OK Geezers I know some of you can relate.

Ah yes.....the good old days of yore.

When you take into account inflation, and the decline of the dollar, not much more these days.

Twenty-five cents might be mid-70s, too.  I have a couple of old Testors jars marked for a quarter, and I know I wasn't old enough to buy the paint until about '73 or so.

i think late 70's early 80's as i remember getting those for 19 cents in the early to mid 70's here in Ontario, Canada

I'm more impressed by the labels not being filled with warning labels and actually being able to read what color it is than the price!!!

And oh, yes, I can relate. Very cool the paints are still good.

ddp59

i think late 70's early 80's as i remember getting those for 19 cents in the early to mid 70's here in Ontario, Canada

 

You may have gotten some good deal. I didn't buy anything for models from probably 1964 till maybe 1980

Greg

I'm more impressed by the labels not being polluted with useless warning labels and actually being able to read what color it is than the price!!!

And oh, yes, I can relate. Very cool the paints are still good.

 

That's the truth! I get a monthly flyer from an HVAC supplier. My best guess is that over 70% of the items carry that CA. cancer warning thing

A little before my modeling career got started but it is a cool thread.

Grabbed a fist full of some of mine. Still good too. I'm too old to remember when I bought them. 

Jim  

https://photos.app.goo.gl/j7jEhw3S4dAtjx1x6

I was right in that MY earliest memory of Testors paint was 15 cents from probably 1964/1965 time frame. I didn't paint before that.

Pretty cool. I guess that I am a geezer because I remember. 

Aaaaand the paint is still good! Is it dried out?  Add thinner and you are back in business.  Not like the stuff today, which congeals into a soid mass sooner or later no matter what.  Gotta love lead based paints!

I do remember sub-19 cent prices from the early 1970s.  Boy that was long ago...

Real G

Aaaaand the paint is still good! Is it dried out?  Add thinner and you are back in business.  Not like the stuff today, which congeals into a soid mass sooner or later no matter what.  Gotta love lead based paints!

I do remember sub-19 cent prices from the early 1970s.  Boy that was long ago...

 

Toothpaste came in lead. The Lionel make awesome track sparks with LEAD tinsel. But that's a whole nother thing.

I got you beat.  I have a square bottle of Pactra clear gloss  lacquer with a price tag of a dime and a bottle of Pactra Battleship Gray with a 15 cent price tag.   

The Pactra bottles are pretty unique.  In each of the four sides is the “P in drop” logo.  There are 3 lines around each corner connecting the drops.   

The gray paint has separated but could likely be re-mixed,  but why?   The lacquer is still liquid. 

EdGrune

I got you beat.  I have a square bottle of Pactra clear gloss  lacquer with a price tag of a dime and a bottle of Pactra Battleship Gray with a 15 cent price tag.   

The Pactra bottles are pretty unique.  In each of the four sides is the “P in drop” logo.  There are 3 lines around each corner connecting the drops.   

The gray paint has separated but could likely be re-mixed,  but why?   The lacquer is still liquid. 

 

I also remember the Testors model airplane dope bottles, somewhat bigger than the enamel bottles, and priced at ten cents.  This was during forties and fifties.

Bakster

  You should post a photo, I would like to see that artifact. 

The presswork on the bottles do not show well.   Also a can of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth branded Testors gloss primer (?) with a 1964 copyright date on the label

EdGrune

 

 

Bakster

  You should post a photo, I would like to see that artifact. 

 

 

 

 

The presswork on the bottles do not show well.   Also a can of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth branded Testors gloss primer (?) with a 1964 copyright date on the label

 

EdGrune

 

 

Bakster

  You should post a photo, I would like to see that artifact. 

 

 

 

 

The presswork on the bottles do not show well.   Also a can of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth branded Testors gloss primer (?) with a 1964 copyright date on the label

 

Nice!

EdGrune

 

 

Bakster

  You should post a photo, I would like to see that artifact. 

 

 

 

 

The presswork on the bottles do not show well.   Also a can of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth branded Testors gloss primer (?) with a 1964 copyright date on the label

 

Oh man!!! That Big Daddy Roth Custom spray bottle is really something. Thanks for posting, brings back memories of being in childhood hobby shops.

Hey Glenn--on a side note: I followed your link to the Vietnam images. It is very cool to see those. It is stunning to see all those young faces staring back, kids. It really brings it home.

Bakster

Hey Glenn--on a side note: I followed your link to the Vietnam images. It is very cool to see those. It is stunning to see all those young faces staring back, kids. It really brings it home.

 

Thank you. Yes we were kids playing with big toys. Funny thing I just posted someplace the other day on one of my old units site about the guns. I lack the weathering skills anyway but I often see some of the wrong things mudded and chipped and weathered. One must remember that the set piece guns are not armor or APC's or SP arty. They parked in a parapet. These same kids took pride before they went on who had the hottest looking car all tricked and waxed. These guns were their 'cars' now. Sections took pride in that piece and wanted theirs to be the best looking and the fasted to bring smoke.

Crew chiefs were the same way with their F4's.  Granted you would see normal wear and tear, but they kept them up as well as they could given the time and materials they had.  Can't have crew dogs getting in something that looks terrible, they lose faith in the bird and the guy responsible for it's upkeep. 

And Lord knows, the guys in the bang seats needed all the faith they can get going into SAM's and AAA. The guys going downtown had a pair made out of pure unobtanium.

GlennH

 

Thank you. Yes we were kids playing with big toys. Funny thing I just posted someplace the other day on one of my old units site about the guns. I lack the weathering skills anyway but I often see some of the wrong things mudded and chipped and weathered. One must remember that the set piece guns are not armor or APC's or SP arty. They parked in a parapet. These same kids took pride before they went on who had the hottest looking car all tricked and waxed. These guns were their 'cars' now. Sections took pride in that piece and wanted theirs to be the best looking and the fasted to bring smoke.

 

I remeber 0.12. For some reason.

Yep I remember. And .75c spray cans.

Hi;

 As I look at that photo, I can't help but think.I have a medium sized fish tackle box full of them.They all say .10cents on the top. Now I am using some right now .The same sized bottle of Pactra, Fire Red . I have twenty bottles of the Large pactra Chinese Red ( Bright Maroon ) .15 a bottle !

 The funny thing ? You can keep enamel for years.Why does Acrylic dry in the bottle even if you NEVER use it? I never had Lacquer or Enamel do that !

 One mandatory thing I learned from my Foster Dad .Never leave the tops or rims dirty.Make sure they are always clean when you re-cap them . Oh, By the way. The clearish liquid that seperates to the top used to be called the Vehicle. ( just a little bit of paint trivia there)

Tanker - Builder

Hi;

 ...

 The funny thing ? You can keep enamel for years.Why does Acrylic dry in the bottle even if you NEVER use it? I never had Lacquer or Enamel do that !

 ....

 

I have never had an unopened bottle of Testors enamel that old, but what I have noticed is that once a bottle is unopened, it does degrade somewhat fast. It reaches a point where it cannot be restored by stirring or shaking- it seems to polymerize, and become unusable.  I still like Testors enamel, and still use it but I know once I start using a bottle it will not last that long.

Tanker - Builder

...The funny thing ? You can keep enamel for years.Why does Acrylic dry in the bottle even if you NEVER use it? I never had Lacquer or Enamel do that...

I've had some unused bottles of Testor's gloss enamels go bad in the bottles.  It must have to do with the chemical composition of the pigments, because I've seen it happen with some colors, while others were as good as new, even though I didn't open them right away.  Gloss black and gloss white are the worst, with the shortest shelf life, in my experience.

Tanker - Builder

Hi;

 As I look at that photo, I can't help but think.I have a medium sized fish tackle box full of them.They all say .10cents on the top. Now I am using some right now .The same sized bottle of Pactra, Fire Red . I have twenty bottles of the Large pactra Chinese Red ( Bright Maroon ) .15 a bottle !

 The funny thing ? You can keep enamel for years.Why does Acrylic dry in the bottle even if you NEVER use it? I never had Lacquer or Enamel do that !

 One mandatory thing I learned from my Foster Dad .Never leave the tops or rims dirty.Make sure they are always clean when you re-cap them .

 

TB , for some reason the new Testors paints go bad sooner than later. I have some of those small bottles from the 80s and are still good. I do believe quality control has gone