What is your choice of paint for autos?

OK, I know I’m going to get several answers and that’s alright.

I’m looking for your favorite paint, lacqure I’m assuming, but any, and your favorite manufacturer for auto finishes.

I like Tamiya rattle cans quite a lot. Spray nice and dry with a really nice finish.

I have a couple other manufacturers paint that I own but haven’t tried - Gravity & Zero . MCW automative finishes has color matched specific to manufactures and teams colors - pretty cool.

One other thing I have done is ordered a bottle of touchup paint for the specific factory color for late model cars. I did my mini cooper that way but I wasn’t as happy with the finish - should have worked it more

I’ve been using, http://www.scalefinishes.com, for my model auto colors. They have a great selection.

Hello!

I usually take Motip spray cans. Their primers are pretty good, too!

Good luck with your builds and have a nice day

Paweł

I usually use Testors enamel, but often use auto paint in spray cans for body. Last car (Mephistofle) I used a red from a Rustoleum spray can. I am going to try the new bottles of Tamiya lacquer.

I rarely build cars, but the one I have on the back burner at the moment I have been painting with Model Master enamels. Its looking pretty good so far and the colors are an accurate match for the real-world subject.

I still use Testors/Model Masters enamels on my cars.

I have actually been buying a lot of the Testors square bottle enamels lately, because they flow so nicely. Their Metallic Silver is awesome stuff…so shiny and fine-pigmented, its like a little bottle of mercury.

I use Tamiya spray cans.

For colours that aren’t available with Tamiya, I will then use Scalefinishes.

Has anyone ever used Didspade?

http://scalefinishes.com/Didspade.html

Steve, LOVE your signature!

I haven’t tried it but looks interesting.

Thanks Don

I mix Tamiya clear colors and shoot it over whichever base to get that candy effect fwiw… Often using craft paints for the main color coat. That’s for hot rods etc not the classic and antique era vehicles I’m more likely to be working on.

To me, in the class of vehicles I’m most likely to build I may use acrylic now and then but it’s tough to deny in the end, it’s really the realm of enamels. To me anyway, though I do use acrylics on interiors and engines pretty often.

Well I must say, this surprises me. I thought you would use something different for cars. Maybe I just stink at cars.

I use Tamiya Lacquer rattle cans. Very ease to use. Drys fast and hard. Very little orange peel.

The problem is gloss paint. This is true for most non-military models. My mantra for glossy finishes is, you most put on thick, until it is just ready to run. How do you recognise that point? Same way you get to Carnegie Hall.

Well I’ve used MCW Auto finishes too, if I want an exact match color. But I don’t like his lacquer, for whatever reason he used his fastest drying thinner in the auto paints and mixes it too thin to leave room to add in a slow dry or some retarder. In my climate it’s just too fast. Yet he has slow dry because he uses it in his military colors. And then there is the price. The colors are dead on but I don’t like working with fast drying hot lacquers on models, never did.

He has added an enamel line though which I have not tried. I used his facebook page and email to try and see if the lacquer could be mixed with slow dry thinner, no response. I’m not pleased overall. And I have the capability to mix my own solid colors to be pretty accurate anyway.

I don’t know, been painting cars for over 60 years,models and 35 years in 1/1. I make a way and it happens is best I can say.

I’ve tried the Gravity paint from Spain. It airbrushes really smoothly and covers well. I’ve followed the advice of putting down a few light coats and then flooding it on. I still get some orange peel though.

I began using Creatix paints (Hobby Lobby carries these) for cars due to wide range of awesome colors available. I will give you this tidbit, they require far more prep work in mixing than most paints you will AB. I usually then follow up with Krylon acrylic clear. I am going to be switching to real automotive 2K clear and buy a pint and it will last for years. Rattle cans I’ve done for years and with good results, I just don’t care for the waste and overspray they create. To each his own methods, they all work.

BK