Model Master and Testors

Hawk, Musiccity and qmeister;
Thanks for the good replies. Additional info. on my paint. Color is "Metallic Silver" with a number "1246." Does that change anything you just told me?Also on the back in plain language it says "dries to high metallic luster." Observant huh.
More.....
How will Microset and Microsol react with the metallic paint if at all?
Steve

Hawk and scott have pretty well told it like it is. However, if you have to mask over an enamel metalic coated surface don't use regular masking tape - it will lift chunks of the paint when you use it and lead to very colorful words and hair pulling. use low tack materials - I've found that Post-It notes and/or wet newspaper works very well for masking on metalic surfaces.

On a slightly different subject, I keep several different manufacturers versions of aluminum around (Model Master, Testors (small bottle) , Humbrol and even a couple of bottles of Pactra). Each has a slightly different texture (tone?) which allows me to vary the tone of assorted panels. About the only place I use chrome is when I want to represent some item which is chromed on the real aircraft - usually the area between the knees of a landing gear strut. (BTW, the Pactra aluminum (regretfully no longer available) is almost a dead flat, which makes it perfect for aluminum doped rag surfaces)

In general most metallic paints; silver, gold, etc., are going to dry to a glossy finish, but in my experience the gloss isn't quite as glossy as non-metallic paint. I think I recall seeing some matte or flat finish metallics but I haven't used any.

Metallic and pigmented paints are the same in that they are both enamel (or laquer or acrylic) however as Hawk pointed out the metallics do contain minute pieces of metal as opposed to a pigment. These pieces of metal are larger than the pigment in "Regular" paint and cause the surface to dry slightly rougher looking. They also seem to sometimes take forever to cure as compared to regular paints.

If you want a truly bright metallic finish you might want to look into some of the metalizers. I use Testors rattle-can metalizers quite a bit and have had good luck with them. They buff to a bright metallic sheen and really look good. Alclad is supposed to be the best of the breed but I haven't used it myself.

Also, as Hawk pointed out, if the surface is smooth (not necessarily glossy, but just smooth) you shouldn't need to clear coat it before your decals for precisely the reason he mentioned.

Let me try to answer your questions here one by one...

The blue one dried to a glossy finish.Can I expect the silver one to do the same?

The Blue Angel Blue color is FS15050. Since it begins with a 1, that means it will produce a glossy finish which is exactly what you got. Chrome Silver's FS number is FS17178. Once again, since it begins with a 1, it will produce a glossy finish. From my experiences, this has always been true. Chrome Silver will produce a glossy finish.

Are they the same kind of paint?
I have no clue. Chrome silver though has bits of metal mixed into it to produce a metalicized paint, the blue doesn't. Since they're both enamels, they will thin well to mineral spirits paint thinner.

Will the silver one need to be sealed with something before I start decaling?

No, since you will be applying the decals to a glossy finish, there aren't any clear coats that need to be applied prior to decal application. The whole reason we use future is that when painting military models, often we use flat paints. Decals don't apply well to "rough" surfaces. Applying future allows a flat paint to turn glossy and smooth which is mucher better for decal adhesion.