Primer & Paint - What and Why?

[impcon]

I'm about ready to order some factory body colours for several builds and I am wondering who uses what kind of paint and primer and why you choose to do so? So far, I've looked at Scale Finishes and Model Car World - any other suggestions as sources for OEM colours for older cars? Price is less of an issue that quality. I talk like I am rich, but I am not. However, I painted 1:1 cars for 15 years and learned that usually, you get what you pay for when it comes to paints and primers. Having aid that, I found that some cheaper paints worked just fine for certain purposes and believe it or not, porch and floor enamel shines like a silver dollar when mixed and applied properly on a 1:1 car. I used regular automotive paint almost always but there was a time or two when someone had little money to spend and it was an econo job.

I'll be using an automotive lacquer primer so anything can go over top of it. However, I am seeking opinions and advice and maybe we can share some tips for using certain paints. I have gallons and quarts of paint left over from my painting days - lacquers, synthetic and acrylic enamels, urethanes and commercial implement enamels, all of which I learned when I was building before, work fine on models if applied properly. Having said that, I want correct colours on some of my more favorite projects like my '59 Impalas and Modelhaus 59 Chevy wagon, 64 Fairlane annual, 63 Mercury Meteor annual, 59 Ford annuals, 63 Galaxie annual and so on.

So, what are your preferences and why? Personally, I'd use urethanes all day long if I could get the colours in less than one pint quantities. The model has to sit out of the house for several weeks to gas off as the vapors are pretty severe and one definitely does not want to be breathing that stuff or have it in your home. I am looking forward to the advice of the wise and experienced... Thanks for reading this and thank you in advance for posting.

[BubbaBrown]

MCW mostly lacquers, very few enamels. Scale Finishes are mostly enamels. Both are great company's and turn around very quick. I guess its your preferance.