Monty

Darren, that's a beautiful red on that truck. What paint did you use?

Interesting. Some of the advice that I've read over the last couple years suggests that you should finish off by spraying lacquer thinner through the gun. Apparently acrylics can adhere like crazy, so you need to use the strongest means possible to keep them from drying inside the gun.

Some paint issues (orange peel) can be fixed by using heat to make the paint flow out better. Several folks on here use food dehydrators to get better results, and I've even seen some low budget attempts (40W bulb in a cardboard box) that worked for the builder. How fresh is that paint and what issues are you having with it?

Wow. Gil, would you mind shooting another pic showing the front of the dash?

1) I've seen a number of you recommend Windex as a reducer. Does the blue dye in it ever affect lighter shades of paint (white, yellow etc)? This might sound like a silly question on the surface, but I've never used a reducer in any other paint system that wasn't clear. 2) Others of you have recommended 70% rubbing alcohol as a reducer. I've noticed my local pharmacies also have a 91% solution. Would this work as well? Any reason not to use it? 3) What's the best clear to use with acrylic paints?

I'll be anxiouly waiting to see how yours turns out. My Chevy SS454 pickup is still in its box because I hated the way they did the headlights on it.

You're one of a small group of modelers who've discovered the wide range of colors available in nail polishes. Unlike hobby or touch-up paints, you can find interesting nail polish colors virtually everywhere. I like the color combination you came up with, but I'm curious what prompted the folks at Max Factor to call it "Raisin Perle".

Any candy is going to look washed-out over white styrene. I wish you still had the can so you could spray it over a gold undercoat. I did a black & candy red Mopar back in the early '80s using Hot Rod Red over gold. Who knows where the car ended up, but the color combo was so striking, I went as far as asking the board for tips on creating better stripes, as I intend to do a copy of that car. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=60790&hl= Mind you, I'm not knocking the Tamiya stuff. Both their acrylic and lacquer candy reds can produce beautiful finishes if used correctly. Show us what you've painted using X-27.

Welcome to the board, Hal! For someone who hasn't built a model car in over 30 years, you're certainly off to a great start! Can you tell us what all is involved in getting the pleats etc of an interior to look as good as yours?

Even though there's a small contingent in here who're tired of '57 Chevies (among others), I can't imagine a 1/24 or 1/25 '57 Bel Air ragtop kit not selling like crazy.

They're clear enamel reds, as is Humbrol's #1321. Do you happen to have some pictures to support your statement? As you probably know, the final shade of a translucent color is mostly determined by color of the undercoat and the number of candy coats sprayed over the undercoat. All things being equal, I'd be very interested in seeing a comparison between the Testors and Tamiya paints over a common base, although that might be a little tricky since X-27 is an acrylic.

I'm glad you decided to go with this color combination. It's different enough to get noticed without being garish, and the black pinstripes will complement the two greys perfectly. You've obviously put some time and effort into that hood. Anything special going under it? As far as painting the wheels, I'd suggest Alclad polished aluminum. Not quite as shiny as chrome, but subtle, like the rest of the car. I'm liking this concept & can't wait for your next installment.

I assumed he had it dialed in for painting model bodies before he started, so I went to the next step in the diagnosis. Dave, your instruction booklet should have some basic tips on how to adjust your airbrush so it can do what you want it to. Donn knows his stuff, so it sounds like you may want to open that pattern up. If you have some junk bodies, sheets of white paper & other expendable stuff, practice patterns & width adjustment on those.

Mike K. pretty much beat me to my own answer.

Looks like you're going to get several opinions here, which really doesn't help you much. I haven't tried Testors acrylics, but I have tried to brush Tamiya and other acrylics, and it's tatamount to herding cats. In my experience, you only get one stroke with acrylics, whereas enamels allow a couple passes, allowing the paint to blend into the last pass. You can enhance this by loading a little thinner in the brush. Testors makes excellent enamels and you can find them virtually anywhere. That said, I agree with most of what chillyb1 said, especially in regard to evenness of coverage. A couple light coats with a hobby enamel spray paint is probably your best bet for both the engine and the seats. (If you don't mind a little clean-up work, an airbrush makes stuff like this so much easier, but that's a discussion for another time). Lastly, even though you work in an automotive paint store, I'd recommend using hobby paints till you learn which primers/barriers will keep the paint from ruining the styrene.

The secret to metallics of any kind is to keep the metallic element suspended. Couple questions: 1) What did you use to reduce your acrylic paint? 2) How long did you mix the reduced paint before shooting it?

Why delete it? I seriously doubt you've offended anyone on here. In addition, Fatkidd laid out some basic instructions to help you accomplish your goal, and it seems he's willing to go even further if you're serious about it. Take a look at his paintwork. You'll be putting yourself in very capable hands. If you're annoyed at what I wrote, you're being a little thin-skinned for this board. Puns occur to me 24/7, and when I saw the words "chronic camo", the word "potshot" sprang to mind and the rest is history. Just out of curiosity, what model were you planning to use this paint scheme on?

I doubt the OP has any idea how many of this board's smart alecks wanted to take potshots at his idea, but ultimately decided to leaf it alone so he wouldn't get all out of joint. Knowing Harry, he'd probably reefer any such smart alecks to our new civility edict and wait to see if they actually doobie come helpful later. As a tokin' of our respect for a fellow modeler, weed be better off giving him comprehensive answers to his question, 'cuz one blunt one just won't do. Question for the OP: I see a lot of big sedans being used in these events. Cannibus be used in them as well? Good luck on your project, bud.

It appears lighter than Tamiya Light Gunmetal and darker than the various silver-ish paints available from Testors. Is there a hobby enamel or lacquer that matches this? Obviously this isn't a requirement, but If you can provide a picture of something sprayed with the paint you recommend, I'd appreciate it.

Au contraire. I've always envied those who got to work for model companies, model paint companies & other ancillary industries. There seems to be so much history, but only a few knowledgeable insiders capable of conveying it in an interesting manner.

No offense, Ray. I hope Casey's explanation was satisfactory.

That's a sharp little street machine, Slusher. The color pops & nicely done BMF and decal work complete the package. Couple questions: 1) When you mounted the spoiler to the trunk lid, did you drill and pin the posts for support? 2) I looks like you used some sort of Cragar wheels. What are they and what kit are they from?

Wow, that color just pops on that car! I never purchased any of the Testors paints in that series because I assumed they would all have the same oversized metal flakes. I may have to rethink that. Looks like your tire choice helped you achieve a killer stance. Do you have any pics of the shading work you did on the interior you'd like to share? The majority of us would be interested in anything that enhances the realism of a build. Lastly, what all did you find "fussy" about this kit? (I haven't built it yet).

P/N 1605 is listed as Transparent Candy Red & P/N 1607 is Transparent Hot Rod Red. Have any of you done a spoon test to see what the difference in hues is? Obscure reference pun:

Great concept! After seeing the work you've done on the kit-supplied grille, I'm assuming someone makes a P/E insert. That ought to look sharp when complete. It appears AMT used the same underhood "sheetmetal" on this as they used for the Fairlane, since the shock towers don't have any top assemblies. If that's going to be a concern for you, this may be of some help http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58515. I'm looking forward to seeing how that Tamiya paint turns out. Sounds like a great color combination.