Best Metal Finish??

I don’t build many aircraft models so I was wondering what do you suggest to use for the bare metal on a P-51?? And does it have to be used any different than regular paints??

Most people regard Alclad II as the best NMF out there.
It is a lacquer and needs good ventilation when spraying, and it is a bit pricey, but the results are worth it from what I have seen.

Mike

I like to use Citadel miniture metallic paints , they are cheap and can produce an excellent NMF when thinned and sppryed properly. They are also a acrylic paint so clean up is simple and special tricks need to be used when spraying it.

I’ll vote for Alclad2 as the best NMF paint available at this time, but proper priming per the instructions on the bottle is essential.

Regards, Rick

I’ll second the previous comments on Alclad. The finish is rock hard, tolerates masking with tape witohout pulling up your finish, and decals will snuggle down on it without difficulty.

I go with SNJ and polishing powder.


Steve

I will third the Alclad II comments. One thing that I have been doing is applying a coat of Future after the metal finish before decals and weathering. If I want variations on the finish I will use the SNJ Polishing Powder after painting and before the Future. Here is an example on Tamiya’s 1/48 F-84G.

Thanks everyone for the response. I think I will give the Alcad II a shot. Thanks again.

well they also forgot to mention Testors Metallic silver as a thing for NMF as well.

Definately Alclad II.
Bit of messing about getting the surface ready for the final coat, but the effort is definately worth the finished result.

how about bare metal foil? can that be used to cover an entire plane?

It sure can, and ofcourse, you don’t have a model painted to look like metal ; you than have model with a coat of real metal.

But to be honest, it can be a hassle with all the curves and stuff, so I would go for the AlcladII.
But when using the AlcladII make sure you read the instruction( something nobody ever does with normal paints) because, depending on the exact Alclad-“color” you need spray your plane in matt or gloss black enamel or acrylic paint.