About to start a P-51 build in a week and having concerns on what type of paint and color would look best as natural metal that was used on the P-51. I have limited experience using the Gunze colors like Mr. Color Super Metallics - I was thinking on going with Super Stainless as the primary color. I normally paint in enamels like Model Master. Granted, I haven’t taken a look at the manual yet and I’m sure being a Tamiya model, they will list “their” paints but I have zero experience shooting acrylics. I’ve heard mention of Alclad lacquer but do not know what this will look like or will it be too shiny?
Alclad is very popular and it has a range of colours that can be used. It can be tricky, but can give great results. They do have very shiny paints, but the ones most people use for an NMF finish are not.
Here’s a couple of mine done with Alclad that will give you an idea of the finish.
Alclad was the first paint I put through my airbrush, and the paint I use most in my airbrush. I’m not terribly experienced with airbrush work, and Alclad can be used with no thinning.
If you’re just getting started with an airbrush, you can just shoot the whole kit with one ‘color’ and it’ll be fine. Many others here, though, use the different shades of Alclad, as well as different undercoat for different effects. Poke around the aircraft and paint sections. IIRC, there’s also a Natural Metal Finish (NMF) group build in the group build section that may offer up some tips, as is the B-36 group build.
You’re going to be using a LOT of paint with a 1/32 kit. Should be fun!
Gene, thanks so much for the info! I’ve just recently painted an F-22 raptor 1/48 scale Hasegawa using Mr. Color lacquers. This was my first time using lacquers and they went on nicely. There was of course no call for the NMF effect but I have played around with some of the Mr. Color Super Metallics and they looked really nice. I’m guessing I’m going to give the Alclad II a try with this one though I’ll be sure to practice on a scrap piece of styrene. Nothing like stepping out of your comfort zone! I did just today join up for the Group Build on the NMF project so I am looking forward to some help from them as well.
Yeah, the 1/32 scale is going to tap my wallet a bit, hope the wife is ready for some more receipt shock concerning all the paints I’ll need![:O]
I made a 1/32 Jug last year, using alclad. I would say the experience was fantastic, all in all. The real trick is getting it sanded well. Any, oh but any, blemish on the model will be so rudely amplified by alclad. I used micromesh sandpaper (12000 grit was my most used) to prep it. The black alclad primer worked well. Then, various alclad finishes after that, starting with aluminum. Then, duraluminum, some white aluminum. It goes on well, straight out of the bottle. No thinner required. Straight Aluminum will make it very shiny, much like a brand new, highly polished plane. However, other finishes on top of that will dull it down a bit (such as a duraluminum). There are some good references online regarding alclad, including their website.
I saw a Mustang build somewhere online (regrettably, I can’t remember where). He took a much easier route and painted the main finish with Floquil ‘old silver’. (Floquil is being phased out, but can still be found). Then, a misted coat of alclad aluminum. It looked very nice, with a slightly weathered look that I suppose would be common on the flight line.
Panzer, thanks for the advice. I’ve found quite a few builds scattered around the internet and gleaned some pretty good stuff from what I’ve seen. Looks like I’d better invest in some cotton gloves as well when I start handling all this Alclad. I can’t wait to get started and will keep you guys posted with pics and such. Your help is much appreciated! Oh yeah, went out and got some good sanding pads in the 12000 variety!
Every comment about Alclad in this thread is spot on!
It all depends on the surface you are spraying the paint on. You need a flawless, shiny surfase, which should be black for best results.
The paint itself is really easy to use. Just pour it in your AB and start spraying. The pigments are so fine, that you can let the paint pool to a certain amount and it still produces a perfectly thin and even coat.
I found a neat graphic showing where the wing was puttied and made smooth to include panel lines. Hope this helps any others out there doing a Mustang.
Wish I knew a better way to get pics to show up here. Any suggestions?
Thank you for sharing this graphic with us! You are going to love the Tamiya kit! I assembled only it’s engine and taped the fuselage together so far, but the fit is perfect! Everything just falls in place and you only need the glue to hold it all together! I made the mistake of using the wrong turbocharger (the kit has 2 of them) and had to cut everything apart after 24 hours. it almost looks like nothing happed, so it is really forgiving as well!
Me too. The glue was completely dry for over 24 hours and I used lots of it (the whole engine assembly is held in place by the supercharger). If you look at the instuctios, you can see a long plastic rod extending from the supercharger into the engine. Luckily I managed to get no glue on that one, so I “only” had to rip/cut the supercharger mounting from the engine. There is a small gap because of this surgery, but you can’t see it once the engine is in place. Tamiya provides 2 superchargers in the kit: one for the Mustang (the right one) and one for a Spitfire. The latter is a perfect fit to the engine, but there is no way you can mount it to the airframe…
RE NMF paint- I built one of those kits recently,and for the NMF areas I used Tamiya AS-12, “bare metal silver.” Tamiya’s AS series are aircraft colors and hard to find, but Sprue Bros usually has them. It looks just right on the Mustang- not too shiny, not too dull.
I prefer to use Alclad for all NMF surfaces, but I’ll probably use Tamiya’s AS spray for surfaces painted with aluminum paint on the real aircraft (or Alclad dull aluminum)
I just received my Mustang! I have to say, it’s one of the most beautifully packaged kits I have ever seen! Immaculate packaging, brilliant cover art and the included folders and history/color photos are smartly done. I’m still in the decal stage of my F-22 Raptor by Hasegawa and then it’s on to the Mustang. I was like a kid in a candy store when I opened that Mustang kit! Awesome job Tamiya!
