Realistic metallic silver on 1/24 car body?

[Pete53]

New member and returning to modeling after 50 years.

Question is what would be the most realistic metallic silver paint for car bodies? So many metallic finishes I have seen are out of scale with the metallic flake to me. Have some Tamiya TS83 ordered that is supposed to be small flake metallic but not sure it is what I am after. Trying to recreate a memory of a 1970s Chevelle I saw once. Doesn’t have to be factory accurate color. Using mainly Tamiya paints in cans and airbrushed bottles. Thanks!

[StevenGuthmiller]

Plain old Testors “Metallic Silver” enamel has pretty accurate particles if you don’t mind working with enamel rattle cans.

It sprays pretty nice, lays down thin and flat, and once done, a couple of coats of a compatible clear will gloss it up nicely.

The biggest drawback is that it doesn’t have very good adhesion, so if you plan on doing any masking over it, you might want to choose something else.

I’ve had very good luck with a number of the silvers that MCW offers in their lacquer line.

 

 

 

Steve

[Monty]

Kind of ironic that I'm answering this since I don't like silver as a car color, but based on responses to numerous past inquiries on this subject, Tamiya's gloss aluminum (TS-17) has been a consistent favorite.  

[peteski]

Tamiya Silver Plate is also metallic color with no apparent flakes. Also Tru-Color Aluminum is very smooth.  Then there are various metallic shades from Alclad II. Those all supposed to represent bare metal surface (not a metallic paint with visible flakes).

Edited April 23 by peteski

[Pete53]

I would like the flakes if small enough to look in scale. Just have no experience with this using modern paints. Yes I can use a solid silver of some sort but hoping to get the metallic flake look. I will set up some tests when I get the TS83 along with a few different solid silver gray paints I have.

[1972coronet]

I second the Tamiya aerosols . The aforementioned Gloss Aluminum is sans metallic ; however, Tamiya's Pearl Clear or Metallic Clear work great to represent a realistic, in-scale metallic finish.

[Pete53]

Thank you all! Ok so lots of suggestions for me to try and test. The pearl clear sounds weird but will try. I don’t see a metallic clear listed.
I have read that the TS83 metallic should be used over a gloss black for best results. Will try the other silvers over some different base coats. 

[peteski]

As you mentioned, many metallic paints (made specifically for models, automotive touch-up or just general purpose) have metallic particles too large to look in-scale on a model. Testors line of automotive colors hobby paints is one of the examples of out-of-scale metallic paint. Models painted with those paints look like the were coated with glitter.  This is not very noticeable when the model is viewed in-person, but it really shows in close-up photos.

Some hobby paint suppliers who blend their own paints (like CMW, Scale Finishes, Zero or Splash Paints) use fine metallic powders so their paints look in-scale on a model.
 

Edited April 23 by peteski