I have been working with Model Master Metalizer paint this weekend and discovered a couple of useful ways to work with it. First, I really like the finish it lays down. It looks great, just don’t use any primer underneath. Just be sure you have a very smooth surface to work with. Second, I was worried about masking because I had heard from folks on this forum that it tends to lift when you mask over it. As a result I used the blue 3M masking tape and put it down on my work surface and pealed it back up two or three times to reduce the tackiness. I also would run it across my palm or fingers so it picked up just a little of my natural skin oil to again reduce the tackiness.
I masked over several parts pre-painted with metalizer. The paint had cured about 24 hours and I only kept the mask down for about 1 hour after painting so it did not get too stuck on the parts. The metalizer seems to set-up within 30 mins so you can remove the mask quickly if you are careful. The bottom line is it worked well, I got some very minor lifting on some of the mask, but it did not effect the finish. I am sure there are better ways of doing this, but I thought I would share what worked for me this weekend.
I like the stuff too. It is a laquer paint so it shouldn’t come up at all. If you use the buffing metalizer, it leaves a dull residue after painting. That will lift with tape. If you buff it to a luster first, none will lift off.
Metallizer was one of the earlier products for NMF created directly for the scale plastic market, and may have gone through some product reformulations in the last twenty years. Back in the 80s FSM did a nice piece on working with Metallizer using the Mono B36, and at that time it was highly susceptable to fingerprinting unless you put the sealer coat on, which kills the metallic look.
Im using Alclad now and find that while Metallizer has its uses and provides different tones, I much prefer Alclad. Within half an hour it is tough as nails and resists just about all that I throw at it, including an enamel wash.
Practice makes perfect on the NMF finishes, you may even want to try the good old standby Rub N Buff to see the totally different tone variations you can get there. SNJ also makes a very sturdy product but the aluminum dust that is used to create the highly reflective finish makes a real mess…