Which is the better gold lacquer?

[Monty]

I know a lot of you are big Tamiya fans, but I read a lot of negative reviews (basically: really streaky coverage) about this gold when it came out. Is it really that difficult to use?

My other hobby lacquer option is Testors Pure Gold. I'm curious whether Testors used the same sized large flake in this paint as they did in many of the other paints in the One Coat line. That '70s bass boat metal flake look is a real deal breaker for me.

On the off chance you've painted models using either or both, I'd love to see pics!

[High octane]

I personally like Black Gold's Kandy Basecoat Pagen Gold and it is compatable with Testors Lacquer.

[crazyjim]

How about some HOK gold?

[Roncla]

Decanting Tamiyas' TS-21 to a airbrush solved the issues I had in the past with the way their gold handled. Using it straight from the can I found the metallic particles wanted to flood unless you dusted the paint on from quite a distance.

These days I use Zero paints # ZP-1094 Gold which is ridiculously easy to use.

http://www.hiroboy.c...roducts_id=2509

[Monty]

I'm trying to figure out what it means when I ask for opinions on two specific, well-established paints and I get recommendations for HOK, Black Gold and Zero Paints instead. (In fairness, Ron did mention that the Tamiya paint works well if decanted and airbrushed.)

Are these gold paints so sketchy that you had to go and find alternatives?

[Roncla]

I got an alternative to Tamiya gold due to the cost of Tamiya Sprays down here. A can costs US $12.86 or $16 of my local dollars at my local hobby shop.

I can import the Zero paints for less and they go a lot further too, just requiring 1 or 2 light coats being a basecoat/ clearcoat paint.

I would be happy to use Tamiyas' gold and the rest of the range if I didn't have the Zero option...... Though I'll never be happy at the local Tamiya pricing structure.

[Monty]

Ron, I can certainly understand your reluctance to buy Tamiya paints at those prices. That's more than double what I pay for them here in the US! I'm glad to hear you found an alternative you're happy with. From what I saw on the Zero site, it looks like these come in a good variety of colors, all pre-reduced for airbrushing.

I hope we'll get to see some pics of models you've used these paints on.

[Roncla]

My 50 Ford was sprayed with Zero paint. The silver is actually Zeros' base color for their Ferrari F2007-F2008 Metallic Rosso.

http://www.modelcars...showtopic=54727

My Fishers Model and Pattern Ferrari 312 was done in Zero Rosso F1 with the wheels in Zero gold. The wheels do have a light smoke wash

[Monty]

My 50 Ford was sprayed with Zero paint. The silver is actually Zeros' base color for their Ferrari F2007-F2008 Metallic Rosso.

http://www.modelcars...showtopic=54727

My Fishers Model and Pattern Ferrari 312 was done in Zero Rosso F1 with the wheels in Zero gold. The wheels do have a light smoke wash

I'm not sure how i missed that truck the first time - nobody else did. Three pages of accolades! That 312 looks sharp too.

If you're getting results like these while spending less on paint, I congratulate you on your resourcefulness as well as your modeling abilities.