Jump to content

Shell Case Perfect Metal Acrylic Paint Set 1 (CS47)


Mike

Recommended Posts

Shell Case Perfect Metal Acrylic Paint Set 1 (CS47)

Lifecolor via The Airbrush Company

 

boxtop.jpg

 

Contains: UA786 Polished Steel Modern Shell, UA787 Lacquered Steel Late WWII German Shell, UA788 New Shell Brass Shade 1, UA789 New Shell Brass Shade 2, UA790 New Shell Brass Shade 3, UA791 Spent Shell Burned Brass

 

I decided to test the “perfect” part of this set, as it’s always tempting to investigate an acrylic metallic to see if it’s a viable alternative to the lacquer paints I’ve used for years, but degrade and turn gritty after a while.  The paints arrive in the usual 22ml plastic pots with black screw-capped lids.  Inside the paint is quite viscous, so as I was spraying it for this test I thinned it with Ultimate Thinners.  I used the upper wing halves from a kit that I’m never going to build, as my Fw.190 fuselage halves need stripping right now.  After a little trial-and-error with the thinning, which was probably due to my rustiness having not used my airbrush for at least 3 months now, I sprayed out patches of each shade, and once dried the paints looked pretty good.  The first three shades are pretty different in shade to each other, while the last three are similar, especially when painted right next to each other.  This won’t matter when you’re painting a complete shell, and you can also mix them or overspray to give variations in tone, which is nice.

 

sprayout.jpg

 

The flake size of the paint is pleasingly small, which is often a cause for complaint about metallics, especially when exposed to artificial light.  My photobooth is fairly strong indirect lighting, and although it exposed some poor airbrushing on my part, the flakes didn’t jump out at me.  Lifecolor describe the paints as pigment rich and not needing a black undercoat.  To test this hypothesis I put a quick coat of Tamiya rattle-can primer down beforehand, which seems to have been adequately covered by the paint where I applied it properly.  As with most acrylics I gave the subject a light coat first, then put a heavier coat over after a few seconds, which on a model likely means you’ll never have to stop for a rest while the dust coat dries.

 

Conclusion

I like Lifecolor, and this set is a good one for metallics.  The only drawback of all acrylics is their robustness, and if you scratch the paint it will damage.  I usually get around this by adding a coat of clear gloss to most of my models once primary painting is complete (I think I can remember that far back).

 

Highly recommended.

 

bin.jpg

 

Review sample courtesy of

logo.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...