Some paint questions

I'm in the middle of building a 1/24 Monogram Lamborghini Countach. I've finally gotten up to painting the interior and I was wondering a few things. Should I use gloss black or flat black for the leather dashboard, and what color should I use for the tan leather interior?

if you do not have any semi-gloss black, i would go with the flat black, in my opinion i have noticed gloss colors in the interior seem to look very unrealistic. sorry if im no help.

if you do not have any semi-gloss black, i would go with the flat black, in my opinion i have noticed gloss colors in the interior seem to look very unrealistic. sorry if im no help.

That makes sense. Thanks for the speedy answer.

I've heard that painting flat black, then rubbing your finger on your scalp or side of nose and wiping onto the paint, gives a unique leather-like sheen!

Ken Hartlen's site also gives good advice:
http://pages.interlog.com/~khartlen/tips/seats.htm

Most leather has a slight sheen. For me, most flats are too flat and dull. On the other hand, I think even a semi-gloss finish is too glossy for car interiors.

If you can mix paint, start with a flat version of the color you want. Then mix in just a small amount of the glossy version of the same paint. To my eye, that produces a realistic leather look.

Also: If you're brushing water-based acrylics like Tamiya or Polly Scale, try mixing in a little Tamiya X-20A thinner instead of water or alcohol. Brushing will be easier and the finished interior will look smoother and less like brushed paint.

Ddms

I'm using Testors enamel paints.

I found a bunch of old flat tan/tan paints so I'm gonna to see how they come out, maybe mix them, same with flat black/gloss back.

anyone help with water based painting?

One last question. I just bought a cream color, only to find out it looks perfect but it's glossy (without saying glossy or flat). should I just go ahead with mixing flat tan and flat white or is there something I can do to take some shine out?

anyone help with water based painting?

Yep.

Anything else?

Ddms

to get the shine out you could get some matte clear coat, u can get a cheap can at your local walmart.

Okay so I screwed up the interior, which has like 20 coats of paint on it, from fixing spill after spill, and on top of that it's the wrong color, and I was getting too frustrated about it.
Is there anything I can do to remove all of it or should I look for a new model?

I was looking up remedies and one guy said to soak it in brake fluid. Ever tried that?

I also read about spraying the enamel with oven cleaner and sealing it open, so the fumes eat up the enamel or something like that. Do it outside of course.

If it's enamel I'd go with the oven cleaner. Put the parts you want to strip into a plastic bag and spray in a decent quantity of oven cleaner (enough to cover the parts) Seal the bag and leave overnight. The paint will scrub of the following morning with ease, use an old tootbrush under a running tap for best results. I wouldn't recommend brake fluid. It will do the job but in my experience it leaves the plastic very brittle and because of this I won't use it.

There's a lot of paint so I don't think the brake fluid will really damage the plastic and I read it works in much less time. A handful of hours maybe.

There's a lot of paint so I don't think the brake fluid will really damage the plastic and I read it works in much less time. A handful of hours maybe.

Well it depends how quick you want to strip it I suppose. I'd rather have it stripped clean and no brittle plastic, even if it takes a little longer. Doesn't matter how much paint is on it, it won't protect the plastic because the brake fluid is stripping the paint off, so the plastic will be exposed to the brake fluid anyway........

Well it depends how quick you want to strip it I suppose. I'd rather have it stripped clean and no brittle plastic, even if it takes a little longer. Doesn't matter how much paint is on it, it won't protect the plastic because the brake fluid is stripping the paint off, so the plastic will be exposed to the brake fluid anyway........

If it goes to hell, I'd have learned my lesson but the fact is I need to opt for the miracle faster way. I'll let you know how it goes.

Faster way...five hours later and nothing has even peeled, just bubbled and even ran a little. I'm buying a new model anyway but cmon I was sure this would work from the feedback I read about. I'm using Synthetic DOT-3 brake fluid.

Before:

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/DynographK/IMG_1227.jpg

After 5 hours:

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/DynographK/IMG_1229.jpg

i've also used polish remover to strip paint but it's been PITA. i am just moving on to my next project. i really dont think it's worth going through all the trouble unless you are working on expensive model (but then, you shouldn't be messing up that bad :p).

i've also used polish remover to strip paint but it's been PITA. i am just moving on to my next project. i really dont think it's worth going through all the trouble unless you are working on expensive model (but then, you shouldn't be messing up that bad :p).

I assume that would be a catch 22.

It's not a dip-it-and-forget-it situation. Don't expect either brake fluid or oven cleaner to just float away the paint. There's no way to tell if it worked until you rinse it off and try scrubbing it.

Get the stiffest toothbrush you can find. Or pick up a small brass brush at your local hardware store. A brass brush might sound brash (heh heh) but I've never seen any damage on styrene or resin. I wouldn't use a steel brush. Nor would I use a brass brush on clear plastic. And avoid brushing delicate features like window posts.

The little cracks and crevices are the hardest to strip. It will help to constantly dip the scrub brush in warm soapy water and/or alcohol. Sometimes you just have to pick out paint bits with a dental probe or an X-Acto blade tip.

Ddms