Ferrari paints?

Randall,
Enamels are a good choice for exterior body panels - just make sure you let the paint dry AT LEAST a couple of weeks before attempting to polish it. Enamels are much softer than automotive acrylics.
Cheers,
LeeTree

Thanks naplak -- much appreciated. I'm on my way to the hobby store this afternoon, and I feel like I have a better sense of what to look for.

I think, based on advice, that I'll stick with enamels for the body panels and go with acrylics for the interior and engine.

Thanks much! I can see that you are indeed a fanatic ;-)

What makes this worse is that the 512 S I'm trying to paint wasn't even really a street model; it was a race car. Check out the photos of the 1970 Lemans or Sebring races -- there are all kinds of paint schemes.

I know this is probably anathema to a self-confessed (and clearly appreciated!) zealot such as yourself, but I may have to just shoot from the hip in an attempt to find a paint color compromise that works. Oh, the horror! ;-)

So you like to use the actual auto paint, then? In the event that I don't go with that, do you have any thoughts on using enamels versus lacquers versus acrylics?

Thanks much, LeeTree.

Best,

Randall

Blakbuzzrd,
Personally, I really like using automotive acrylics on car models - if you paint carefully and don't put too much on at once, you shouldn't have any problems with the paint warping your car body - I never have.
I like it because the paint dries very hard, very quickly and can be cut and polished to a mirror finish just like a full size car.
As far as Ferarri paint colors - don't just go for a "Ferarri Red" !! There were very specific paint color formulas for many of their cars. I recently did a 1/9 Poscher F-40 for a client and had my local auto paint store look up the exact formula for the F-40 color and they mixed half a litre for me. In looking for the F-40 color, they found 10 or 15 different "Ferarri Reds" that have been used on different cars over the years - the Testarossas, 288GTO, 308s, Mondials - not every one was the same color red. Some were darker, some were lighter.
Another good source of info is the Secretary of a local Ferarri owners club. They are a wealth of information, and can often arrange a viewing of the full sized item for comparison. I've done this on many occasions and have ended up selling every Ferarri model I've made to these guys (passionate and fanatical).
Or then again, if you think all this seems like a bad case of obsessive compulsive disorder (I think I'm a terminal case) then just use the Testors paint.
Whatever you do, use a white primer. Test it out - take a bit of card stock or a tin can, paint half of one side with white and the other half with normal gray primer, then paint the red over both. It'll take twice as much paint to get the same bright color over the gray than the white.
Good Luck!!
Cheers'
LeeTree

Testors makes an Italian Red in both Enamel, and Acrylic. Which you use is really a matter of personal preference. I would suggest you get a bottle of each, and do one model in enamel, and one in acrylic, and decide for yourself! There are so many variables, that you REALLY have to find what works best for you!!!

I like Acrylics mostly, but use enamels for body colors... I think it's easier to get a good glossy coat with enamels. But then... I use Future to clear coat either anyway, so that gets a good finish.

Either way... I use Lacquer Thinner to clean the air-brush. Though Mineral Sprits works well for enamels too, and you can get low-odor Mineral Spirits.