Paramedic Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Hi! I am curious about Alclad II, want to try it out out for myself! Planned to paint a couple of P-51s and P-47s in various scales but I am mostly moving towards bigger objects ((1/32) and wondered what a basic set of various colours would be? I am mainly thinking of what I would "need" for the panel around the exhaust stacks on a P-51, the inner, puttied and painted wings (on a NMF a/c) and then a couple of good variations for "normal" aluminium-panels - some used, some new/switched out etc. Not necessarily the most correct ones but which ones would look good together in scale and give variation. So if you would suggest someone with 3-5 basic Alclad II metal colours to start out with - which ones, and for which use (worn, new, steel NMF-alu panels etc) - would you suggest? Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPReggie Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I will be watching this actually as I have a 1/48 P47 in the stash and have also never done a BMF before - so would be asking similar questions. I have read a couple of articles which talk about mixture of Aluminium and Duraluminium - but would love to have some input from guys on here who have done it a few times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfqweofekwpeweiop4 Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I find using the basic Aluminium Alclad to be mostly OK but the shiny stuff like polished Aluminium to be very difficult to get an even finish. Make sure you get the Alclad Gloss Black undercoat and when you spray the undercoat, try and make sure the finish on that is as even as possible. The basic Aluminium is good for an aircraft that's been in service for a few missions, so the shine has been taken off. It also doesn't come off when you peel masking tape away. thanks Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernando Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 (edited) Hi, Paramedic and TPReggie, Unless you are for a "chrome" finish, or a wildly "chessboard-like" one, I d say that "Aluminium" ALC101 and "Duraluminium" ALC102 will do for the base colour. "Dark Aluminium" ALC103 for contrasting, selected panels. That in general. The P-51 especifically has the panels above and below the exhausts; those would do with a little "Magnesium" ALC111, alone or mixed in to your taste. For the "painted Aluminium" look on wing surfaces, you have several options. I have mixed in just a little Light Gull Grey into the metallic paint, to get a less reflective surface, and it worked. Possibly "Semi Matt Aluminium" ALC116 will do the trick also. Hope that helps, Fernando PD: Ah! I have overcoated Alclad with some thin coat of acrylic clear varnish (Xtracrylixs) to improve decal adherence without losing the "metallic" look. Edited August 26, 2014 by Fernando 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I used Aluminum and Duraluminum on this Mustang: I suspect you could get by with only those two shades for a start. Simply by also using their black primer along with their grey primer and masking a little during the priming stage, I think you could achieve a fair amount of variation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Yes I would go with the Aluminium and Duraluminium for your main shades and then Dark Aluminium and Steel, which are handy for the "exhaust" panels that run along the P-47's belly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paramedic Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 Thank you very much guys, I will start out there! So they are also more or less prone to peel off from masking tape (I use Tamiya)? Worrying since I planned to go that route a fair bit.. I will start out with those three suggestions (Aluminium, Duraluminium and Dark Aluminium) I think. But I also have Christiansen´s P-47 "Miss Fire" planned. And I would love to get that polished look for it. Which one would be best there? I am fine with a more used look for most else but would like to try to get this one really shiny just because I think it would look real good - correct or not.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 It can safely be said that Alclad works differently for everyone who uses it. I had zero problems with masking it with Tamiya tape, and it was quite docile for me. Others have had it steal their wife and blow up their car. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paramedic Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 I have neither a wife nor car so should be safe! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelh Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 It can safely be said that Alclad works differently for everyone who uses it. I had zero problems with masking it with Tamiya tape, and it was quite docile for me. Others have had it steal their wife and blow up their car.I guess that must be why they keep it behind glass at the model shop I visited today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonar Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I found the various regular, that is not highly polished, finishes to be very similar when sprayed adjacent to each other. I have added a drop of good old Humbrol gloss black to various Alclads in the past to darken them and provide a bit of contrast. For the aluminium paint look, rather than bare metal, I've added a drop or two of white, just a variation on the grey suggested above. I would also suggest that for the non highly polished finishes you do not need to use a gloss black undercoat. I've found that my usual Halfords plastic primer works very well. Alclad's own website does not recommend a gloss black primer for what it describes as 'regular' finishes. Cheers Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS_w Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 After a coat of Surfacer 1200, polishing with micromesh 8000, Al 101 mat alu and Al102 Duralumin was sprayed, and Steel in slightly sprayed over 101 and 102 for some panels. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paramedic Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 Thanks you two as well. That gives an idea and something for me to try out, great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 (edited) Thank you very much guys, I will start out there! So they are also more or less prone to peel off from masking tape (I use Tamiya)? Worrying since I planned to go that route a fair bit.. I will start out with those three suggestions (Aluminium, Duraluminium and Dark Aluminium) I think. But I also have Christiansen´s P-47 "Miss Fire" planned. And I would love to get that polished look for it. Which one would be best there? I am fine with a more used look for most else but would like to try to get this one really shiny just because I think it would look real good - correct or not.. If you are after a polished look then go with Polished Aluminium. Normally this is sprayed over gloss black to make it reflective, but you may want to tone it down a bit - you can spray it over a dark grey instead of black and it will be less reflective. However if you do want the really polished look then go with the black and keep the Alclad coats light because if you spray on to much the effect of the black underneath will be reduced (this is the expensive way to tone it down ). Edited August 27, 2014 by Tbolt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paramedic Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share Posted August 27, 2014 Ah thanks - will definetly try both your suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Brown Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Watching with interest as I've a Mustang to do sometime.I found the polished aluminium over their gloss black to be very delicate. I have neither a wife nor car so should be safe! Would you like one of each? I'll send them over.Rick. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomjw Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Two tips which haven't been mentioned are:- Don't waste money on Alclad's own gloss black base. Any gloss black works well, so get some Humbrol gloss black enamel. Don't attempt to mask over Alclad until it is fully cured, so leave your base shade for a few days. After this time it is tough. Cheers, Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paramedic Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share Posted August 27, 2014 I do not have any gloss black undercoats at all as of yet - so which one is *best*? Sounds good, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkennerley Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I don't think there is a "best" gloss black, I have used Alclad's one and did not like it, preferred humbrol gloss black - get yourself an old model and try both, see which one your prefer. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I do not have any gloss black undercoats at all as of yet - so which one is *best*? Sounds good, thanks! Like Tom, I use Humbrol gloss black or a gloss grey. I've never had a problem mask Alclad 15 minutes after spraying it, though that may not apply to the highly polished finishes as I've never masked over one of these. Just be a bit careful if you spray a normal paint over the Alclad and then mask on top of it as the paint can pull up - a bit like an acrylic can straight onto plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I should mention here that when I said their black primer, I meant their non-gloss black primer. I've never used the gloss or high-sheen alclad, as their normal finish is plenty shiny for my purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPReggie Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Some great pointers here guys thank you. I do not use enamels at all - is there an acrylic "gloss black" that would do the job as well as the Humbrol Enamel...or is the enamel the way to go for sure? I have never put enamel through my airbrush as yet and would not really want to brush it on. As for the markings on your P47 Paramedic - that is one gorgeous P47 - now you have me wondering if I should look into an alternative to one of the markings options in my Eduard "Jugs Over Italy" set, lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Some great pointers here guys thank you. I do not use enamels at all - is there an acrylic "gloss black" that would do the job as well as the Humbrol Enamel...or is the enamel the way to go for sure? I, like you, shy away from enamels. I believe however that what will happen if the high-gloss Alclad is sprayed over acrylics is that it will at best craze quite badly. This may not be the case with something like Tamiya or Gunze Gloss Black, but I don't know for sure. HOWEVER, Swanny's Models, who offer many interesting tips, have a dissenting view: http://www.swannysmodels.com/Alclad.html I should note that I think I followed absolutely none of their advice and did okay. I did not apply my Alclad in light coats, but sort of blasted it on in one go rather than building it up, and it turned out okay. I also used Alclad's microfiller primer, which is very similar to Mr. Surfacer (which you could substitute for it in a pinch), and cleaned it up with their cleaner, although gauging by the smell and similarity of the hallucinations, ordinary lacquer thinner as sold in a hardware store might do the same for you for much cheaper. NB the regular primer is NOT enamel, and dries in about ten seconds flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paramedic Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 As for the markings on your P47 Paramedic - that is one gorgeous P47 - now you have me wondering if I should look into an alternative to one of the markings options in my Eduard "Jugs Over Italy" set, lol. Yeah is it not! That kits seems real sweet, would be lovelly to see you build it here on BM. and similarity of the hallucinations Lol! Any pink bunnies or similar? NB the regular primer is NOT enamel, and dries in about ten seconds flat. Ah that is good to know - thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calum Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I'd suggest using Tamiya AS-12 decanted from the aerosol as a base coat. It's cheaper, more forgiving and tougher than Alclad. I'd then use Alclad shades to alter the tones of the base coat where required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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