Alclad II which ones...

[keveuh]

Hi everybody, I'm looking into buying some Alclad paints, they are very often praised and I want to try them out.

I wonder which paints I should take to car modeling ?

Obviously the Chrome is a must. Maybe the Aluminum is used a lot for cars...
But since I'm no car mecanic I don't know what material is used for engine/transmssion parts on a real car.

Any suggestions then on what colors to take ? I'm making a Porsche Carrera GT, later I'll make a Ferrari FXX and a bit later I plan a Citroën 2CV, Ferrari F430 scuderia etc... just to give you an idea of what I do and what I need.

Alclad need primer I saw, is their primer any good compared to let's say Gunze Mr Surfacer 1000 ?

Do their paint/primer need to be thinned ? What should I thin them with ?

Do they need a clear ? And lastly can I safely paint acrylics over them ? (I guess so since they are lacquers, right ?)

Thanks a lot !!

[SmokeyR67]

G'day,

Firstly, you'll love alclad, it gives a great result!
Some colours I like to stock are magnesium, gold and dull aluminium. In the high shines I prefer polished aluminium instead of chrome for most applications, titanium gold is surprisingly useful and stainless gives a noce darker finish.
As for the primers, the gray and white are fantastic, I use them for everything. Mr surfacer and tamiya primers are great too, but being rattle can they tend to be uneconomical compared to airbrushing. I havn't used the black primer, I prefer a light primer to help show any flaws.
The gloss black base for the high shines is controversial, personally it's worked fine for me, but others have had problems with it drying. Probably best to play it safe and use another brand of gloss black enamel for your base.

[keveuh]

Ok thanks. When I talked about Gunze mr surfacer I meant the ones in small jars, but that my problem they are in smal jars and I always wonder how much you can paint with them, for example if I used them for car bodies too and no just small parts.

I have some Revell gloss black enamel, I guess that would work then. I've never tried yet airbrushing enamel nor lacquers, I'm a bit afraid of thinning problems.

[spotmodel]

Hi,

ALC107 (Chrome) is a must and ALC305 (black primer) too.

There are some other interesting items like:

- ALC306 (white primer & microfiller) : I use always for everything (resin, plastic, metal, ...)

- ALC101 : For racing engines

- ALC105: For polished rims (like Porsche 911 dial phone rims)

- ALC108 : For Ferrari F1 classic rims

- ALC111: It is a must for 70's-80's racing cars.

- ALC312 : Fantastic semi-matte clearcoat

- ALC600 : Clear coat to "protect" metallic alclad colours

[keveuh]

Originally Posted by spotmodel

Hi,

ALC107 (Chrome) is a must and ALC305 (black primer) too.

There are some other interesting items like:

- ALC306 (white primer & microfiller) : I use always for everything (resin, plastic, metal, ...)

- ALC101 : For racing engines

- ALC105: For polished rims (like Porsche 911 dial phone rims)

- ALC108 : For Ferrari F1 classic rims

- ALC111: It is a must for 70's-80's racing cars.

- ALC312 : Fantastic semi-matte clearcoat

- ALC600 : Clear coat to "protect" metallic alclad colours

Thanks for all the details, but is the black primer a must ? I mean any very dark color would do fine on a grey primer I guess ?

The semi-matte clear coat, is it any useful for the Alclad paints ? Don't they have a quite accurate shine without a clear ? Or is it just to protect them ? Or is that semi-matte ok to put on acrylics as well ?

And finally the ALC600, is it a must ? Same question as before, don't they high shine colors alreadt have a very good shine ?

Thanks

[spotmodel]

The black primer is a must, of course, for ALC107 Chrome. You have to use a black-shine under ALC107. I used Humbrol, N5, ... and ALC305 is the best under ALC107.

ALC312 is not for Alclad, it is for "general use". You are able to use over acrylics or enamel colours. It is fantastic to be used on "leather" parts like classic F1 cars , old Le Mans cars, ...

On ALC600, there are a lot of people with problems with "touching" Alclad. Surfaces painted with Alclad could be "damaged" by touching with your fingers. You are able to use ALC600 over Alclad to prevent this damages.

(Please, excuse my poor english)

[SmokeyR67]

Originally Posted by keveuh

Ok thanks. When I talked about Gunze mr surfacer I meant the ones in small jars, but that my problem they are in smal jars and I always wonder how much you can paint with them, for example if I used them for car bodies too and no just small parts.

I have some Revell gloss black enamel, I guess that would work then. I've never tried yet airbrushing enamel nor lacquers, I'm a bit afraid of thinning problems.

Firstly, any primer will do, the alclad ones are great, pre thinned and ready to spray. The only Mr surfacer I can get in jars is Mr Surfacer 500 which isn't suitable for automotive priming, more for filling gaps (or texturing armour), so I've only sprayed 1200 after being decanted from rattle cans - again good stuff. TBH, use alclad primer, you'll never go back. Just shake, pour and spray. It's goes down smooth and sticks like the proverbial.

Spraying enamels is easy, it's just smelly and toxic, but if you wear a mask you'll be ok. When I thin it, I use a small screwdriver to stir it and if the paint drips off the tip straight away, it's good to go. If it takes a while for a drop to form, it needs more thinner, if it runs off, it's too thin. I hope that makes sense. It really isn't that critical, and you'll soon work it out. Alclad gloss black is pre thinned, and as I said I haven't had any problems with it, so thats a good way to go.

I forgot to reply about the clears, but the Aqua Gloss is fantastic(600). Is does very slightly dull the chrome, but in my eyes it makes it more realistic.

Smokey.

Has anyone used the black primer (309)? I wonder if a couple of coats for that followed by some micromeshing will be good enough for the high shine finishes?

[keveuh]

Thank again for your answers.

I read that the Alclad primer was "hotter" than Tamiya/Gunze ones, that the Alclad attacks the plastic more, is that right ?

About the clears, the ALC 600 aqua gloss, can it be used to safely clear body parts ? I mean if I spray some lacquer on the body like Tamiya TS/Mr color can then use Aclad aqua gloss safely on top ? Can it be polished well ? And is it safe for decals in case I want to clear a racing car ?

And the semi matte clear, does it work on any paints, like acrylics ? Because I want to find a good semi matte for interior to get a "leather" look.

Thank a lot !!

[spotmodel]

Originally Posted by keveuh

Thank again for your answers.

I read that the Alclad primer was "hotter" than Tamiya/Gunze ones, that the Alclad attacks the plastic more, is that right ?

About the clears, the ALC 600 aqua gloss, can it be used to safely clear body parts ? I mean if I spray some lacquer on the body like Tamiya TS/Mr color can then use Aclad aqua gloss safely on top ? Can it be polished well ? And is it safe for decals in case I want to clear a racing car ?

And the semi matte clear, does it work on any paints, like acrylics ? Because I want to find a good semi matte for interior to get a "leather" look.

Thank a lot !!

I have no problem about "attack plastic" with Alclad primer. I always paint with "thin" layers. It is the best way to go away from problem.

I have to try ALC600 on clear parts. I never did it.

Yes, it is safe for decals, no problem.

[Marianitem]

This must be the perfect thread to ask this:

What about Candy finishes from Alclad?
I´ve found these:

ALC 701 Bright Silver Candy Base
http://alclad2.com/finishes/candy/al...er-candy-base/

ALC 704 Candy Orange Enamel (i thought it would be laquer...)
http://alclad2.com/finishes/candy/al...orange-enamel/

I´ve read on instructions that the 701 base is a must. Is it really, or any silver base would work? What does that base look like without a top coat?
And what about the 704 (or similar candies) application?

I was about to order some of these products, but haven´t found any experience on this forum yet.