Help Me Choose Alclad Shade for F-86D Dog Sabre

For some visual reference, this is my F86f that is finished in alclad airframe aluminum over a gloss black base coat. The dull panels are Model Master Titanium metallizer for some contrast. Those two were the closest match I could find to reference photos.

Alclad II is easy to use...just not easy to get a great look.

Personally, I think it is inferior to MM metallizers, but is much more forgiving as the finish is much more durable than metalizers.

you'll be fine with any gloss back paint. i got their gloss black primer and im honestly not impressed with it. 

i think it's enamel based. 

Can you clarify one thing for me?

For the gloss black undercoat, can I use Tamiya's acrylic gloss black, or does it have to be a special product made by Alclad?

MonsterZero

I got the Monogram-ProModeler 1/48 Dog Sabre kit and I think it's an awesome kit. I want to finish it in natural metal so it looks like the real aircraft featured here: http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/michael_supko/f-86d/

 

Which Alclad paint will give me similar appearance?

 

Dunno about Alclad, but Krylon Premium Silver Foil Metalic will come almost close enough to see yourself in..

Check out pzl66's B-17G after I told him about that stuff:

Applied straight outta the can..

Comes in an 8-oz. rattle-can, costs about 6 bucks..  Once it cures (about 48 hours), it can be decaled without a gloss-coat.. Note: If you seal it with a clear overcoat, you'll lose the shine and it's gonna look like any other silver finish, so leave it alone..

Alclad isn't tricker than any other metalizer.

The key to the high-shines (polished aluminum, airframe aluminum, chrome, stainless steel) - which you'll need to get that kind of finish - is a very smooth gloss black base coat*. The high-shines are semi-translucent and depend on the undercoat to provide depth. 

*you can use other colors to introduce variation, but for a first go, stick to black.

Other than that, it's all about misting it on and building it up in very light coats, exactly as with other metalizers.

Here's a P-51 I built last year in airframe aluminum:

Ultimately I was going for a more oxidized finish...and the other cool thing with the nature of the high-shine finishes is that that translucency makes them darker than the regular finishes (Aluminum, Duraluminum, etc) and thus excellent for shading...

WARNING! WARNING!

I've never used Alclad before so your reply alarmed me a little bit.

What kinds of problems should I anticipate with Alclad?

Thanks in advance for help.

Hopefully I will find out now and not after destroying a gorgeous kit...

If you want to use Alclad, I would recommend "polished aluminum" to get that look.  But Alclad is tricky stuff to use.  Practice on scrap styrene first until you get the hang of it.

I am building the same kit!!

Gonna use Testors Aluminum plate. IMHO, works better than Alclad. Too tough to get the primer right....

Built this Tamiya 1/48 Thunderjet 13 years ago using Testors buffing Aluminum plate.

airframe aluminum.