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I hate insignia white

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  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: USA
I hate insignia white
Posted by nsclcctl on Thursday, July 17, 2003 9:29 AM
Painting the undersurface of my A4 skyhawk last night, I had to get out that dreaded bottle of Modelmaster insignia white. granted, I was going to airbrush it on and not use brushes but this stuff stinks. I thinned it about 3:1 and it came out fine, as I expected. However, it just doesn't look good, it looks fake. It is sticky, still drying, and has that thin appearance. Granted, I will put another coat on tonite but frankly, I should have simply gone with flat white and not worried about a gloos finish. I really despise using whites. Flat whites mind you in my opinion look really cool, but gloss looks hideous. Am I alone?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 17, 2003 9:39 AM
You're not alone. Any time I have to paint a large area with white, I simply use a spray flat primer to give a nice even coat, then use topcoats of varnish to give the desired gloss. I learned long ago to stay away from gloss whites.

demono69
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by nsclcctl on Thursday, July 17, 2003 9:56 AM
never thought of that, thank you. Wondering what would happen at this point if I simply did a second coat with flat white?
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: USA, GA
Posted by erush on Thursday, July 17, 2003 12:02 PM
Demono69 beat me to it. I do the same thing, just use flat and clear gloss over that. I would think you could spray flat white over that gloss white ok, but you'll probably want to make sure it dries good first or the flat will probably dry first leaving the moisture trapped under in the gloss white and could lead to problems later.

Eric
Hi, I'm Eric and I'm a Modelholic too. I think I have PE poisioning.     "Friendly fire...isn't"
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Oak Harbor, WA
Posted by Kolja94 on Thursday, July 17, 2003 12:32 PM
And when it comes to flat white, allow me to put in my uncompensated endorsement for Floquil Reefer White. It's a rather strong enamel, so you'll want to avoid thick coats, but it airbrushes well with no thinning (at least in my experience).

I do almost all my work in flats then use Future to make something glossy. The only two gloss paints I've used in the past 10 years have been on a Blue Angels project and a T-34B (using the same yellow from the Blue Angel project!).

I'd give your already applied gloss job at least 48 hours 9if you can at all stand to wait longer, that sure wouldn't hurt!!) to set up hard and then put your flat coat on in a couple light coats separated by at least 24 hours. That ought to avoid the problems Eric mentioned.

Karl

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Huntington, WV
Posted by Kugai on Thursday, July 17, 2003 2:49 PM
I hate all gloss paints myself and avoid using them whenever possible.

In addition to the problems of getting even coats ( amateur of me, but I rarely see need for airbrushing ), there's the inherent issue of drying time. A coat of flat paint usually dries overnight ( faster for acrylics ). I've repeatedly had gloss paints that took a week or more to fully cure. It's not just an issue of patience. If you have kids or pets ( both are living embodiments of Chaos Theory for the modeler ) the long drying time leaves far too much room for the finish you've been patiently waiting for to have unexpected li'l fingerprints, etc. when you get back to it.

Usually I find the flat equivalent and use a gloss spray to get the right finish.

http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww122/randysmodels/No%20After%20Market%20Build%20Group/Group%20Badge/GBbadge2.jpghttp://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/razordws/GB%20Badges/WMIIIGBsmall.jpg

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 17, 2003 3:05 PM
I don't understand. What's wrong with gloss? Gloss white looks fake? why?
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by nsclcctl on Friday, July 18, 2003 9:43 AM
I think gloss white looks disgusting. I absolutely detest it. Flat whites, all flat paints in my opinion are so cool looking. Plus, so easy to apply.

To me, there is nothing cooler than a flat white WWI fokker or something of that nature. Add some flat red and flat black for a tail and it looks cool.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 18, 2003 9:36 PM
I use a spray can for all my primary colours like black or white.
I have just finished Showtime 100 , using a citadel models semi gloss white.
The finish is really nice ,the coats are not too thick but it covers much better than an airbrush , which can take days to get a satisfactory colour depth on a large kit.
The best thing is that the propelant helps to dry the paint in less than 30 mins.
Tamiya spray paints are nice too , but not much paint for your Euro.
I now use Tamiya acrylics in my Badger 200 and they are much easier to work with than enamels.
I changed over in 1987 and never looked back since.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 18, 2003 10:42 PM
its the worst to work with. keep on trying.
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Poway, Ca.
Posted by mostlyjets on Friday, July 18, 2003 10:45 PM
oggy4624, do you have pics of your Showtime 100?
All out of Snakes and Nape, switching to guns...
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Brooklyn
Posted by wibhi2 on Saturday, July 19, 2003 10:02 AM
Thank whazhizname for Future. I do all work in flats(except metalizers) and use future for glossiness. Gloss is difficult to thin properly for an airbrush and take way too long to dry in an uncontrolled environment
3d modelling is an option a true mental excercise in frusrtation
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 19, 2003 7:04 PM
Just finishing her off now.
There is a whole load of 'no step' etc decals to finish off before I start
the next of 2 F4's ,a 1/48 scale Hasegawa Black Bunny and a 1/32nd
Grey Ghosts F4.
I will post Showtime when she is finished.
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