Using automotive paint

[Bryan Brogan]

I am just starting to get into modeling and will be using automotive paint cause I can get it for really cheep.  What primers would be best and how much paint will be needed to spray a normal sized 1/24 scale model?  thanks you your input.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Any automotive type primer will work fine.

I use Duplicolor.

I buy most of my paint from MCW, a company that mixes automotive lacquers specifically for model cars.

It comes in one ounce jars & 1/2 to 3/4 of a jar will usually do a kit depending on what all you are painting.

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

The OP said he "will be using automotive paint cause I can get it for really cheep".

The term "automotive paint" can be ambiguous. It includes lacquer, both nitro-cellulose and acrylic, enamel, again both synthetic and acrylic, and more recently the range of products from the urethane, polyurethane and acrylic urethane families. There are also epoxies used for race-car finishing. Without knowing EXACTLY what you're using, there's no way to answer your question accurately.

In general, many automotive-paints will work well over rattlecan primers made for real cars, like Duplicolor. Note that if you sand through your primer, the solvents in "real" car paints are generally significantly hotter than the solvents in paints made specifically for plastic models, and you may experience mild to severe crazing of the plastic.

Also, in general, you'll need a first coat of primer that will provide a barrier and "hold out" the hotter solvents in big-car paint products.

TEST before you commit to painting any model you care about. There's NO SIMPLE RULE that works every time.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[MrObsessive]

 

TEST before you commit to painting any model you care about. There's NO SIMPLE RULE that works every time.

My #1 rule when it comes to trying out paint! Plastic spoons to test are cheap------model kits are not.

[Bryan Brogan]

I figured I would use primer and more than likely polyurethane  base/clear or single stage since we don't have lacquer available 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Most of the rattlecan primers are lacquer-based, and will usually provide a decent barrier under real-car polyurethane base-clear systems. You can also use automotive 2-component primers (be SURE to add the catalyst BEFORE you add the reducer) reduced (thinned) to spraying consistency for model work with an airbrush.

Real-car primer builds rapidly, and will obliterate details if you're not careful.

ALSO, I'd recommend doing your testing on sprue or the undersides (that won't show)of the SPECIFIC KIT you're working on . Plastic-kit styrene formulations vary widely, and some are much less tolerant of hot solvents than the plastic spoons are. Some recent Revell kits, for example, will craze quite badly under hot primers....primers that work fine on spoons.

AND...depending on what you're doing, the high-build two-component primers can work really really well. I shot this model with a gray urethane 2K product, using a regular automotive gun. I did extensive heavy bodywork on this one and I needed a high-build and tough primer that would fill the sanding scratches and also sand easily.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[redneckrigger]

• As I used to own a body shop, and also worked for a construction company painting their trucks and equipment every winter, I also had access to 1:1 automotive paints. I still use the same products. I use ACME brand gray Quick Slick sealer.............don't know if it is still made, but I have a lot. I reduce it for thin coats to avoid hiding detail. I have also used Dupont Vari-Prime primers. I then use PPG or Dupont acrylic enamel, without hardener. I make my choice of brand based upon the availability of the color I want. I thin it with medium drying reducer, and spray thin coats. I try to make sure the plastic is covered with a sealer that won't attack the plastic, then I paint using whatever I would use on a 1:1 vehicle. I don't use hardeners only because I didn't want to spray Isocyanates any more.......did plenty as a youngster, and it works fine without. I have not used base/clears on any of my models, only on 1:1. I don't try to get the ultra high gloss on my builds as I did on the 1:1 jobs as I feel it looks out of place in 1:25 scale. I also use PPG flatteners for reduced sheen areas.

Edited January 17, 2016 by redneckrigger

[jeffbrad]

Plastikote sandable primer is very good if you can find it. I use the duplicolor paints over it and have never had a problem but it's getting harder and harder to find. Last few cans i got at a Carquest store

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Plastikote sandable primer is very good if you can find it. I use the duplicolor paints over it and have never had a problem but it's getting harder and harder to find. Last few cans i got at a Carquest store

 

CarQuest was bought out by Advance, no longer carries PlastiKote, only Duplicolor.

PlastiKote IS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.com.

[Bryan Brogan]

What color of primer do you prefer and what duplicolor part numbers should I look for.  Any body use trans star 2 in 1 primers or sem high build?

[Ace-Garageguy]

What color of primer do you prefer and what duplicolor part numbers should I look for.  Any body use trans star 2 in 1 primers or sem high build?

I'll use a variety of primers, depending on what I'm trying to achieve. This is SEM self-etching black, shot over a lot of kinda rough bodywork to give a well-stuck base to the subsequent operations.

The next coats were SEM high-build buff, shot to get good filling quickly.

Sanded to get most of the bodywork smoothed out. Nice thing about using two colors is that you can easily see exactly where your problems are.

Then shot with Duplicolor high-build gray. Getting close to the final for-paint surface.

After working that down, I shot it with Duplicolor "sandable" white. Getting very close now.

This model has little surface detail to worry about filling up, and it will be used as a plug for a set of molds to duplicate it. It was necessary to re-scribe all the panel lines after every couple of coats of primers, and it was also necessary to rework the beltline / quarter panel character lines, because they DID get filled up and softened too much. 

I'm using Duplicolor white "sandable" here at the almost-end because it doesn't fill much, covers well, and won't require much work to get it right for paint.

Build thread here...

 

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Bryan Brogan]

Thanks for the pics.  My first model will be the Amt pro shop 57 bel air so there will be lots of detail so I think the duplicolor might be best for what I need.

[gtx6970]

I use the cheap rattle can stuff from my local auto parts store. it has a decent nozzle and if you pay attention to what your doing it goes on pretty thin. I use the light grey almost exclusively .

Then mostly Duplicolor rattle cans  for exterior paint. And Plasticote or Duplicolor engine enamel  for engines

[Donny]

On 1/17/2016 at 9:44 AM, MrObsessive said:

My #1 rule when it comes to trying out paint! Plastic spoons to test are cheap------model kits are not.

yep good idea, unfortunately for Aussie builders, plastic spoons are not available in Australia, banned  - bad for the environment. Everything plastic is being phased out here

[Cool Hand]

46 minutes ago, Donny said:

unfortunately for Aussie builders, plastic spoons are not available in Australia

Thats not entirely true. Just need to know where to look.

You can still get them, a quick search on ebay and you will find many sellers in Australia. 

Edited Wednesday at 03:41 AM by Cool Hand

[Donny]

Thanks Luke, I tried Woolworths, Coles and a couple of places that supply picnic and catering supplies, all told me not available anymore. Usually eBay want to charge you six to eight bucks delivery. Today I bought a pack of plastic containers, thought I'd try them and see if they work, the lid

Don 

[MrObsessive]

On 7/30/2025 at 5:18 AM, Donny said:

Thanks Luke, I tried Woolworths, Coles and a couple of places that supply picnic and catering supplies, all told me not available anymore. Usually eBay want to charge you six to eight bucks delivery. Today I bought a pack of plastic containers, thought I'd try them and see if they work, the lid

Don 

If all else fails, you can always test paint out on the flip side of the hood for example. That's not going to be seen once the model is built, and you could always either strip the paint, or cover the underside with a cloth type material later to represent insulation. 

[DoctorLarry]

I use Mr. Surfacer fine primer or Dupli Color fill primer if I have lots of bodywork but I tape over detail places. I use OMNI acrylic enamel with medium reducer and no hardener. It sprays nicely and dries to a great gloss without clear. I have a paint supply place that will mix it in 2 ounce touch up bottles and they are cheap. They can't mix lacquer anymore because of VOC regs.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I think we often get way too far into the weeds with topics such as this, and for someone who has little or no experience with a particular subject or procedure, it can be really confusing and off putting.

There’s nothing particularly magical about using automotive paint for models.

Just a good quality lacquer primer is the only key, and for the purposes of building models, one doesn’t need to go looking for all kinds of obscure, unusual products for this purpose.

A simple trip to your local auto parts store where you can pick up a can of Duplicolor lacquer primer of your choice is all that you need to do.

Use several light coats of primer, followed by a light coat or two of the lacquer, and then another coat or two sprayed heavier, will suffice.

It doesn’t need to be brain surgery.

Be aware that many automotive type lacquers are a base coat/clear coat system, so chances are that clear coats will be necessary for a good shine.

Luckily, because you’re using lacquer, you can use whatever clear you prefer without having to be concerned about how it will react with the paint.

 

 

Steve

[Donny]

Thanks for the plain explanation, Steve. I read a lot on here and the 'net about this and am really confused as to what and how to do/use. Some say you have to use hardener or the paint won't cure others say no, then there's levelling, and and, it goes on and on and so many different products, boing, my brain just seized, too much information. I'm about to paint my first body, so I'll go with what you have recommended here and cross my fingers. 🙄

New question, how do I save a post, it's a pain having to go back and try to find one with info you want to keep. Thanks.

Don 

[stitchdup]

2 minutes ago, Donny said:

New question, how do I save a post, it's a pain having to go back and try to find one with info you want to keep. Thanks.

Don 

if you click the like button it will show in your activity, though your comment will already show in the activity section of your account. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

5 minutes ago, Donny said:

Some say you have to use hardener or the paint won't cure others say no...

You know, this is why I hate the internet so much.

Every ignorant clown and his equally ignorant dog just HAS to spout off about stuff he knows nothing of.

Among other things, I've been painting real cars and aircraft off and on for over 5 decades.

Lacquer requires no hardener.

Synthetic and alkyd enamels require no hardener.

Acrylic enamel for cars doesn't require a hardener, but it can be added to improve chip resistance, chemical resistance, and gloss retention over time.

BUT...there's a range of "two component" refinish materials that absolutely positively DO REQUIRE a hardener, or they never "dry". These include urethanes, acrylic urethanes, and epoxies.

IF YOU'RE USING ANY OF THOSE LAST THREE AUTOMOTIVE PAINTS, IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE TO USE COMPATIBLE MATERIALS WITHIN THE SAME SYSTEM THAT ARE ENGINEERED TO WORK TOGETHER, AND TO READ, UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURERS' TDS (TECHNICAL DATA SHEETS) WHEN WORKING WITH THEM. 

MATERIALS WITH HARDENERS CAN BE EXTREMELY TOXIC AS WELL, SO UNDERSTAND THE NECESSARY SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FULLY...AND FOLLOW THEM EVERY TIME.

YOU MIGHT GET AWAY WITH USING SOME 2-COMPONENT CLEARS OVER SUBSTRATES THEY'RE NOT INTENDED TO BE USED OVER, BUT IT'S ALWAYS A ROLL OF THE DICE.

SO IF YOU JUST HAVE TO USE SOME 2-COMPONENT CLEAR FOR SOME REASON, ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SPECIFIC MATERIALS YOU WANT TO USE TOGETHER, AND NEVER ACCEPT THE FIRST ANSWER AS GOSPEL.

 

 

[Donny]

38 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

if you click the like button it will show in your activity, though your comment will already show in the activity section of your account. 

Does this show the "thread", or just that post?

[Ace-Garageguy]

And another thing: lacquer made for cars, whether it's primer or colored paint, has hot solvents in it that are capable of pretty much ruining some plastic model car bodies.

It's never happened to some people, so they insist it's not a thing.

Yeah, well, it just hasn't happened to you YET.

Plastic car models, though they're all made of stuff in the polystyrene family, have exact chemical compositions that are all over the board.

Some are extremely solvent resistant (like some old Johan plastics that even liquid cement will barely touch).

Some are soft and will craze badly under the mildest of lacquers.

So do your research, and TEST before you commit to painting a model body with anything.

Here's a place to start:

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

40 minutes ago, Donny said:

Thanks for the plain explanation, Steve. I read a lot on here and the 'net about this and am really confused as to what and how to do/use. Some say you have to use hardener or the paint won't cure others say no, then there's levelling, and and, it goes on and on and so many different products, boing, my brain just seized, too much information. I'm about to paint my first body, so I'll go with what you have recommended here and cross my fingers. 🙄

New question, how do I save a post, it's a pain having to go back and try to find one with info you want to keep. Thanks.

Don 

I understand.

Things can get way out of hand, and weeding through all of the suggestions can be a flippin’ nightmare.

Try to keep it basic and simple and you’ll be much happier.

And once you find a good process and reliable materials, stick with it.

Bouncing around with dozens of different materials and procedures is pretty much guaranteed to give you ulcers.

 

 

Steve