Re: Testor's Paint

[chunkypeanutbutter]

I have some vintage Testor's paints.

Sky blue, copper, a couple of silver, sapphire blue, sea blue, black, green.

They all work nice.

I also have a big box of old Floquil paints. Man, I wish they hadn't cancelled Floquil. That was some good stuff.

[FordRodnKustom]

I really miss the old Pactra 'Namel. Their flat black bottle paint was great. It covered very well and dried flat. I still have a few jars of other colors from the day but I used the last flat black I had and so far just have not found a comparable replacement.

[SfanGoch]

I have some vintage Testor's paints.

Sky blue, copper, a couple of silver, sapphire blue, sea blue, black, green.

They all work nice.

I also have a big box of old Floquil paints. Man, I wish they hadn't cancelled Floquil. That was some good stuff.

Same here. The older Testors enamels covered in one coat. The new formulation is too thin; light on pigment, heavy on the carrier. The modeling equivalent of watered down bottom shelf booze at your local gin mill.

I also have a large amount of Floquil enamel and Polly-S acrylics, circa 1974. Polly-S, and later Polly Scale, were the best acrylic paints on the market. Unlike Vallejo, they adhered to plastic and didn't scratch off after drying. Floquil paints back then contained xylene, great for painting white metal figures, not so good on styrene unless you primed the plastic first.

Since RPM Corp. went on a buying binge about thirty years ago, acquiring Testors, Floquil/Polly-S, Pactra and just about every other paint manufacturer, we have less choices. Floquil/Polly-S was discontinued and replaced by the inferior Acryl and CreatFX lines. If you have the opportunity, get Revell-Germany Email Color (enamel) and/or Aqua Color (acrylic) paints. The acrylic paints can be hand brushed and don't leave brush marks. Both types are great through an airbrush.

[1972coronet]

Testors used to dry in less than a day , both spray and brush , regardless of 'finish' (gloss versus flat).

With few exceptions , I've used Tamiya exclusively for 10-15 years ( in addition to Gunze and some other Japanese manufacturer paints / products ).

I've never been impressed by Testors acrylic paints .

[Joe Handley]

I've been thinking of buying some of the Valeo acrylics line we started carrying at work a few years back. Sounds like those are really nice paints.

[chunkypeanutbutter]

I've heard good things about Vallejos, too.

Our LHS doesn't have them, and we don't get there very much anyways...

However, Walmart has Apple Barrel paints.

Gloss paint in a 2oz bottle is 99¢, and matte finish is 50¢. Can't beat that, usually takes two coats though. Comes out nice, cleans up when wet with water, easy to thin and mix....

[SfanGoch]

I also use Agama paints, manufactured in the Czech Republic and AKAN, from Russia. As far as accurately matching colors from actual samples found on military equipment, AKAN bats 1.000. This company has seven shades of RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb, all of which were identified on various parts and vehicles. That's a big deal for me, being that I build a lot of German Armor.

[SfanGoch]

I've been thinking of buying some of the Valeo acrylics line we started carrying at work a few years back. Sounds like those are really nice paints.

I've a couple of the 72 color cases. If one wants to cover all the bases, paintwise, I think that's the way to go. I found that mixing Model Master Acryl Flat, Semi-Gloss or Gloss Clear with Vallejo paints increases their durability, ie, they stay put on the plastic (primed or not) and aren't as susceptible to scratching/peeling. For whatever reason, Vallejo paints adhere better to resin.

[Draggon]

I have some vintage Testor's paints.

Sky blue, copper, a couple of silver, sapphire blue, sea blue, black, green.

They all work nice.

I also have a big box of old Floquil paints. Man, I wish they hadn't cancelled Floquil. That was some good stuff.

That sapphire blue was a great color, I also loved this set:

[Cliff Dagger]

I love the Testors Acryl paints. But I can only buy them at Hobby Lobby and they only stock the basic colors now , I used to buy them from Testors but they stopped selling online . The ones I bought from testors were always " right " not to thick or not to watery , I've bought some that are almost paste like and some the pigment won't mix and just settles. That why I like to see them and shake them myself before buying in person.

[Mister 4x4]

I think I discovered the difference the other day when I was picking up supplies at Michael's and Hobby Lobby. The "Plastic Model Finishing Set" I'd bought years ago has "water wash-up" colors... the new "Complete Enamel Finishing Set" I just picked up, has proper Testors thinner inside, along with a "Flammable" warning on each bottle of paint included.

I remember starting the Honda with the "water wash-up" colors and hating every minute of it. Probably gonna just strip it all down and start over with some proper enamel paints.

[Ramfins59]

Yeah, I really wish that the Floquil/Polly S line of water based model railroad jar paints wasn't dropped. I loved using them for the base coat and "glue" for flocking interiors. Those paints dried dead flat and were perfect for detailing interiors.

As in all things in this life we must learn to "go with the flow" and "change with the times"...... Sorry for being so philosophical here.

[Mike_G]

I like Humbrol's satin enamels for interiors

[charlie8575]

I've started using more Humbrol lately. I like it. It dries fairly quickly, is opaque, and looks very nice. I used the satin white for an interior, and it looked very good.

I'd definitely go with Humbrol if you can get it. I think a few places carry it for mail-order.

Charlie Larkin

[chunkypeanutbutter]

Sidenote: what's the price for a Lindbergh Rammunition? I saw a bunch at Goodwill, new, unopened, for $15 or $13.

They had Hawk diecasts too, the '49 Mercury coupe, convertible, and Cuda for $13.

[Draggon]

13 to 15 bucks for the Rammuntiton is decent. Ive seen them from a low of 9 to a high of 35, Model Express has them for 22.90 plus shipping of course.

[slusher]

I still like Testors bottle enamel paints but can't get into their acrylics at all. I still have some of the color by Boyds enamel paints. Testors enamel takes forever to dry to me and I have started using Krylon and Tamiya sprays more often and really like them...

[johnbuzzed]

AFAIK, they're still making enamel. On one of my model airplane boards, guys have been complaining about recent batches of some colors. I've noticed a difference in viscosity in the last few years. Used to be the stuff was all pretty much the same. Now you can open one bottle and it's like pouring syrup, another bottle of the same color could almost be airbrushed as-is, it's so thin.

Yep, and no matter how much some bottles are stirred or shaken or both, the results are less than desirable.

[charlie8575]

I love the Testors Acryl paints. But I can only buy them at Hobby Lobby and they only stock the basic colors now , I used to buy them from Testors but they stopped selling online . The ones I bought from testors were always " right " not to thick or not to watery , I've bought some that are almost paste like and some the pigment won't mix and just settles. That why I like to see them and shake them myself before buying in person.

At least one of the online hobby vendors, like Internet Hobbies, is also carrying the full line of Acryls. Check around.

Charlie Larkin

[charlie8575]

I still like Testors bottle enamel paints but can't get into their acrylics at all. I still have some of the color by Boyds enamel paints. Testors enamel takes forever to dry to me and I have started using Krylon and Tamiya sprays more often and really like them...

I'm seriously considering ponying up for a food dehydrator, Carl. Everyone I know who uses lots of enamels has one, and it makes a huge difference.

I've also heard of a few people using automotive enamel reducer to cut the Pla and Model Master enamels and it really zips the drying up; also works for air-brushing purposes.

Although I haven't had it happen to me, I've been told of some people having trouble cutting Testors with lacquer thinner lately- seems to turn it into sticky little globs that gum your airbrush up badly. Like everything else, experiment.

Charlie Larkin

[AzTom]

Yep, and no matter how much some bottles are stirred or shaken or both, the results are less than desirable.

I think is more related to how long it's been on the shelf than how it was made. At Hobby Lobby here you really have to check them close.

I have never like the Testors 1/4 oz square bottled paint but really like the Model Masters line by Testors in the round 1/2 oz bottles.

I got a small can of paint hardener from the tractor supply store and add a few drops of that to the enamels and it dries way faster and harder.

[Dale W. Verts]

I'm a trapper, and we deal with really stinky critters regularly. My wife helps and doesn't mind. But she hates the smell of paint. Go figure.

Dale