candy apple red paint

[afxawb2]

What to use for candy apple red? Not a airbrush user. Use tamiya sprays  was told clear red over gold or red base would make candy apple red any sugestions?

[Can-Con]

"Candy paint" is basically just any transparent paint over a base of another color, usually silver or gold. But you can use any paint as a base. Since it's your first experiment with this and your using Tamiya spray cans I'd recommend their transparent red over the metallic red ,, the one that looks like metallic pink, That will be easier to get a consistent color with less light and dark areas then using strait silver or gold as a base.  Use light mist coats to build up the depth of candy you want then clearcoat it after it's dried a few days.

That's basically how I did the paint on this truck only using Duplicolor instead of Tamiya.

[Plowboy]

Since you're using Tamiya sprays, I would use Mica Red over Tamiya Gold or Mica Silver.

This Mica Red over Mica Silver. 

 

Mica Red over Gold.

 

[Dave G.]

Clear red over silver vs over gold has two distinct looks. Back in my days of entering contests I used Testors transparent red over either one. I think the silver gave more the traditional candy red look but much depends on how many coats of red you put down. The gold brought the candy up towards more of a burgundy. Both looked great.

More recently I did this with Tamiya clear red, added a touch of clear blue and shot it over metallic rose gold ( rose gold depending on the angle can't quite decide if it a light goldish red/pink or silver red/ pink.  But the clear red looks awesome over it, or the blue for that matter.

I've done candy green too.

In either case I never found the need for clear coating. The translucent colors have enough clear already IMO. It's really not tricky at all to do, just get a nice even coat of base color first, don't go nuts with a million coats of silver or gold just make sure it's even. And the clear/translucent color, don't make sag or run but put it on pretty wet and you're home golden.

[deuces wild]

Practice on a plastic spoon or 2....

[Jon Haigwood]

A true Candy Apple Red is a candy red over a gold base but over a sliver base it still looks good , Yes this is airbrush  but it is a candy red over a Rustoleum  (rattle can ) silver metallic base.  

[gotnitro?]

Tamiya mica red over silver leaf base ..lousy photos of true color 

[espo]

About the only thing I might add to the information you have already gotten from others, is keeping even color coats over whatever base you use. Being a tinted clear paint you can easily get one area with a heavier coat of paint than another area and the results may not be what you're after. Practice on plastic spoons or any old parts you may have. Even the spruce from a kit will help you get a feel for curved surfaces. 

[Joe Handley]

I agree with David, there's also something out there called "Speed Shapes" that are relatively cheap and made to do things like this too.

[Rodent]

Not red, but 2x aluminum, Tamiya metallic orange, a couple of light coats of Tamiya clear orange (which isn't super-shiny when dry), and TS-13. Should have dusted it before I took the pic, LOL. I did several spoon tests and the orange looked way better over the aluminum than anything else I tried.

[Jon Haigwood]

this is the base coat I have been using.   This is over a combination of Candy2o colors 

 

[Sandboarder]

To achieve a “Candy” appearance you want a metallic base and a clear colour coat. Experiment with base coats such as chrome, high metallic flake silver or gold.

 

Here is an example with Mr Colour silver and Mr Colour clear colours air brushed but they have clear colours in rattle cans too. 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Sandboarder

[afxawb2]

Thanks everyone for your imput. You guys have been very helpful.

[Zippi]

I sprayed this with Tamiya white primer, then Silver Leaf, then clear red.

[Oldcarfan27]

I'm not an airbrush user so I do what I can with spray cans.

I've used VHT night shades clear red over a gold base and it gave a great candy effect. It's available at auto parts stores. There is also their Metal Cast line in other clear colors. I haven't tried those yet, but I assume they work the same.

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by Oldcarfan27

[BubbaBrown]

Bought a can over Amazon a few months ago that is supposedly truest candy apple red there is , Have not tried it but the name is something candy apple red.

 

[Can-Con]

On 3/23/2022 at 12:41 AM, Oldcarfan27 said:

I'm not an airbrush user so I do what I can with spray cans.

I've used VHT night shades clear red over a gold base and it gave a great candy effect. It's available at auto parts stores. There is also their Metal Cast line in other clear colors. I haven't tried those yet, but I assume they work the same.

 

This is what I've used on the '61 T-bird and '64 Pontiac I'm working on right now.

Don't spray it with lacquer clearcoat though. It acts like spraying lacquer over enamel and wrinkles really bad. 

What I do since I'm using lacquer clearcoat over it is mix it in my clear and then it won't have that reaction,, usually, at least not yet for me.