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I am repairing a model and needed to repaint most of the top of a wing tip panel. The model is all molded in red, on the upper surface and none of the cans of spray paint I have found either don't match the color or are formulated to give you a nice glossy “wet look†because they dry faster than I can apply it to the area I am trying to paint. Krylon has a color that is near what I need but dries too fast to get a gloss coat. I used to use Krylon a lot, but they keep changing their formula and it does not work as well as it used to. I found a small can of Testors plastic model spray that is very close to the color I wanted, but has the same issue of drying too fast.
On my shelf, I have 30-40 cans of spray paint, some dating back to the 1980’s LOL I noticed I had a can in the back with a red cap and decided to see if it would stii spray and if it did, see how close it was to the color I wanted. The can was “Coverite Black Baron Epoxyâ€â€¦.I don’t think that brand has been made in years. The can was 1/3 full and when I shot out a test, it matched the color I needed perfectlyI I was a little afraid to use it though, as I was worried I would get half way through painting the wing and have the can start spitting, like old cans tend to do, or just have it run out. So I decided to try the can of Testors plastic model paint first.
I carefully masked the wing and used almost the whole can of Testors paint to cover the wing panel. The results were a less than spectacular gloss coat. I had a can of clear gloss lacquer that I have used before and tried to topcoat the Testors red with it, the results were okay till the can decided to drop a huge drop of clear in the middle of the wing, that I foolishly tired to remove only to ruin the red paint underneath. Frustrated…I started over, first I stripped the red paint and clear lacquer off the wing….what a mess that was
I used an “orange†stripper which worked perfectly, followed up with acetone to further clean the surface. This removed the paint I had applied and most of the paint that had been on the wing originally. The first go around I only primed where I had made my repair, so this time I primed the whole area to be painted. I used Krylon sandable primer. Krylon primer dries quickly and afterwards I wet sanded with 600 grit, then crossed my fingers and tried the Black Baron Epoxy Red. Except for small parts that I can shoot color on in a small spray booth in my basement, pieces that large I take outside. I had to wait till 11pm last night, for the winds, heat and humidity to go away before I shot the color on. The color went on beautifully and I still have some left in the can! The only draw back is that this paint takes 24 hours to dry, so you must keep it someplace dust free to cure.
After I shot the wing I noticed another can of red paint that I had…another oldie…Pactra Formula U, I know it’s over 20 years old. I did not notice it at first, because Pactra put black caps on all their cans. I shot a test with it too and it matched the color I wanted just as well as the Black Baron paint. It dries faster though, like 6 hours or so…but it does not dry so fast that you can’t get a nice wet look. I almost wish I had found it before I used the Black Baron Epoxy paint.
I remember using those paints, the Black Baron Epoxy and the Formula U, on several models years ago, and they looked great for years. The only currently produced paint that consistently gives me great results is good old Rustoleum! It takes forever to dry, but what a nice finish. However, unlike the Black Baron and Formula U paints, the colors are not formulated to match the colors that our iron on films come in. I just wish someone made slow drying spray paints to match those films!
Well..as my Uncle Yogi said….â€The future ain't what it used to beâ€! I thought he was talking about baseball and didn’t realize he was talking about cans of spray paint LOL
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