Natural Metal Finishes - IPMS

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
late 70’s, easier to use, but still very fragile and could
not be masked over without difficulty, one shade only
Monogram 1/48th 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 1/48th P-51B Mustang – Painted with SNJ Spray Metal
Silver Pastes
• Rub ‘n Buff
• Treasure Gold
• Both available at Hobby Lobby
Tamiya 1/32nd Spitfire Mk.IX – Finished with Treasure Gold
Rattle Can Silver Paint
Tamiya TS-17 Gloss Aluminum
Dupli-Color Metallic Silver (GM)
Lone Star Models 1/48th 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, Hasegawa, 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 whenever 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 1/72nd 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)
All colors must be painted first and
then masked off
Model must be primed in either
gloss gray or gloss black paints, so
additional step is necessary
Mist on in 2 to 3 coats, 18-20 psi
Primer will help fill any minute
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 1/48th F-94B Starfire painted using Testors Metalizers
Paneling affect on Trumpeter 1/32nd F-105B (Conv) using Alclad II paints.
Fisher 1/32nd Hawker Sea Fury T.20 Racer using Alclad II paints
Paneling affect on Airfix 1/48th 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 1/48th 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 1/48th B-57B Canberra, Edwards AFB
Trumpeter 1/32nd F-105B Conversion
Hobbycraft 1/48th F-94B Starfire (kit decals)
Williams Brothers 1/72nd C-46 Commando
Painted using automotive silver paint
Tamiya 1/48th P-51D Mustang
Painted using ModelMaster Non-Buffing Aluminum
Kinetic 1/32nd F-86F-25 Sabre
Hasegawa 1/72nd Avro Lancaster Mk.III RCAF
Italeri 1/72nd C-119G Flying Boxcar
Matchbox 1/72nd Consolidated RY3 Privateer
Messerschmitt Me-262
Hasegawa 1/72nd 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!