Zero Paints Info

Hi guys,

I ordered some jars of Zero Paint from Hiroboy last week. Steve send them from England Tuesday and they arrived at my door (in Canada) without any custom problems on Thursday. It only tooks 2 days to get in Canada.

So I tried some Nissan Blue Daytona on a Skyline today and this stock is great. Since Cobra Colors' death, I tought I could not get any paint of this quality, but I was wrong. The paint is great and is easy to apply. And the best thing is that if you want, you can thin it with some PPG DLT-105 thinner, like I was doing with Cobra Colors paint. (Great tip by MPWR). I apply it over 2 coats of Duplicolor primer and there is no strange reaction.

I will post pics tomorrow to show you the result before the clear coats, since my Urethane Hardener has gone hard.

This stuff is great! With a jar of 2 ounces, I will be able to paint 2 or 3 cars without any problem. I will order more this week :-)

Hi guys,

I ordered some jars of Zero Paint from Hiroboy last week.

This stuff is great!

I just started to use them as well and totally agree with you.They are so easy to use,dry incredibly fast and cover so well.It really is a bonus when painting 2 colour schemes and I can apply the 2nd colour the same day instead of waiting for the first colour to dry for a couple of days before I can mask it out.I find myself using them more and more.He's also just released a great Flourescent red which should be perfect for the many McLaren F1 cars I have on my stock pile.

I'm still a newbie on the Zero colours but I can verify that they sure goes on easy enough and dries in an istant.
Used Arancio Atlas on my concept Camaro and currently building Fujimis Ferrari 288 GTO and got the Corsa Rosso for that one.
Should be as easy to use as on the Camaro.



Niclas

This is certainly interesting and encouraging to hear. I've been curious for some time about whether Zero paint and DTL-105 are compatable. I suspected they might be, but if not ordering thinner to go with the paint didn't seem terribly practical.

Happily, I'm not out of my reserve of CobraColors quite yet, but when they're gone I suspect that Zero will be the first thing I try.

What kind of thinner is PPG DLT-105 thinner ?
I have ordered Zero paints a few weeks ago (Rosso Corsa and Nissan Bayside Blue) but haven't try them yet....
I also leave in Canada and it was a same week shipping ! Great !

hi,

just checked out zero paints. what does it mean by base coat? i always thought base coat is the primer?

hi,

just checked out zero paints. what does it mean by base coat? i always thought base coat is the primer?


It means that you have to clear coat it as it's dries with a matt finish.
Some of them even is a three stages process (not counting the primer) to get right.


Niclas

I am a massive supporter of Zero Paints and Steve's store, Hiroboy.com
Everything I have ordered has been delivered to Australia in less than a week!

It means that you have to clear coat it as it's dries with a matt finish.
Some of them even is a three stages process (not counting the primer) to get right.

I have ordered 5 Zero products (4 paints, 1 set 2 k clear) in the past and have only used 3 so far. All I can say is Hiroboy's stuff is the best (Zero is his own brand).
A couple things that you should take note of:
The base coat may not look the right color, but once the clear is on... its perfect.
Take a good read of Steve's how-to on his paints (http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/paint_guide.php?osCsid=d16d09ad242b1e478c41621738e b7caf) and his 2k clear (http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/paint_guide1.php).
Wait 2-3 hours between the color and clear coat. (This time limit was provided by Steve)
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOOD VENTALATION!! (As with all automotive paints...)
I am a massive supporter of Zero Paints and Steve's store, Hiroboy.com
Everything I have ordered has been delivered to Australia in less than a week!
:1:
I get the items ordered in around 5-9 days, and I live in Taiwan... Frankly, I think the PO in Taiwan holds it for a day or two...
Zero paints have made my modeling life a whole lot easier and much more 'exact' as far as coloring goes. (Sheesh, this sounds like a testimonial)

LOL, anyways, HTH
Steve

Same with me with all the comments on steves shop and his colours!

I'm a beginner with airbrushing and painting models with zero-paint is easy as "one, two, three"

I bought the clearcoat as well but now I'm a little afraid to try it the first time because never used a 2-k clear coat before.

But one day in the near future and if I'm in a good mood I will spent two or three candles and get on with it.

Thomas

Do I have to say more:
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1905/dscn6106rd4.jpg
http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/5656/dscn6110tw2.jpg
Color: Zero Grigio Titano with 2K Clear Cote!

Gerwin

^^^^

The flakes look a little big. Are they so obvious in the flesh?

Here's a couple of pics of Zero's Nissan Midnight Purple pearl:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/MattRS2000/Models/Zakspeed%20Escort/TN_PB170085.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/MattRS2000/Models/Zakspeed%20Escort/TN_PB170086.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/MattRS2000/Models/Zakspeed%20Escort/TN_P1310033.jpg

Here's my latest experience from Zero colours.
Just put on the 2-pack clear coat on my Fujimi Ferrari 288 GTO, used all Zero products from the primer and up.

The clear left me with an almost unbeleiveble shine straight from the paint session. Just that the dust was present this time as always so I have to do some sanding/polishing because of that.

Well this is how it looks like at the moment and the way getting there.

Primer with some red mixed in, looks like something Barbie would drive.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/proosen/Work%20in%20progress/288%20GTO/09.jpg

Basecoat on, dries semi gloss.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/proosen/Work%20in%20progress/288%20GTO/11.jpg

....and finally the clear coats. One dust coat and two heavy coats.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/proosen/Work%20in%20progress/288%20GTO/13.jpg


Niclas

hi, just checked out zero paints. what does it mean by base coat? i always thought base coat is the primer?
Sounds wrong, I know, but primer is not base, it's primer. A base is a color coat that must be clear coated in order to get any kind of gloss.

That's how most automotive paints work.

From the glowing descriptions I suspect, but don't know, that Zero paints are one-part automotive urethanes, similar to Dupont Chromabase. PPG has a similar line. In the automotive paint industry, these paints are used for small jobs and touch-up work. They are easy to apply and look great, but are not as durable as two-part urethanes - so don't leave your Zero'd 1:24 '57 Chevy out in the sun, rain and snow.

The Dupont Chromabase I buy at my automotive paint jobber ($14 for 2 oz.) must be reduced 1:1 with lacquer thinner, UR40 or some other reducer. Hiroboy is most likely repackaging and reducing Dupont or PPG paints.

Some people think the two-part urethane clear coat is unrealistically deep and glossy, but it's not the only way to go. Regular ol' Tamiya TS13 syn lacquer can also be used as a clear coat over Dupont Chromabase; again, I'm pretty sure it can also be used with Zero paints.

Ddms

hi,i m also new with zero paints. does anyone knew,if i paint racing stripes,should i do masking before or after clearcoat?chris

Before. Light color first, mask for stripes then add darker colour and then put on the clear coat. Use thin coats of color and do NOT try to make the paint shine with wet coats - zero paints require the clear coat.

You do all your painting and masking first, then put on the clear coats on top of all the layers at the same time.



Niclas

Hrm, since this topic has been brought up. When you guys use decals on zero paints...
Do you :
Base paint -> decals -> clear?
Or:
Base -> clear -> decals -> clear? (assuming that you clear your decals of course.)

I was wondering mainly if the matte base paint would effect the decals to a point where it was obvious even after a clear coat.
Thanks,
Steve

Base, clear, decals, clear - decals won't adhere very well to a matte finish, they'll work much better on a smooth gloss clear coat.

Base, clear, decals, clear - decals won't adhere very well to a matte finish, they'll work much better on a smooth gloss clear coat.

My sentiments exactly. A light, thin coat of clear will do just fine for that first coat.

From the descriptions I've read, Zero paints sound exactly the same as automotive urethanes - the type that are used for small jobs, IOW, touch-up paints - except that Zero paints are sold pre-thinned.

If I'm right about that, there's a huge difference in cost.

Dupont single-part urethane must be thinned 1:1. A mid-temp reducer like UR40 is recommended, but regular lacquer thinner works for me. The Dupont paint retails for about $14 (including tax) for two ounces unthinned. That's four oz. of ready-to-spray paint, and in any color on the Dupont chart, which must must have thousands of colors. I don't include shipping because I buy it at my local automotive paint supplier.

Enough Zero paint to mix that same amount - 4 oz. @ $7.00 per oz. - costs almost exactly twice as much - $28 - plus shipping. And that's for one of the standard colors. There's an additional charge for custom mixing.

To be fair, Hiroboy offers popular racing car colors, including some combinations in sets. Instead of going blind with a color chart trying to identify just the right color for your Aston Martin DBR9, you can get the right color premixed from Zero. Definitely handy.

On the whole, the automotive paint supplier offers the better deal, but there is a catch - you may not be able to buy small quantities of urethane clear coat and hardener at your automotive paint supplier. For those items, the best source may be Zero. (But not at the moment. I just checked, and Hiroboy does not have urethane clear coat/hardener in stock right now.)

By the way, Tamiya TS13 clear lacquer is perfectly compatible with urethane base. I actually prefer the lacquer because I don't like super-shiny. But that's a matter of taste.

Ddms

Base, clear, decals, clear - decals won't adhere very well to a matte finish, they'll work much better on a smooth gloss clear coat.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Just double checkin ^^.


The Dupont paint retails for about $14 (including tax) for two ounces unthinned. That's four oz. of ready-to-spray paint, and in any color on the Dupont chart, which must must have thousands of colors. I don't include shipping because I buy it at my local automotive paint supplier.

Enough Zero paint to mix that same amount - 4 oz. @ $7.00 per oz. - costs almost exactly twice as much - $28 - plus shipping. And that's for one of the standard colors. There's an additional charge for custom mixing.

To be fair, Hiroboy offers popular racing car colors, including some combinations in sets. Instead of going blind with a color chart trying to identify just the right color for your Aston Martin DBR9, you can get the right color premixed from Zero. Definitely handy.

On the whole, the automotive paint supplier offers the better deal, but there is a catch - you may not be able to buy small quantities of urethane clear coat and hardener at your automotive paint supplier. For those items, the best source may be Zero. (But not at the moment. I just checked, and Hiroboy does not have urethane clear coat/hardener in stock right now.)

By the way, Tamiya TS13 clear lacquer is perfectly compatible with urethane base. I actually prefer the lacquer because I don't like super-shiny. But that's a matter of taste.

Ddms

I really envy you guys. The smallest amount of paint that the dupont outlet here will sell is 500cc's which is roughly 16.6 ounces...WAYYY to much for any model I'm going to make...
There aren't many (if any) automotive paint suppliers here... only 'touch-up' paint cans which have a very limited selection are seldomly shelved in automotive stores.
LOL, I'm actually waiting for Hiroboy to restock on his 2k clear. That's the only item that's out of stock that I need ^^.

Thanks guys,
Steve

I've just spend the whole day preparing the various 2k Clears, we now have loads in stock ready to ship.