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Guest jksms

HI I need some help, :(

I have been helping my son with his first model and I can't seem to get the white paint to cover evenly and to not be so sticky when applying it. When it dryes it looks and feels sticky with un even coverage with the plastic model color showing. I have had this problem in the past so I try to stay away from using white paint. The paint that I have just used is Testors flat white and white. Any help would be most appreciated! :) Thanks John ;)

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Traditionally I have stayed away from white paint, because as a brushpainter it inevitably needs several coats and tend to end up uneven.

However I know use Halfords Spray cans. Halford is an automobile/cyclist store in the UK and they have a wide range of spray cans for using on automobiles, mainly for painiting replacement panels. They have many different whites (different colours and purposes) even some specifically for priming and plastic surfaces.

They spray on like a dream, very evenly and dry very quickly.

I have no idea where you are from and my guess is you don't have a Halfords but hopefully you should have a similar stockist around with their own brands which should also work.

Just an idea ;)

HTH

Joe

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Guest Mike Yeo

I've tried Tamiya spray cans and they work quite well too. Might need to touch up here and there, but it looks ok to me.

Or failing that, try spraying a light grey colour to the model first (eg FS 36622, 36440 or 36495) before applying the white if the model plastic is dark coloured. It usually works for me!

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Use a good coat of gray primer first like Model Master enamel primer. What are you thinning your white paint with? I would recommend lacquer thinner but be sure to use good ventilation when spraying that stuff. White and yellow are about the toughest colors to paint.

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I've had a good result using Model Masters flatt white over MM Light grey primer. Thinning the white with Humbrol enamel thinners using a 60/40 ratio: 60%Paint, 40% thinner. As Swanny said, white is definetely the most difficult color to spray and you need to go verry slow. Spray verry thin layers of white, gradually building up to the desired effect. I 've had to spray about 6 coats on the Draken. Offcours you need to spray verry thin in that case or you'll get a too thick coat of paint.

HTH

greetings

Patrick

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Not being in Britain, I've got no knowlege of Halford's personally, but if you're stateside, I'm willing to bet Krylon would be relatively similar. I used that for quite a while before I got an airbrush - make sure you put it on in thin coats because if it gets too thick it will attack the plastic.

Now, I airbrush Floquil Reefer White. Coats well without a primer. Look for it in the model railroad section of the hobby shop (or a dedicated model railroad store). I think it might also be available from Squadron. It's a bit strong, so good ventilation is more than just a "nice to have"! But I swear by the stuff now for things like landing gear wells, gear struts, ordnance, etc.

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just my two cents,but Ive always had good success using Testors rattle cans on my mid & high power rockets.I use the flat white or a very flat gray(lite sanding if ness.) then the gloss white in several light coats thereafter until the finish is built up.The rockets are made of several materials (wound kraft tube,phenolic resin tubes and a quantum or type of plastic tube)and all work well,even the nose cones,and they take a beating! I even use Testors flat white on my models as a primer,placing the can in hot water for a few minutes to thin the paint,using a very light coat. ;)

Paul T

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Use a good coat of gray primer first like Model Master enamel primer. What are you thinning your white paint with? I would recommend lacquer thinner but be sure to use good ventilation when spraying that stuff. White and yellow are about the toughest colors to paint.

I suspect from the nature of the question that the white is being brush painted, in which case thinning with lacquer thinner would probably be a bad idea. ;)

A light grey base coat will help if you're brush painting, but as others have said, white is one of the toughest shades to deal with - I can't even imagine trying to brush paint it. :( Probably the easiest way to handle it would be with a spray can, using repeated light, misty coats to build up opacity without obscuring the detail (or crazing the plastic). You'll have to do substantial masking if there's any other colours on the model (loads of overspray) and it'd probably be easiest if the white is the first exterior colour you paint. For brush painting, avoid glosses at all costs and stick with flat whites. Floquil's Reefer White is very good (though may attack the plastic?) and I imagine the Polly Scale version is quite good too. If you can get them, Vallejo acrylics are apparently fantasticly opaque for brushing. And if you are airbrushing, Floquil Reefer White thinned, as Swanny said, with lacquer thinner is the only way to go.

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I have a lot of experience with white paint, on space shuttles and other "birds"....

I've gotten best results if the a/c or part (i.e. wheel well and gear) were either primed beforehand with a light gray primer or if the a/c was molded in white plastic (like all the shuttle kits are).

This year, when working on the Hornets, I found that I needed several coats of Tamiya gloss white, and it never hurt to touch up afterwards with white from Testors MM Acryl bottles. But my ears are always open to suggestions for even better ways to spray or brush white. I've found that spraying white, while far from perfect, has always worked better than brushing it on, and I used Krylon gloss and flat white without problems on space shuttle kits.

Justin

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I've had good luck using Boyd's primer white. I use an airbrush but it might be available in spray-bombs too. It covers very well. I use Boyd's for gloss white too. It's marketed for car models.

By the way, MoFo, I think Floquil has re-formulated their paint and it isn't so "hot" to plastic as it used to be.

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Brush painting with white is so hard I gave it up even before I bought an airbrush! I would use Krylon on struts, gear wells and the like before assembly. After assembly, struts and ordnance I'd leave off, then mask off the wells for body painting. It worked pretty well.

I've not had Reefer White attack the plastic, but I've never put it on very thick. If you DID lay it on thick, my guess is you'd have some issues.

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ive never had much trouble airbrushing white

i use model master flat white as a base, i use no primer,

i usually spray on 2 coats of flat white, then one coat of model master insignia white, this gives it kind of a glossy sheem to it, and its real smooth

same with yellow, i never use primers, and always good results

josh

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If you're brush painting the white, try Games Workshop's Skull White. Despite its name it's a very bright white, opaque, thins with water and flows well, especially if you add a drop of Future to it. You'll still need a couple of coats but for brush-painting it's the best I've tried. As MoFo mentioned the Vallejo acrylics are also excellent, and formulated for brushing. I haven't tried their white but I have a bottle of very light grey and it applies beautifully.

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Floquil Reefer White... you will never look back. Stuff is fantastic.

Goodness knows I never have looked back ! The stuff is great.

Though, as I unpacked from my move (yay, the workbench is up and running again!!!) I came across a couple bottles of MM Acryl flat white, and being reluctant to throw anything away, I'm wondering just what I'll do with them. :blink:

If nothing else I'm set for like the next 5 years of dry-brushing..... :P

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If you're brush painting the white, try Games Workshop's Skull White

This also comes in spray cans- £5 for a large one- I swear by the stuff. It is excellent as a primer and also for completely spraying white. If anyone seen my S-3 Viking recently here the white was done with the Games Workshop spray Skull White.

Alan.

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Hands Down the best white is FLOQUIL REEFER WHITE. This stuff is great. Use it, I guarantee you will be satistfied.

I do alot of Navy subjects (only natural for a Navy man) and this stuff is great.

Chris

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you want easy ,try a flat white or gray.Let cure,not long in most cases.Then try Krylon spray paint.The shi* sure does a great job !!Re-coat in 12- 18 minutes.What more could a poor boy want?Just finished a Harpoon missle that will really fly!!Think about it ,1/10 the price of MM.Chek it out at Home Depot or Micheals . ABC yah monketdance4.gif

Paul T

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