OMG I bought testors!!! Am I screwed?

[ejc116]

Hi, total newbie here. I am so friggen stupid in that I bought my supplies before I did my research. idiot. Here's what I bought:

Testors Gray Enamel Primer (spray can)
Testors Dark Blue Gloss Enamel (spray can)
Testors Dark Blue Gloss Enamel (touch-up bottle)
Testors Enamel Assortment various colors (touch-up bottles)

Testors Hobby Glue
Testors Hobby Putty

Pactra Masking Tape

Am I totally screwed if I have any hope of building a nice looking model? It's my first model and I want it to look nice. I've been reading threads on here and a lot of people say bad things about Testor products. Are they really that bad?
Also everyone sings the high praises of the Tamiya brand masking tape, is the Pactra Masking Tape I bought any good? What should I do, I hate to throw all this stuff out and have to buy new stuff! Please help.

[JimboCO]

Just use the stuff and have fun.

[Rye 21]

I use testors all the time, they look great

[ejc116]

It won't be fun if the final result is lousy! There is so much contradiction on these boards. You guys are saying to use Testors but other people claim Testors is total junk. The only thing people seem to agree on is that Tamiya products are the best of the best.

[jtwisconsin]

Here is JMHO.

While I definitely like working with Tamiya paints better, there is no reason you cannot get decent results with Testors. It is more about taking your time, reading the tutorials, and having patience than purchasing the "right" paint.

[El Destructo Inc]

putty and glue are garbage

[Ferrari TR]

I believe that good results are the result of having good luck along with good experience. There's nothing wrong with the products you've chosen.
Take your time and ask questions. you should have fun and learn something too.

[MPWR]

Oh, Testors products. No big problem. If you'd bought the company, you'd be screwed.

Testors makes good stuff. The big concern is that many people (myself included) are of the opinion that enamel is not a particularly good medium for body painting. The touch up bottles are actually rather good, as enamel makes a very good brush paint. The cement is great- if it is the liquid (bottle) type. The tube type is not recommended. The putty is OK, and no worries about the Pactra tape. Tamiya tape is terrific stuff and it is very highly recommended, but other stuff can be useful too (like filling spaces in between Tamiya tape).

[Seamus McRae]

Whilst I've never used Pactra tape (n/a down under I think), I've used several Testors/MM rattlecan paints & have been happy every time. I actually prefer some of them over Tamiya's - better coverage & deeper colours. As for the putty, I'm giving that a go now instead of the usual squadron. It's different, takes a little longer to cure but it's cheap.

Poor prep & rushing along like a bull in a china shop will ruin ANY kit, regardless of how well engineered it might be. Just take your time...

[JimboCO]

Originally Posted by ejc116

It won't be fun if the final result is lousy! There is so much contradiction on these boards. You guys are saying to use Testors but other people claim Testors is total junk. The only thing people seem to agree on is that Tamiya products are the best of the best.

Come on Man. It's your FIRST model. How about trying it out and determining for yourself if you like the results? A lot of this is experimenting to figure out what works for you.

[off the edge]

Don't believe everything on the internet find out for yourself, once you screw up then you know, hopefully, to only make it better. So go ahead screw it up and learn from it

[willimo]

You'll be fine. The equipment is what you make of it. I find it harder to use Testors products, but that's because I'm not terribly good or patient. Others love them. See for yourself, have fun, and don't worry. It's just a model. Like they say for racing, seat time will help you far more than car parts; practice will help you far more than your products.

[wouter1981]

Originally Posted by MPWR

Oh, Testors products. No big problem. If you'd bought the company, you'd be screwed.

Testors makes good stuff. The big concern is that many people (myself included) are of the opinion that enamel is not a particularly good medium for body painting. The touch up bottles are actually rather good, as enamel makes a very good brush paint. The cement is great- if it is the liquid (bottle) type. The tube type is not recommended. The putty is OK, and no worries about the Pactra tape. Tamiya tape is terrific stuff and it is very highly recommended, but other stuff can be useful too (like filling spaces in between Tamiya tape).

I don't agree completely. Enamel can be verry good for a car body. In a few weeks I'll post a car with an enamel body colour. The problem with enamel is the long curing time. If you make a super smooth primer surface and spray a lot of verry light en verry thin mist coats, you can get a verry glossy paint with just minimal polishing. And because you spray lightly and only mistcoats, the curing time isn't THAT long. But it's still a couple of weeks... and I found revells enamels by far the best I tryed, better than humbrol and even tamiya's.

[bobss396]

I myself don't care for Testors enamels. But I won't go into my list of issues with them. I just have found that lacquer products work out better for me, they dry faster and harder too.

Any paint can be used and it depends on your skills and what works for you. I can't lay down a contest-quality paint job with Testors products, but that is maybe just me.

Bob

[Dave5.0]

It's all in the prep work.

Most any rattle can out there can give you a good or bad paint job, the effort you put into cleaning, priming, sanding and applying the color coats is what matters most of all. I have tryed Krylon, Dupli-color, Testors and Tamiya and found that the results are simular. I do like using the Tamiya but to be honest with you my best paint jobs have been with Dupli-color 5 oz. touch up spray cans...I believe they are lacquer.

Read through the tutorials section and read the steps on how to lay paint. There are some very talented people on this site and you can always learn how to do something better.

Good Luck