Basecoat for automotive lacquers

[Nutsforcars]

After years of painting my models with modelling enamels and acrylics, I am now ready to try automotive lacquers, thanks - in no small part - to this forum.
I bought Cobra Colors primer, Le Mans Blue Metallic and Clearcoat and read the tutorials on the Cobra Colors web site. Everything seems clear.

Seems. I primed the car body (worked very well!) and now it is kind of olive green, which is the color of the Cobra Colors primer. Since the Le Mans Blue is metallic, I was wondering if I can coat it directly over the primer or if I need a lighter (white) basecoat to get the true color. This question really poses itself for every color that is not much darker than the olive primer.

Thanks for any help. (And sorry if that has been discussed already, I could not find it).

[Cobra Colors]

The coverage is dense enough with Le Mans Blue Metallic that a separate basecoat color is unnecessary. You can spray it right over the primer.

[CADguy]

LeMans Blue should look good over VX primer.

I use CC paints a lot, and under some of the lighter metallics I use a silver basecoat. I have 4 or 5 different shades of silver from CC and I use them to vary the shade I want in the final topcoat.

This car I'm working on is Porsche Cobalt Blue (which is quite a bit lighter than Lemans Blue) sprayed over Nissan Liquid Aluminum.

[white97ex]

This is a tad off topic but I have a big thanks to give.

Leon,

After reading about your fire pearls and the difference between a black base and other bases for pearls and metallics I decided to give the black base a go when I shot my 1/12th with ppg sunseat pearl (OE GM color) I shot it over a duplicolor black base and it is, by far the best pearl/metallic paint job I've laid. and I will attribute that to the black base

Russell

[Cobra Colors]

Originally Posted by white97ex

This is a tad off topic but I have a big thanks to give.

Leon,

After reading about your fire pearls and the difference between a black base and other bases for pearls and metallics I decided to give the black base a go when I shot my 1/12th with ppg sunseat pearl (OE GM color) I shot it over a duplicolor black base and it is, by far the best pearl/metallic paint job I've laid. and I will attribute that to the black base

Russell

Thanks for mentioning it Russell. I can't account for a black basecoat being suitable for every pearl finish out there (especially translucent pearls), but I'm glad to hear it worked out to your advantage.