Hi,
I’m from the Toronto area where it seems SNJ natural metal painting has been pretty well completely replaced by the Alclad lacquer approach.
I would be very interested in any items discussing the pros and cons of this rather involved process and any tips that you experienced modelers might be able to offer.
I use it all the time. Alclad II chrome over gloss black looks great. In fact I now strip all of the chrome that the kit comes done in to use this technique. Slightly more painting but I love using the airbrush anyway and the results look so much more real than the kit… This useful link from Alclad gives the basecoat/laquer combos. http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/tnt1/001-100/TNT009_Alclad/TNT009.htm
alclad, if used correctly, is certainly the way to go when it comes to metal finishes. its not that complicated really. the surface has to be nearly perfect is the major step, then the rest is just airbrush skills. do the lacuer gloss coat, and i use the alclad gloss black base, let that cure thoroughly (24 hours or better), then apply the alclad metalizer in light coats. works great everytime. later.