Tru-Color paints

[aurfalien]

Hi there.

So I've been contemplating and researching several options of air brush paints to use now that I am starting from scratch.  I'll most likely end up using several different brands just like I use several different brands and types of glue.  All tools in my arsenal to produce results that I will hopefully be very very very happy with.

For paint brushing, it's Vallejo Model Color hands down so no conundrums for me there.  I do thin it a tad though.

I've read that Tru-Color is not pigment based but rather ink based, so it's best to thin with either there thinner or an acetone.  I've also read that for best results, thin with 1 part thinner to either 3 parts paint or 2 parts paint.  So basically 1:3 or 1:4 ratio of thinner to paint.

It seems that builders get best results shooting wet coats and don't need as many passes due to it's excellent coverage, again due to it being ink based. 

However being ink based, is it as deep and multi dimensional of a finish as say a pigment based color would be?

Any feedback is appreciated.

[935k3]

I have been using some of their metallics. There are very good and handle an mask well. I think they are lacquers. I thin them with acetone. I think I read they coming out with a line for model cars, they are mostly railroad colors. The firewall in the pic is their aluminium. Check out their website Tru-Color Paints

Edited May 3, 2019 by 935k3

[aurfalien]

Hi Dale and thanks for the reply.  That pic is cool.

I've been looking at there paint chips for automobiles which total about 144 colors in all.  That's a combo of solids, pearls and metallics.

However the paint chips are some what useless due to how a web site displays colors, how your screen displays colors and how a printer displays colors.

So I've been looking up several images of cars painted with there respective colors to get a good idea of what they are supposed to look like.

At any rate they seem very interesting.

 

[MeatMan]

10 hours ago, aurfalien said:

Hi Dale and thanks for the reply.  That pic is cool.

I've been looking at there paint chips for automobiles which total about 144 colors in all.  That's a combo of solids, pearls and metallics.

However the paint chips are some what useless due to how a web site displays colors, how your screen displays colors and how a printer displays colors.

So I've been looking up several images of cars painted with there respective colors to get a good idea of what they are supposed to look like.

At any rate they seem very interesting.

 

i agree about the uselessness of paint chips. I've been trying to match a color since the beginning of the year and found that the variations in monitor display, etc. really distorts the color.

[aurfalien]

56 minutes ago, MeatMan said:

i agree about the uselessness of paint chips. I've been trying to match a color since the beginning of the year and found that the variations in monitor display, etc. really distorts the color.

You can try to calibrate your own monitor which does help a bit.  If you are a tad serious, I would suggest a Spyder5 Pro or an XRite iDisplay Pro.  These can run between $100 to $200.

The gist of them are that they create a LUT (look up table) that you load into your display preferences.  Any operating system allows you to do this.

Then hopefully the chips or swatches that paint manufactures put on there web sites have the HTML color codes that accurately represent those colors.

Edited May 3, 2019 by aurfalien

[peteski]

Unless you have professional equipment (read: costs thousands of dollars), matching colors on a computer screen or even on a printout is an exercise in futility. In the old days, paint companies sold color charts with color chips painted with the actual paint.  Color matching on the computer screen is also useless for metallic colors.

As for Tru-Color paints, I do use them and like them very much.  They do go on very thin.  I use them in my other hobby (model railroading) and haven't yet tried their automotive colors.  A word of warning about using generic thinner (like acetone); It might bite you in the butt.  While it will work, you might not get the best possible surface finish.  Acetone evaporates too fast. Their thinner has other solvents besides acetone, and it evaporates a bit slower (allowing the paint to better level out).  For as little as you will use for mixing with the paint, spend the extra money and buy Tru-Color thinner.  You can still use cheap acetone for airbrush cleaning and general cleanups.