Is Acrylic Enamel different than straight Enamel paint?

[mysterj1]

After looking and looking, I finally found THAT color that I've been searching for -- a pearl sunburst orange from a 2002 Honda VTX1800. I've looked online for rattle cans and found acrylic enamel paint (touchup) and was wondering what difference there is in prepping to use this type of paint? I'd be putting it down over Testors Model Master White Primer.

Also, I've already shot Tamiya gray primer. Do any of you have any horror stories shooting the Testors primer over Tamiya?

Thanks!

PS Mods, my apology if I posted this in the wrong area. Feel free to move it if there is a "right" area that I overlooked!

[Tom Setzer]

Acrylic enamel is water based. You can spay it over either primer. But you will often have problems if you try to spray oil based enamels, or lacguir over the acrylic.

[Kit Basher]

To add to the confusion, some acrylic enamels (like Duplicolor) are not water based, but are more like lacquers in that they have a relatively "hot" solvent. Definitely worth a test before shooting your model.

[Dr. Cranky]

I've always kept them straight in my head by simply thinking that if they are ENAMELS, I keep them away from lacquers, and I always test them out on plastic spoons. You learn the hard way over the years to avoid unpleasant surprises and heartbreak. Just my 2 cents.

NEVER SPRAY LACQUER OVER ENAMELS. PERIOD.

[Chillyb1]

Acrylic enamels tend to be very hot indeed. Definitely test first. I've tried several different brands and have never had good luck with them, so I just gave up trying. They will eat plastic and other paint.

And, if you perform a search on the subject, you'll find a topic I started about how terrible, awful, crappy, Testors/Model Master white primer is. If you haven't used it yet, do a test spray on a spare body.

[mysterj1]

Awesome information, and great suggestions! I'm going to use this as the base color on the frame on both a Chevy Titan semi and a lowboy, and I'm not using the "load" that came with the lowboy. Those parts will make a great test pieces.

After looking online at a few different websites, I think I'm going to shoot the paint directly on top of the gray primer, I've seen a few light color kits that came out great.

Thanks again to you paint gurus!