Natural Metal Finishes by Boyd Waechter
History of Natural Metal Finishes Floquil Bright Silver and Old Silver, Pactra Flat Aluminum - all enamels, none produce a true, realistic metal finish, pigments too coarse “ Liqua-A- Plate” – produced by Bob Moore in the mid 1970’s, very fragile and hard to use, came in multiple shades, very toxic odor “Spray ‘N’ Plate” - produced by Advance Products in the l ate 70’s, easier to use, but still very fragile and could not be masked over without difficulty, one shade only
Monogram 1/48 th SNJ-5 Texan – Built in 1980 and painted with Spray N Plate
History of Natural Metal Finishes SNJ Spray Metal – produced by SNJ Metal Products in liquid form and powder (dangerous to use), can not mask over it – no longer available. Alclad – a derivative of Spray N Plate, based on similar formula, but pigments ground finer. Lacquer based, so must put down barrier between plastic and paint. Very extensive range of colors, easiest to use. Humbrol, Xtracolor, Gunze Sanyo, Testors, etc. all now produce metalizer paints to some degree.
ICM 1/48 th P-51B Mustang – Painted with SNJ Spray Metal
Silver Pastes • Rub ‘n Buff • Treasure Gold • Both available at Hobby Lobby
Tamiya 1/32 nd Spitfire Mk.IX – Finished with Treasure Gold
Rattle Can Silver Paint Tamiya TS-17 Gloss Aluminum Dupli-Color Metallic Silver (GM)
Lone Star Models 1/48 th XB-42 painted with Dupli-Color Silver Paint
Building NM Finished Models • Must have large amount of patience. If not, DON’T build natural metal models! • Start with a good quality kit that has good fit (Tamiya, Hase- gawa, AFV Club, Revell/Germany, etc.). • Spending time test fitting parts to minimize or eliminate use of fillers will pay dividends later on. • Assemble as much of model with super glue, or liquid glues like Texnax 7R or Testors Liquid Cement as you can. • Use gap filling super glue or kit plastic in lieu of putty when- ever possible .
• To minimize deep scratches in the plastic, NEVER use any sandpaper or a sanding stick heavier than 600 grit. • ALL imperfections in the plastic and seams must be repaired before painting begins – use super glue or primer. • Putty must be over coated with super glue and sanded smooth. Putty is NOT your friend when using metalizers. • Prior to painting, polish all seams with Blue Magic or Novus polishing creams, then wipe model down w/ alcohol. • Use pin light and magnifier to check all seams. • Prime all seams with Testor’s Non-Buffing Aluminum. • Repair any imperfections before continuing.
Heller 1/72 nd EC-121 polished prior to priming seams
EC-121 after wing seams and engines have been primed with Testor’s Aluminum
Which One To Use?
Testors Metalizers Alclad II Metalizers Not as difficult to use as some report Most durable No primer necessary Can be masked over after model is painted Mix 1:1 with lacquer thinner (do not use straight out of the bottle) Model must be primed in either gloss gray or gloss black paints, so All colors must be painted first and additional step is necessary then masked off Primer will help fill any minute Mist on in 2 to 3 coats, 18-20 psi scratches or imperfections Easily repairable, blends in nicely Limited availability locally Can be masked over with care Expensive ($7.99 per bottle via Sprue Brothers) Extensive range of colors, widely available, less expensive ($5.00) 23 basic colors
Always wash your hands after using metalizer paints.
Hobbycraft 1/48 th F-94B Starfire painted using Testors Metalizers
Paneling affect on Trumpeter 1/32 nd F-105B (Conv) using Alclad II paints.
Fisher 1/32 nd Hawker Sea Fury T.20 Racer using Alclad II paints
Paneling affect on Airfix 1/48 th E.E. Lightning using Alclad II paints
Paneling affect with various shades of Testors metalizer paints
Using Floquil Silver Paints • These are NOT metalizers, but lacquer based paints • Three basic colors - Old Silver, Bright Silver, Platinum Mist • Very hard and durable once dry • Pigments are coarse, so best to use a medium tip and needle • Pigments will settle in color cup, so best to use in gravity feed airbrush or using spray jar • Some people polish these paints after application with Brasso
For old, weathered look Accurate Miniatures 1/48 th SBD-5 using Floquil Old Silver
Other Finishes
Testors Non-Buffing Aluminum oversprayed with Dullcote
RAF/Royal Navy High Speed Finish Testor’s Non-Buffing Aluminum over sprayed with Metalizer sealer
Examples of Natural Metal Models
Classic Airframes 1/48 th B-57B Canberra, Edwards AFB
Trumpeter 1/32 nd F-105B Conversion
Hobbycraft 1/48 th F-94B Starfire (kit decals )
Williams Brothers 1/72 nd C-46 Commando Painted using automotive silver paint
Tamiya 1/48 th P-51D Mustang Painted using ModelMaster Non-Buffing Aluminum
Kinetic 1/32 nd F-86F-25 Sabre
Hasegawa 1/72 nd Avro Lancaster Mk.III RCAF
Italeri 1/72 nd C-119G Flying Boxcar
Matchbox 1/72 nd Consolidated RY3 Privateer
Messerschmitt Me-262
Hasegawa 1/72 nd B-25J Mitchell RCAF
Summary Always start with the best fitting kit available of the subject you want to build. Natural metal finishes require a lot of extra time. Must plan ahead on application of colors, shades of metalizers, etc. Although a bit more expensive and it is a two step process, Alclad II is recommended for someone just beginning to do natural metal finishes. www.alclad2.com
Bye Bye Boys!
Recommend
More recommend
