Spray Paints?

[ohmic12]

Not sure if there are any shops around brisbane to buy spray paints for TF's ?

If you know of any around australia that ship to Queensland let me know?

Also what brand do you recommend?

[Stug]

I'd recommend any of the rattle cans made specifically for models as they're engineered for a better finish with thinner coats and smaller pigment particles on plastics. (Though I will qualify that I've never used these on TFs - only scale models). They do cost more than your multi purpose types. I've only used Tamiya and Mr Color... but there's also ModelMaster/Testors and even Humbrol now have a small range of colours (or it may have been only finishes - I didn't look closely when I saw them the other week).

Most Toyworlds hold Tamiya though they are either locked in displays or held behind the counter. Hobbyramma at Stafford has the wider range of brands...

Don't know if that helps. :)

[GoktimusPrime]

Damn holiday brain... I initially read the topic of this thread as "spray pants" and some interesting mental images formed. Time to drink some coffee and wake up. :p

[Iriorne]

I'll second Stug's recommendation for Tamiya sprays. Any hobby shop should have a good selection. For maximum durability you might want to lay down some primer first, and a clear coat on top. If you're mixing paint types, enamel is ok over acrylic but not the other way round. Acrylics also work on top of lacquers, but lacquers will eat both enamel and acrylics.

[Ae-Evolution]

Great time for me to ask a question. I have stacks of Australian Exports Enamel ($2 shop paint or supercheap auto stuff) from a previous hobby, how does that go on TF's? They used to go on Nerf blaster so assume it's somewhat okay, just want a confirmation on it though.

[Iriorne]

I imagine the plastic is probably similar so if you had good results on nerf, you'll probably have good results on Transformers. Best to test it on an old figure or in an out of the way patch to be sure. You can decant some paint from the can (spray into a container or the cap from the can) and apply with a brush to limit the test area or for detail work.

[lancalot]

The cheap enamel paints " Australian Exports Enamel ($2 shop paint or supercheap auto stuff)" from a spray can is too thick for small transformer figure as a second layer will properly fill in the small detail panel lines .. so you have to be careful of that.... that why the tamiya can paints is more thin in consistence ... for large object like nerf with large detail is ok ... But remember to prep the plastic first or the spay paint wont stick to it and it would just flak off...

[Iriorne]

Lancalot is right. I think what I meant to say was, the effect you'll get on is should be similar to the effect on Nerf guns. The cheap stuff will probably not preserve the fine details on transformers as it will have very coarse pigments and probably go on quite heavily. Definitely test it on a junker if you're keen to use them (use light mist coats), but purpose-made modelling paints are almost certainly going to give you a better result.

[ohmic12]

Thanks for all the advice i did see some of the export paint at supercheapauto but wasnt sure

So when you say "clear coat on top" is it best to use any spray clear coat or i did read about one person who said they brush on some Pledge One Go?

[Iriorne]

Generally any clear gloss will work, just be careful not to mix your acrylics/enamels in the wrong order. It'll give your paint a hard coating and help protect it from wear. It also provides a good surface for water-slide decals (seal them with clear again, if you use them) and you can apply a matte/satin coat over the top of your last gloss coat.

I think the Krylon clear aerosol sprays are ok but check the paint type as I had trouble finding the acrylic spray. Tamiya also sell clear spray cans in a variety of finishes which should also give good results and should be matched with their other acrylic paints for compatibility, though it'll be more expensive than Krylon.

With regards to using floor polish:

In the US, you can get an acrylic floor wax called 'Future Floor Polish', or it might be 'Pledge with Future Shine' now - I think they recently changed the name. This stuff is supposed to be magical for scale modelling - it's a great clear gloss coat, it's resistant to most solvents, it can be used to help restore scratched clear parts or just to give them extra clarity, it can be airbrushed or brush painted straight from the bottle, and it costs somewhere in the region of a few dollars per bottle.

Future, or equivalent, has been available in Australia under various names over the years. I believe Pledge One Go was the most recent, though as of sometime last year it has apparently been discontinued with no plans to reintroduce it.

"Pledge One Go" is good if you can find it, or others have had good results with "Long Life self shining floor polish", possibly obtainable from Bunnings, if supermarkets don't carry it. It may look yellow or milky in the bottle but should dry clear, just be careful to test it with your chosen paints as it might contain ammonia. You could try "Pledge Floor Care" (http://www.polish-up.com.au/products/pledge-floor-care-multi-surface-floor-finish-798ml.html), which could be imported from the US, as it's pretty pricey. There's also a product I found a while back when I was looking into this called [url=http://www.armsmodelit.com.au/prodrangelist.php?scatid=29]"PASST" which is an acrylic sealer, supposedly very similar to Future and fairly reasonably priced. I've been meaning to try it at some point, just haven't got around to ordering some.

I guess the TL;DR version is you should pick your gloss coat depending on your paints. Krylon spray is ok if you can get the paint type right, otherwise I'd stick to Tamiya or something designed for scale modelling. Floor polish is economical and should give good results if you can find the right one. :)

[lancalot]

i never tried floor polish...cool info Iriorne i try that one next after i run out

[SMHFConvoy]

i never tried floor polish...cool info Iriorne i try that one next after i run out

Good luck finding a decent acrylic floor polish. I tried a year or so back, very hot and miss.

[Iriorne]

Good luck finding a decent acrylic floor polish. I tried a year or so back, very hot and miss.

Yeah, very hard to know what you're actually getting in the bottle. I've tried to find out local alternatives a few times but gave up when it seemed like the recommended brands were perpetually unavailable.


i never tried floor polish...cool info Iriorne i try that one next after i run out

If you're airbrushing, I believe windex is good for clean up - it's the ammonia, apparently. Let me know if you find anything good, in the mean time I think I'm gonna play it safe and stick to airbrushing Tamiya X-22. :)

[gamblor916]

Sorry but floor polish is for floors. If I want a gloss coat I use clear lacquers.
Currently I use Gaianotes EX-3 clear (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GAIA-COLOR-GUNDAM-MODEL-PAINT-50ml-EX-03-EX-CLEAR-/190835930195?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2c6eb53453). Good stuff.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4619/img3682h.jpg

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/9665/img2698ws.jpg

[lancalot]

Sorry but floor polish is for floors. If I want a gloss coat I use clear lacquers.
Currently I use Gaianotes EX-3 clear (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GAIA-COLOR-GUNDAM-MODEL-PAINT-50ml-EX-03-EX-CLEAR-/190835930195?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2c6eb53453). Good stuff.


Cool...thanks for that gamblor .... i was looking for a good clear coat

[lancalot]

do you need to thin it out for airbrush or just straight from the bottle?

[Stug]

I wouldn’t recommend floor polish as a final coat – it is really shiny – more so than a regularly available model gloss coat. At scale, I think it looks like glass rather than polished metal.

I think a floor polish coat is more commonly favoured to accommodate decaling (the super smooth surface significantly reduces the risk of silvering) and protects the paint job when weathering. Once they’re applied, the model is often given a coat of another finish to dull it down as appropriate (though you can mix a matting agent into the polish and use that…).

I only use it on canopies and windows to hide imperfections and give them a glassy shine. I still just use gloss clear coat for decaling and washing. The polish I use is "Long Life" and clears typically Mr Color/Gunze/Tamiya/Humbrol (depending on what I'm applying them over and what I'm gonig to be applying over them.)

[gamblor916]

do you need to thin it out for airbrush or just straight from the bottle?

It needs to be thinned with lacquer thinners. Mr Color levelling thinner is really good.

[Iriorne]

Sorry but floor polish is for floors. If I want a gloss coat I use clear lacquers.

What type of paints do you use it with? I thought it was generally inadvisable to put lacquers over enamel or acrylic as the solvent will eat your paint?


I wouldn’t recommend floor polish as a final coat – it is really shiny – more so than a regularly available model gloss coat. At scale, I think it looks like glass rather than polished metal.

Yup, it's a good way to seal paint and weathering effects but the high gloss finish isn't really appropriate for most subjects. Looks great on model cars when polished up well.

What do you use to clean up Long Life? Sounds like you're getting good results. :)

[gamblor916]

What type of paints do you use it with? I thought it was generally inadvisable to put lacquers over enamel or acrylic as the solvent will eat your paint?


I probably should have put a disclaimer there. I use lacquers so if you mix and match paints you're going to have problems. You can use it over Tamiya spray cans, Mr Color, Gaianotes, Finishers etc.

[SMHFConvoy]

Hey I was in eckersleys today and they had liquitex spray paints (professional spray paints) liquitex has a good rep, although I don't think I've seen many toy customisers use it. You buy the cans and the nozzles separately. The nozzles are different sizes, sorry didn't get any prices.

[Stug]

What do you use to clean up Long Life? Sounds like you're getting good results. :)

Windex (or any ammonia product)... stuffed application once and just bathed the part in Windex then scrubbed with a toothbrush (though not advisable if it's applied over acrylics or vacuum metalised parts (a TF's chrome) - it's my stripper of choice for those too). I've never sprayed it (though it does work for cleaning up brushes).

When I use Long Life, I dip the part in it then set aside. Its self levelling and usually drains off if you set it on tissue paper or similar to dry... so if you've disassembled a TF this may be an option to coat each part?

[Iriorne]

[...] I use lacquers so if you mix and match paints you're going to have problems. [...]

Ah, thought that might be the case. I like Tamiya's basic lacquer primer but prefer to paint with acrylics because they're easy to clean and airbrush well over quite a wide range of pressures and paint/thinner ratios. :)


Windex (or any ammonia product) [...]

Cool, sounds pretty much the same as the fabled Future floor polish. Might give it a try next time - Bunnings sells it $10 a big bottle which beats $4 for 10 mL of Tamiya clear.


liquitex spray paints [...] sorry didn't get any prices.

The website has them at $20 a can - pricey but the pigments should be artisan quality. I can't find any info on their use in scale modelling, but liquitex suggest it works well for graffiti art, so I suspect it might be pretty thick?

[SMHFConvoy]

There was a sample of how the paint looked sprayed on different materials. The plastic looked OK but it could be only one coat

[ohmic12]

Went and had a look around

Masters had Plasti-kote Super Spray & Bunnings had White Knight Squirts has anyone tried using any of these?

[lancalot]

Went and had a look around

Masters had Plasti-kote Super Spray & Bunnings had White Knight Squirts has anyone tried using any of these?

i used white knight clear acrylic satin...is really good....the gloss one too thick !

[Iriorne]

I've not used either, but White Knight Squirts seems pretty popular for war gaming miniatures: http://www.wargamerau.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t9737.html

Plasti-kote could be ok too. The suggestion is to sit the can in some warm water first to get a finer spray, and you may need to overcoat with clear first if you're adding more paint or a wash.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/265523.page

[Ae-Evolution]

For Tamiya sprays, how does the PS series work on ABS plastic? Not a tf project but currently, I'm building a 1/144 meteor strike and want to paint the base Lame Flake (PS49?). Is PS acrylic?

[Iriorne]

Seems like it might be a bad idea.

Tamiya's own web site says the PS series are designed for use on transparent polycarbonate shells for R/C cars and should not be used on plastic models (styrene).

source (http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list/ps.htm)

Someone else asked the same question on an R/C website and got the following answers:


The Tamiya "PS" series paints (polycarbonate series) etches into the plastic
and leaves a dull rough surface. This paint appears to be glossy only when
seen through the outside of the clear polycarbonate. The etching process
allows it to remain firmly attached to RC car body as it flexes whereas
Lacquers and enamels simply crack and peel off.
The PS paint is also used on metal models and then oversprayed with a clear
or matt coat.
PS may be used on plastic models which have been prepared with Tamiya Primer
or Preparacote.
Better to stick with the Tamiya "TS" series which is a hard lacquer (similar
to Topflite Lustercote) and fuel proof - leave to dry thoroughly between
coats and before exposure to fuel.


Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic or "plastic." I believe they are
refering to polystyrene models which are really high impact or rubber
modified polystyrene plastics. ABS is acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
plastics and it is basically high impact polystyrene with a third
monomer thrown in for thermal and chemical resistance, among other
properties. I'm not sure of the solvent used in the "polycarbonate"
paint, but would guess if it attacks polystyrene, it's not going to be
great for ABS parts.

source (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488561)