Question about Testors Extreme Lacquers (aka One Coat)

[Monty]

Is it possible that Testors uses a smaller "flake" in its Emerald Green paint (and possibly others in this line) than, say, what they use in Icy Blue, Star Spangled Blue or De Ja Blue?  

I'm basing my question on pictures of models I've seen on various hobby boards where the builders happened to use these paints.  I'm not the biggest fan of the color green, but cars painted with Emerald Green don't seem to have that oversized flake look.  OTOH,  the three blues in that line seem to have more of a metal flake look than a metallic look.  Am I the only one who thinks so?

  

 

 

Edited August 1, 2019 by Monty

[vamach1]

I would agree as well.  I think they differently look different depending on the color.

[Plowboy]

Testors One Coats are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. The Emerald Green and Inca Gold have smaller flakes. The White Lightning is actually a pearl. The Icy Blue is terrible. This is the Emerald Green. 

[Dragonhawk1066]

I believe you are right about various flake size. I have used four of the colors on car bodies so far and noticed that the Lime Ice and Icy Blue are very flaky, while the Mystic Emerald and Purplicious are not really flaky at all. Just do a google image search on any of the colors and you will get a pretty good idea as to the flakiness of each color. Here's my four colors:

Lime Ice

Icy Blue

Mystic Emerald

Purplicious

[Snake45]

Firey Orange and Mythic Maroon are very flaky. Root Beer and Emerald and Star Spangled Blue are a little less flaky, but still too flaky to accurately represent factory metallic colors. 

[randyc]

My 53 BelAir.  Closest photo I have in sunlight.  And this car practically glows inside.  I have this and a Lambo that's the regular testors fancy green.   Need a comparison photo for that.  Side by side, the Lambo is much darker and less vibrant.  

My 32 Chrysler in the under glass section has the root beer color on the fenders. 

Love this paint.  

[Mr. Metallic]

In my opinion, they have changed the size of the flakes over the years since this paint line launched 10-ish years ago. I beleive they made the flakes smaller to address the criticism of the flake being too large at launch. So, it all depends on when your can was made

I have used these paints extensively over the last ten years.  But, i could be wog about the change as well, and there could just be lots of variability between batches.

Here are models I've built using this line of paints

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Just my 2 cents guys, but nearly all of the Testors metallics have far too large metallic flakes to come close to a factory stock color.

If you're building customs it's not that big of an issue, but factory metallics should be barely visible to be somewhat accurate.

Not singling anyone out here, but the examples below are way over the top for acceptable flake size in my opinion.

This is what is often referred to as "the bass boat affect".

Even most aftermarket paint purveyors use metallics that are generally a bit too large for 1/25th scale, but they are usually WAY better than the majority of rattle can paints.

 

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dragonhawk1066]

In reality, yes they are pretty flaky and when "enlarged" to the size of a 1:1 car it would look pretty ridiculous. It's understandable for some to be turned off by how they look, however most folks who do use them know and accept what they look like. With that being said, I still like most of the colors in that line-up and the look, but I don't paint every car with them especially when I am going for a more accurate "factory" stock look.

[StevenGuthmiller]

25 minutes ago, Dragonhawk1066 said:

In reality, yes they are pretty flaky and when "enlarged" to the size of a 1:1 car it would look pretty ridiculous. It's understandable for some to be turned off by how they look, however most folks who do use them know and accept what they look like. With that being said, I still like most of the colors in that line-up and the look, but I don't paint every car with them especially when I am going for a more accurate "factory" stock look.

Certainly, I don't expect that everyone should be as particular as I am about the size of the metallic flakes in paint, but if it's realism that we are all striving for, (which I expect it is for any scale modeler) I can't understand why companies like Testors don't put forth a little effort to get the flakes at least somewhat closer to scale.

This is one of the main reasons why I gave up on Testors metallic paints years ago, bought an air brush and started using after market model car paints.

This issue, plus the huge array of available colors, was all of the excuse that I needed to dump them.

Just as an example of what we should be able to expect, and demand it, from Testors, here is a photo of Craig's '58 Edsel wagon along with a similar color from MCW.

It's nearly impossible to pick out any individual metallic flakes on the Ford, which is the way it should be.

 

Personally, I'll never purchase a can of Testors metallic paint again until they make an attempt to correct this issue.

 

Craig's Edsel is a terrific looking model.

It deserves better paint.

Just MHO.

 

 

Steve

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2019 by StevenGuthmiller

[martinfan5]

If you are building a model of a bass boat, the Testor One Coat/Extreme line of paints is perfect for that

[Dragonhawk1066]

2 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Certainly, I don't expect that everyone should be as particular as I am about the size of the metallic flakes in paint, but if it's realism that we are all striving for, (which I expect it is for any scale modeler) I can't understand why companies like Testors don't put forth a little effort to get the flakes at least somewhat closer to scale.

This is one of the main reasons why I gave up on Testors metallic paints years ago, bought an air brush and started using after market model car paints.

This issue, plus the huge array of available colors, was all of the excuse that I needed to dump them.

Just as an example of what we should be able to expect, and demand it, from Testors, here is a photo of Craig's '58 Edsel wagon along with a similar color from MCW.

It's nearly impossible to pick out any individual metallic flakes on the Ford, which is the way it should be.

 

Personally, I'll never purchase a can of Testors metallic paint again until they make an attempt to correct this issue.

 

Craig's Edsel is a terrific looking model.

It deserves better paint.

Just MHO.

 

 

Steve

 

      I certainly do agree with you on the subject of getting more realistic looking metallic paints. I just got an airbrush a few months ago and as soon as my adapter arrives so I can connect it to the compressor, I will begin the airbrush era of my modeling also.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Two years ago when I got back into the hobby after 22 years away, I bought all Testors and had never even heard of Tamiya. After time, research and finally using them,  I now prefer Tamiya and Model Master 2-part Lacquer when I'm going for a more realistic look, at least until I get comfortable with the airbrush. I do have a couple more colors of the One Coats that I will use so as not to waste them(and the money I spent on them) as I can't afford not to.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   That is quite a difference with the paint on the two vehicles used here as comparison. Both have their own appeal, one for flashiness and the other for a more realistic look, and that bottom car does look gorgeous. I guess what it all boils down to is that age old adage....To each his own.

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Absolutely.

"To each his own".

But after seeing this subject come up again and again, I have the feeling that there is not a single modeler out there that would "prefer" the "bass boat" look.

It all boils down to taking that next step and realizing that you will never really achieve a realistic finish with a large majority of rattle can paints available and taking the "great leap" into air brushing.

I get the feeling that a lot of guys think that there is way too much involved with taking that leap, but there's really not.

I'll go out on a limb and guess that most of us already have a compressor of some sort, but I realize that's not universal for various reasons.

Other than that, all that is required is to find a nice wide coverage air brush for shooting bodies, get a cheap can of lacquer thinner to keep it clean and you're good to go.

It's really no more expensive than spray cans in the long run aside from the initial investment of the equipment, and an airbrush should last a life time if properly cared for.

You can probably shoot at least 2-4 bodies with one 2 oz. jar of paint from Scale Finishes and I have 60 different colors of paint in a 9x16x4 inch box, so storage is a huge plus.

Virtually no issues with clogged nozzles, leaking cans or bad paint, and you have literally thousands of colors to choose from.

In my opinion, the pros of owning an airbrush far out way the cons when it comes to the argument of spray cans versus airbrushes.

 

Seriously people.....get one!!

 

 

Steve

Edited August 2, 2019 by StevenGuthmiller

[martinfan5]

53 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Absolutely.

"To each his own".

But after seeing this subject come up again and again, I have the feeling that there is not a single modeler out there that would "prefer" the "bass boat" look.

It all boils down to taking that next step and realizing that you will never really achieve a realistic finish with a large majority of rattle can paints available and taking the "great leap" into air brushing.

I get the feeling that a lot of guys think that there is way too much involved with taking that leap, but there's really not.

I'll go out on a limb and guess that most of us already have a compressor of some sort, but I realize that's not universal for various reasons.

Other than that, all that is required is to find a nice wide coverage air brush for shooting bodies, get a cheap can of lacquer thinner to keep it clean and you're good to go.

It's really no more expensive than spray cans in the long run aside from the initial investment of the equipment, and an airbrush should last a life time if properly cared for.

You can probably shoot at least 2-4 bodies with one 2 oz. jar of paint from Scale Finishes and I have 60 different colors of paint in a 9x16x4 inch box, so storage is a huge plus.

Virtually no issues with clogged nozzles, leaking cans or bad paint, and you have literally thousands of colors to choose from.

In my opinion, the pros of owning an airbrush far out way the cons when it comes to the argument of spray cans versus airbrushes.

 

Seriously people.....get one!!

 

 

Steve

You know Steve, its not often we agree, but I agree with this post,  the best thing I ever did as a model builder was to start using a Air Brush, and I can not even imagine building models if I couldnt use it.  Of course , I still use rattle cans, but I do far more air brushing .

[Snake45]

I wouldn't put the Testors One Coats in the "bass boat" category, most of them, anyway. They're a nice metalflake--maybe even less flaky than many of the beloved old Testor, Pactra, and AMT metalflakes of bygone years. I don't use them on serious stock builds, but I like them a lot for customs, rods, and even Day Two cars. 

If you want real bass boat flake, check out the Krylon Sparkle line. I've got several different colors of them and can't wait to use them on some dune buggies and wild '60s customs. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, martinfan5 said:

You know Steve, its not often we agree, but I agree with this post,  the best thing I ever did as a model builder was to start using a Air Brush, and I can not even imagine building models if I couldnt use it.  Of course , I still use rattle cans, but I do far more air brushing .

I still use rattle cans as well.

Actually quite a few.

All of my primer, clear coats, some chassis and engine stuff and occasionally a "solid" body color are shot from a can.

As with nearly all of us, I used cans for a large majority of my modeling career and that's what I was used to.

But as with all things, when there's a better way, why not use it?

After getting a taste of being able to choose any color that I can imagine from MCW and Scale Finishes and getting scale metallics to boot, why would I ever go back to searching endlessly for a usable can of a color that I desire.

Let's face it, there is a tendency for the creative juices to be quelled a bit when you are limited to whatever color someone decides to put into a spray can.

One of my greatest joys when contemplating my next build is being able to look at a color chip sheet for a particular make and year and knowing instantly that I can choose and obtain any color from that chart that grabs my fancy.

It has been one of the greatest advancements to the hobby in my opinion.

 

 

Steve

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

I wouldn't put the Testors One Coats in the "bass boat" category,

Possibly not, but in most cases they are still too large to be in scale.

Most might work quite well for 1/12th or 1/8th scale.

 

 

Steve

[Bucky]

Could it be that most of the paint companies would have a hard time scaling down the flakes for 1/24-1/25 builds? I've not used any of the aftermarket paints, as I have just recently acquired some airbrush equipment, so the only reference I have to this point are the great pics I see on the forums. The aftermarket paints really do look amazingly close to a factory metallic. I have used TESTORS One Coat, and the other metallics and metal flakes since the 60's. I also know that Duplicolor has a wide variety of factory colors available, but aren't the flakes in the is meant for the 1:1 auto world? When I get my new paint area set up, I'll get busy practicing with the Paasche and Badger airbrushes, and the oriental knock-offs that found their way into my mailbox! LOL 

As far as metallic model paints go, how about the different types of nail polish that builders are using for customs? I've seen some really sharp paintjobs at the shows that came right out of the beauty section of the local "big store"!

[Plowboy]

Tamiya has the best in scale metallic and pearls hands down. Their Mica colors are beautiful! If the color you want is a solid color, you can spray a coat of Tamiya Pearl over it and turn it into a pearl/metallic. I've done it on a couple of paint jobs. It works and looks great! 

[StevenGuthmiller]

5 hours ago, Plowboy said:

Tamiya has the best in scale metallic and pearls hands down.

Sure.......for spray paints.

I don't think that you can make this statement about after market air brush paints though.

 

And then there's the color availability factor.

Tamiya has a pretty wide range of colors available, but it's still utterly dwarfed by what you can get from MCW or Scale Finishes.

 

 

Steve

[Mr. Metallic]

Steven and I have gone rounds on this subject before, we are not going to alter each others opinion, so I'm not going to try. But I'll present my opinions for anyone else following along.

To me, the Starliner looks great. But it looks like it's painted with solid grey paint. There's no metallic or metal flake effect to it.

My point, with regards to this issue is, build what makes YOU happy. If you like the look of whatever paint you choose to use,  that's all that matters.

Building for 100% accuracy is a great endeavor as well if that's what makes YOU happy. But if building to 100% accuracy is your goal, you should probably steer clear of this line of paints. 

Some people enjoy building for accuracy. Some people build for creative expression. Some people build for stress relief. People build for many reasons. The important thing is, build what makes YOU happy. Don't let anyone else diminish your enjoyment or satisfaction with your build with their expectations. 

[Tom Geiger]

This is one of those subjects that goes to personal preference and pleasing your own eye.

If indeed flake size was absolutely to scale, it would be called "dust" and wouldn't be visible.  So there's some improvisation that needs to occur to please our eye that it's there, but not large enough to give that bass boat effect.    Same thing with clear coat.  Many people polish bodies way beyond actual gloss.  And never mind the guys who gloss over Nascar decals!  

[Bucky]

Can the Wet Look Clear be used over Tamiya paint?

[Plowboy]

59 minutes ago, Bucky said:

Can the Wet Look Clear be used over Tamiya paint?

Probably. But, why risk it? Tamiya TS-13 is a better clear. I used the wet look on the '29 in the post above. To me, it's a little on the thick side. One coat is about all you want to use.

[ewetwo]

1 hour ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Steven and I have gone rounds on this subject before, we are not going to alter each others opinion, so I'm not going to try. But I'll present my opinions for anyone else following along.

To me, the Starliner looks great. But it looks like it's painted with solid grey paint. There's no metallic or metal flake effect to it.

My point, with regards to this issue is, build what makes YOU happy. If you like the look of whatever paint you choose to use,  that's all that matters.

Building for 100% accuracy is a great endeavor as well if that's what makes YOU happy. But if building to 100% accuracy is your goal, you should probably steer clear of this line of paints. 

Some people enjoy building for accuracy. Some people build for creative expression. Some people build for stress relief. People build for many reasons. The important thing is, build what makes YOU happy. Don't let anyone else diminish your enjoyment or satisfaction with your build with their expectations. 

You are 100 percent correct in your statement Keith.  Especially the last paragraph. I started trying to build above my ability and what happened? I stopped building. I was becoming frustrated because I couldn't achieve the level of what I thought I should be.