# Paint questions ...



## Dave F (Jan 2, 2008)

Greetings fellers...

I'm beginning a new project and have a question for you. I'm starting with a full set of the Bachmann passenger cars (baggage, combine, coach, observation) in kit form and will be producing a "good representation" of a long forgotten by most, 1910's - 1920's passenger train. I know what it is I need to do regarding the modeling, but.....

What about color? I know the pallette I need, but do you guys have any favorite brand of paints that work well on the surfaces involved? What paints are durable on the plastics used by Bachmann, and are available in prototypes tints? Point of information, I DO have an airbrush and I know how to use it. 

Any suggestions? 

DF


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## Greg Stevens (Jan 3, 2008)

Dave,

I am assuming that you are near a large hobby/train shop up there in Utah. If so, check out Floquil brand and also Scalecoat brand. Both are exclusively RR prototype colors (or so they say). I personally like Scalecoat as it dries with a shiny or gloss finish, while Floquil dries flat. Although you can get a gloss to mix with the Floquil. Other folks love rattle cans but you are stuck with a "sort of close" color. Not close enough for me except for black. What railroad/colors are you planning on painting your pass. cars?


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

I always use Floquil. I finish models with Floquil crystal coat. I would prefer to use Floquil flat finish but it will yellow in UV light, and apparently crystal coat won't. 

I have used this on Bachmann models with no troubles. 

Alan


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## Dave F (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks guys. I've used Floquil in the past (a very long time ago..) and my LHS has both Floquil and Scalecoat...so.. I'll decide from there. 

Greg: right now it's a closely guarded secret.. Only my hairdresser and decal maker know for sure... and I have sworn Stan to silence.. All will be revealed in the next four weeks. I want to have these done by the 1st of November for our first local train show of the season... I'll post up here when I have something to show.. Suffice it to say it will be unique in the world of Large Scale. I have never seen this famous class 1 road, in this era and paint scheme modeled in Large Scale. It will be an accurate representation. I have about 14 very old photos to work from showing Loco, baggage, Diner/Salon, coach and observation cars. 

This was a real train, not so well documented, but an important passenger line at the time connecting two major cities.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Scalecoat 2 "Great Northern Green" 

I've also used Floquil's Pullman Green, but always found it a bit too "olive drab" for my tastes. 

Later, 

K


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

I prefer Scalecoat, with Floquil a close second. I don't like to use water based paints in my airbrush. But when I have to, because of a special paint color, Polly Scale is much preferred over all the others. I personally hate Badger Modelflex paint. Modelflex dries much too quickly for large G scale painting thus quickly clogging your airbrush. Plus it is pre-thinned for airbrushing, meaning you can't use what's left in the jar for brush painting very effectively.


If you decide to use Scalecoat paint, *be sure to use Scalecoat II with your Bachmann cars*. Scalecoat II is for plastics, Scalecoat I is for wood and metal. Although I haven't seen it personally, Scalecoat I may eat/dissolve some plastics. 


When using an airbrush, a good Scalecoat paint to thinner ratio is 50 percent paint to 50 percent thinner. For Floquil, I use the ratio of 75 percent paint to 25 percent thinner.



Scalecoat paint dries to a nice smooth glossy finish just perfect for decals. Once the decals dry, then you can use any flat paint to dull down the finish and seal the decals. I prefer to use Krylon Matte Finish. It dulls down the shine, seals decals, and gives just the slightest hint of weathering.

Another important thing to remember when using Scalcoat and Krylon as a sealer is - *Be sure the Scalecoat paint has had time to dry before applying any Krylon overspray*. I like to give Scalecoat a good week to dry before I even start applying decals or dry transfers. I use the "smell test" to tell when Scalecoat or Floquil paint is dry enough. Put your nose to the car, and if you can still smell a strong odor of paint, it's not dry enough. Floquil typically takes longer then Scalcoat to dry, but a lot has to do with your regional weather and humidity. The trick is to take your time and don't rush it for the best results.


Hope this helps. And if you'd like me to post some photos of G scale items I've recently painted with Scalecoat and Krylon and with decals from Stan Cedarleaf, let me know.


Oh and if the secret color of yours happens to be Santa Fe coach green, good luck replicating it right. Very hard color to do. Not quite as dark as Pullman Green, yet not quite as light or green as Coach Green


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

...Modelflex dries much too quickly for large G scale painting thus quickly clogging your airbrush. Plus it is pre-thinned for airbrushing, meaning you can't use what's left in the jar for brush painting very effectively... 
I've had the exact opposite luck with Modelflex with both my airbrush and regular brush. I have never had good luck with my airbrush, but running Modelflex through it was as pleasurable an experience as a cab ride in your favorite locomotive. I'm loathe to run any other brand of paint through it again, it went on so well. Brushing straight out of the bottle, it's very smooth and even, often covering in two coats (better or no different from other paints I use). 










When I painted EBT #1, the only things I airbrushed were the domes and tender tank. Everything else was brush painted. Modelflex's "Seaboard Air Lines Pullman Green". 

I should add that the green paint on the "Orbisonia" above is also ModelFlex, though I had to custom mix it to get the right shade. It was only _after_ I painted it that I discovered Scalecoat 2's "GN Green" was a perfect match. But that's why I've got another passenger car in the works.







Gotta use the spray cans on something. (I bought them in a search for the right shade of green for EBT #1. Go figure...)

Later, 

K


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By East Broad Top on 02 Oct 2009 12:21 PM 

I've had the exact opposite luck with Modelflex with both my airbrush and regular brush. 
How strange. Glad it worked well for you. The Modleflex D&RGW orange paint I used turned out nicely on my speeder repaint:










But the clean up for the airbrush was tough. By far the toughest paint to clean out when compared to all the other paints I've used. And it was so runny out of the bottle it would not brush paint at all. Maybe I got a bad bottle. It happens.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Polyscale (waterbase) will work in an airbrush when thinned (I just use water) but you have to shake it well to get the pigment broken up to prevent clogs if it has been sitting. I use a penny, seems to work well. Coats well. This was with HO models for indoors however. 

I used Floquil on a metal steam loco and some plastic models in the past, used their thinner, been to long ago to remember any problems/results. 

Great results with Testors Modelmaster (solvent based, not the water) thinned with xyelene. Used this on metal and LGB plastic without problems. No experience with other plastics. 

I hated Scalecoat I, used it once on a brass PRR passneger piece (reportedly the best PRR tuscan until I mixed my own) I had to paint for someone else. Clog city! May have been the paint i was provided however. 

I use a Paasche H, external mix, with a big honking compressor.


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