everything from wrinkling, to cracking to peeling right off. You might witness this happening tomorrow or next year, but it will happen.

I'm not a fan of acrylic over lacquer if that's what we are talking about here. Not even within Tamiya's own line. I've tested it. Where acrylic and lacquer meet or have been layered so to speak, down the road a piece it cracked. And it cracked deep, right down to the base substance, in this case, plastic. It looked great going on, but give it 6 months and look again.

Also, I've used several brands super glue. But for thin supergule I've found Zap to really work well. And I like the Gorilla gel super glue for some things. These besides what I already said in my other post. For clear parts, I like the Testors clear parts glue.

I don't have one favorite glue, I use various glues for different reasons. But the glue I like that probably cant be found any longer, for permanent assembly of the main parts, is/was Model Master black bottle. Or if there will be some form of stress, like door hinges, I like the black bottle glue. When mine runs out, not sure what I'll use then. The Testors orange tube isn't bad but not as strong as the black bottle. If you think you might want to pop the model apart, just tack glue together with the orange tube.

I should tread softly here, as many of you in the forums are still active in contests and shows. I have not been active in that for decades. Thus my statements you quoted from should have been less outright. Also, and I debated it, concerning 2k, I should have said something like, many modelers feel it's required to win. Rather than give the impression that it really takes 2K to win. My mistake !