Alternative to base/primer for Alclad II

You only need gloss black if you're using the "high-shine" Alclads - so Chrome, Polished Aluminum, Airframe Aluminum, and Stainless Steel I think.

And yes, Tamiya X-1 works very well. When I was Alclading a wing recently, I used Tamiya X-1 + Tamiya Clear cut with Gunze Mr. Leveling Thinner as the base and it worked out very well:

If you're going with Duraluminum or something, you just need a smooth surface, but not gloss black necessarily. I've read of people having great results using Tamiya AS-12 as a base and think I'll try it on my next go-round.

Thank you so much Doogs, that's some helpful info. I visited you Blog and saw the rest of the pictures and work in progress.

Cheers!

Taino

If you just want to buy one bottle of Alclad and get different subtle shades, try this:

Use different shades of gray and black and even white in selected panels and let dry. The glossy paints will give a smoother finish, flat ones will give a weathered look. Then spray the Alclad on lightly misting as you go. The different basecoat shades will alter the Alclad topcoat and give different subtle panel tones. Way cheaper than buying several Alclad shades.

Thanks so much for the tip Junkie, I will give it a try for sure.

Cheers!