Paint sticker shock

[junkyardjeff]

I want to use automotive paint on a truck I am building so off I went to find a medium blue,the last time I bought a can it was 7.99 but today its 12.99 so I am going to look into a alternative.  Some automotive swap meets are coming up so maybe I can find some there but not giving almost 13 dollars for a can and I dont have enough in a can to paint it.

[deuces wild]

Is it Duplicolor brand????....?

[junkyardjeff]

I think so and everything I buy in the grocery store went up too.

[peteski]

Exactly!  Have you looked at the prices of everything (like groceries) lately?

[iamsuperdan]

Bought s can of Duplicolour last week. $21 CDN.

We're at the point that Tamiya paint is the less expensive option!

[1972coronet]

5 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

We're at the point that Tamiya paint is the less expensive option!

Can't beat Tamiya's aerosols. But like everything else, those paints' retail prices have skyrocketed over the last two years.

[steveracer]

I’m going to paint models with colors I have in stock rather than what colors I would like to paint them.  Fortunately I have a lot of stock but mostly grays and reds. 

[deuces wild]

Man, I hope my 20 year old Duplicolor spray cans are still good... Some of those are really nice import colors....

[junkyardjeff]

I am going to use what I have in stock before buying any new,i expected the paint to go up but not that much.

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 hours ago, deuces wild said:

Man, I hope my 20 year old Duplicolor spray cans are still good... Some of those are really nice import colors....

You can always decant and airbrush 'em...

[Mark]

If the Duplicolor sprays have propellant in them, they can be used.  (If not, decanting is an option.)  

The stuff does settle, so if they have been stored a while they must be remixed.  I give them several shakes over time, shaking of course until the agitator rattles.  Fully mixed, the little ball inside should glide around the bottom of the can when the can is gently swirled around, for lack of better wording.  If it doesn't move freely, you've still got settled solids at the bottom of the can.

[Oldmopars]

As much as I hate to spend $13 per can of paint, I can get it local. I have no Hoppy Shop local to me. I have also never had any issues with Duplicolor. It sprays great every time. (Minus my stupid mistakes)

I hate the price, but unless I can find something that works better, I will still use it and just paint mulitiple cars with the same can. 

I am working on using craft paints, but I am still having issues getting the results I like. 

[slusher]

I have to order my Tamiya but it’s good quality  and it’s worth it and I get my blacks a some satins at hobby lobby they do put them on sale..

Edited November 21, 2022 by slusher
Spelling

[Keef]

I gave $25 plus tax for a can of mixed paint just to paint a lexan RC Jeep body, then paid that again to paint a Revell 70 Challenger 

[junkyardjeff]

Went in the hobby shop and got one can of Testors spray paint and two small bottles of brush paint and was a little over 16 dollars with tax,joked with the owner that those days of a 35 cent bottle of paint are long gone.

[BlackSheep214]

Wow.... $13 on a rattle can of Duplicolor? Why not buy MCW paints instead? They have a wide range of colors of every make and years.

[Dpate]

Yeah paint has went up like every other scalper trying to get a piece of the pie.  Only company i haven't seen go up is gravity color(spain), but i think the shipping went up.  I can find tamiya and mr hobby locally, except tamiya's LP line up i have to order those online mainly the semi gloss black best semi gloss black I've used. I use MCW as a last option if i can't find the color any where else.   I've yet to try dupli color touch up paint, but i may get some eventually and decant it. The price of that is still cheaper even scalefinishes is cheaper than MCW with shipping. 

[BlackSheep214]

I have used Gravity paints and they airbrush beautifully.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Shouldn't surprise anyone that paint prices have gone up, just like everything else.

 

I look at it this way.

With the price of gas at 4 or 5 bucks a gallon, I can afford to not make trips to Hobby Lobby or the auto parts store and order my paint online from MCW or Scale Finishes.

As a matter of fact, I'm almost definitely saving money, not only on gas, but all of the other stuff that I don't need that I would probably buy on a trip to the hobby shop!

 

I guess I never fretted too much about paint prices, especially in the last few years, since I've been taking a lot more time to build one model.

Maybe this would be a good time for all of us to focus a little less on quantity, and spend more time detailing each project.

Get your modeling fix without spending gobs of money.

 

 

Steve

[slusher]

Little Bottles of Testors paint, I don’t know what it’s going for now. I have bought a stash of it because it’s not worth my time and gas too go and get it..  If your going to build a model you should paint it a color you want it to be..

[StevenGuthmiller]

8 hours ago, slusher said:

If your going to build a model you should paint it a color you want it to be..

Couldn't agree more!

Why "settle" for something that you "sort of" like, when there are so many options available to us today.

Is it really worth getting worked up about a buck or two here and there?

 

I've said it before, but people sure don't seem to have a problem spending fist fulls of cash on their other hobbies.

How much does a fishing boat, a new shot gun, or green fees cost?

Seriously, just about every other hobby known to man costs more than building models.

 

 

Steve

[GMP440]

On 2/7/2022 at 2:15 PM, Oldmopars said:

As much as I hate to spend $13 per can of paint, I can get it local. I have no Hoppy Shop local to me. I have also never had any issues with Duplicolor. It sprays great every time. (Minus my stupid mistakes)

I hate the price, but unless I can find something that works better, I will still use it and just paint mulitiple cars with the same can. 

I am working on using craft paints, but I am still having issues getting the results I like. 

I totally agree with you.  Prices are going up on everthing; that's just the way it is.  I also use Duplicolor.  It's a great paint paint.  Far superior than the Tamiya or Testors.  Been using Duplicolor for many years.  The prices have gone up on those but, I will continue staying with it.  

[Bills72sj]

On 11/20/2022 at 10:36 PM, slusher said:

Little Bottles of Testors paint, I don’t know what it’s going for now. I have bought a stash of it because it’s not worth my time and gas too go and get it..  If your going to build a model you should paint it a color you want it to be..

Little bottles of Testors paint is what I have gone to as well. You can still get them in bulk from ebay for $2.50 to $3.50 average per bottle. One 1/2 oz bottle mixed with 1/2 oz of hardware store lacquer thinner can airbrush an entire body no problem. Sprayed correctly it lays down like glass. Since it is enamel, when it is cured it is pretty tough. The metallics are gorgeous, especially Stop Light Red. If you have enough colors, you can mix your own brew to get the color you want. Warning to those of you with Testors Extreme Lacquer in rattle cans. I have caught 3 of them weeping clear blobs from the side seams. Break them out and shoot them while you still can.

[LL3 Model Worx]

And he I was trading off gobs of testors and only had 3 takers... ? I probably let them go way too cheap by the sound of it.

[TransAmMike]

One still cheap alternative....acrylic craft paint. Lots of colors, good old HL even has them on sale occasionally.