Hi all. Read all the articles on the web already. Am building a 1/72 DC-3 and I want a natural metal finish. Using Alclad II, but really have not decided on airframe aluminum or just regular aluminum. The airframe A. is a high shine finish requiring a gloss black paint, the regular A. is not.
I primed the model with Floquil flat grey and now I must decide if I am gonna use the airframe or the regular aluminum shade.
My question is: I read that Tamiya TS14 gloss black synthetic laquer is OK. Wrong! I tried spraying it on the props which will be chrome, and to my surprise, I found many bubbles on the surface which had to be sanded down and fixed. A labor intensive process especially if I have to do this on the DC-3 which in 1/72 scale is quite big. [8o|]
Which enamel or laquer do you guys suggest for use with Alclad II? Also, If I decide to leave the model grey, should I shoot it with Future to give it a glossy finish before I spray the Alclad II?
Only you can decide how well maintained and “shiny” you want the result to be. Is it an old ramp queen or in its prime as the pride of a fleet? If you use a flat primer than with either it will be somewhat dull. I like to use a gloss undercoat. And that undercoat is over the primer. I prime with Krylon primer, then use Testors gloss black for the undercoat.
On real planes there are often variations in the amount of shine of different panels, so some people use different shades of Alclad on different panels to represent this. Others pick one Alclad- say polished aluminum- and use different undercoats to give the appearance of different types of aluminum.
I use Tamiya X-1 + Tamiya X-22 (Clear Gloss) thinned with lacquer thinner (Mr. Leveling Thinner). Smoothest, shiniest coverage I’ve been able to achieve thus far…
I’ve tried Alclad’s black base, Krylon gloss black, etc, and haven’t been happy with anything but this.
You can take it even further with micro mesh polishing cloths, if so inclined.
In my limited Alclad experience I used Tamiya Black from a rattle can and it came out wonderfully glossy and smooth. I let it cure 24hrs and had no problems with the Alclad.
Yes. I heard great things about the Tamiya gloss spray can…I tried it as I said, on the props and many air bubbles that had to be repaired…afraid to try on the fuselage as I don’t want to spend all day fixing those bubbles…[bnghead]
It sounds as if you sprayed too heavily, too close or moved the can too slowly when making a spray pass. Bubbles in the paint (sometimes leaving a honeycomb-like effect) when using a spray can are often the result of too much paint from too short a distance.
The propellant does not have time to dissipate from the paint droplets before they reach the surface. The paint skins over and then the propellant continues to outgas but cannot escape from under the skin, so bubbles form and are trapped in the paint.
Use light, quick passes from no closer than about 10 inches from the subject.
Glad I came across this thread. I am busy with Moebius Iron Man figure and I purchased the Alclad Gloss Black base from e-bay but it seems I have received a dud batch or something because it is basically coagulated in the bottle. No chance for me to get replacement as the stuff can only be imported here in South Africa. So I got myself a rattle can of Tamiya TS-14 Black to use for a base. I sanded some of the failed Alclad off and applied the Timiya…well now it looks like something that just came out of a fire. Some bad chemical mojo happened there and the surface is completely ruined. I just hope I can sand it smooth again. Any idea why this could have happened ?
Well the legs of my kit is ruined. I tried sanding it down again but it is a total mess. I have never seen a reaction like this before, so only way to salvage my Iron Man is to buy another kit and use the legs from that one on this kit. Since I have already done al the work and testing with the LED’s for lighting I am not going to completely disregard it.
In short, supposedly the high sheen “airframe AL 119” must go over gloss blck, whereas the regular “AL 101” can go over whatever. As for my experience… they’re both crap.
I have gotten acceptable results with Model Master Gloss Black Acrylic, Alclad Gloss Black Base (thin with MEK if necessary, not lacquer thinner), Model Master Gloss Black Enamel, Scalecoat II Gloss Loco Black. The important thing is to let the base coat cure before applying the Alclad.
I have gotten outstanding results with Model Master Gloss Black Automotive Lacquer, which I discovered after the test shots above.
After the Scalecoat or MM lacquer cures (no odor), polish it with toothpaste or with Tamiya polishing compounds (which don’t work well with enamels or acrylics). Wash with mild detergent and water, then shoot very light coats of Alclad–no more than two coats under most conditions. A third coat starts to diminish the effect that the black undercoats provide.
Each base coat listed requires an airbrush, but if you’re using Alclad II you must already have one. I personally have no fondness for rattle cans, unless the paint is decanted first.
A few years ago I ran several test shots, using various base coat colors to see the results on the final product. Some of the paints were Testors square bottle enamels, and the Alclad crazed them, particularly the green and orange. However, if cured properly—or if you used a more robust paint—you can get a multitude of panel color variations.
I have had good and bad results with Alclad II. Perhaps it is my fault, but I have decided not to use it any more. Weird stuff. Too much work and fooling around, and it may or may not come out right.
