Painting Porsche Iris Blue

[Calibre117]

I am building Fujimi's Porsche 911 GT3R kit, and I would like to paint it in Iris Blue, the color shown in the image below. However, I live in a shared space and despite having a booth with ventilation (Masters Airbrush 2-fan booth), I would like to stay away from Lacquer-based paints. Is there any way I could achieve a color like this with acrylics? I've been considering using either Mr. Color's solvent-based acrylics such as GX Clear or Crystal Color, but I don't know if these solvent-based paints are any less toxic than lacquer-based ones. Tamiya has the X-23 Clear Blue, but it is an almost teal/turquoise blue, which is much too bright for this shade. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Edited March 15, 2023 by Calibre117

[cmatthewbacon]

You could try a Stynylrez silver primer over laid with sprayed Citadel Leviadon Blue until it’s more or less dark enough, and finish with an aqueous clear (Mr Gauzy or Humbrol Clear or whatever today’s name for Future/Pledge floor wax is) with some drops of dark blue ink to colour it. All those are water based and clean up with water…

best,

M.

[keefr22]

I've yet to try it, but AK Interactive have a 'metal medium' in their 3rd gen acrylic range, which they claim you can add to any solid colour acrylic to make it metallic. Another thing I have but yet to try (I have many of these things!) is a pearl medium from a craft paint range - I can't remember the specific brand and can't go rooting about looking for it as the missus is in bed - but I've seen it in a number of brands. This is supposed to do the same thing, but I don't know how well it would airbrush. 

 

Also, I don't know if you can get Pebeo acrylics over there but they have a number of really nice water based pearl acrylics that can be sprayed nicely - from memory they have a similar looking dark blue.

 

That is a beautiful Porsche, really lovely colour, good luck replicating it!

 

Keith

 

edit - this is the Pebeo paint, I think it's a little darker in real life;

 

https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/pebeo-night-blue-pearl-acrylic-paint-59ml/6292831000.html

 

[Neddy]

I've just bought some Pebeo acrylic pearl on spec, hoping to use it on the Marzal bodyshell.  If it sprays as good as it looks in the bottle it'll be a great finish. 

[Calibre117]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I will put some Stynylrez silver primer, AK Interactive metal medium, and hopefully Pebeo paint on order. Any other suggestions are welcome too! Thats the color I want to get my future Porsche in (XD) so I really really want to replicate it.

[Calibre117]

https://www.amazon.com/DPM30-30-Extreme-Sheen-DP-Saphire-Sapphire/dp/B07T3GWPBL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11NHNOA8N4HZ8&keywords=decoart+deep+sapphire&qid=1678937958&sprefix=decoart+deep+sapphire%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-1

Do any of you have experience with this paint? Can it be airbrushed? @keefr22 how does this compare to the Pebeo? it is easier to get here Stateside.

[mbdesignart]

This comparison video may be of use click HERE They appear to be readily available across the pond.

 

[Neddy]

Thanks!  That's a really informative video and gives me a whole new source of acrylic paints.  The likes of Revell Aqua, Mr. Hobby Aqueous et al are great paints but lack colour choice, especially metallics and pearl finishes.  Now I can try a whole new range (or ranges) of colour choice.

[keefr22]

13 hours ago, Calibre117 said:

Can it be airbrushed? @keefr22 how does this compare to the Pebeo? it is easier to get here Stateside.

 

Sorry, never seen this brand so not tried it. But the thing I've found is that all the brands in bottles like that I've used seem to have the same consistency and thin and spray much the same.

 

Keith

[keefr22]

19 hours ago, Neddy said:

I've just bought some Pebeo acrylic pearl on spec, hoping to use it on the Marzal bodyshell.  If it sprays as good as it looks in the bottle it'll be a great finish. 

 

Although we have the best tap water in the country, I used distilled water to thin it and it worked fine, usual advice of just keep trying out your thinning and pressure ratios on a plastic spoon or piece of plasticard. In my experience it does spray as good as it looks - but I can't show you any examples as I completely mucked up the gloss coat (twice!!) so had to strip it all back (twice!) and then didn't have enough pebeo left to respray the body! 🤣

 

Keith

[Neddy]

Ouch!  You have my sympathies.  I'm still learning all I can about handling acrylics and info like this is really valuable.  Thanks for the tips.

 

[keefr22]

8 minutes ago, Neddy said:

I'm still learning all I can about handling acrylics

 

Me too - and I've been using the things for donkey's years...!!

 

I'd forgotten all about windscreen washer fluid for thinning, I've used that with them too and it works well. I've also used the old type Johnson's Klear as a thinner which is also pretty good but my supplies are now running low.

 

Barbados Rex who did the video mbdesignart linked to does a lot of good videos including one on spraying artists tube acrylics which are another range of good colours.

 

Keith

[Calibre117]

1 hour ago, keefr22 said:

 

Although we have the best tap water in the country, I used distilled water to thin it and it worked fine, usual advice of just keep trying out your thinning and pressure ratios on a plastic spoon or piece of plasticard. In my experience it does spray as good as it looks - but I can't show you any examples as I completely mucked up the gloss coat (twice!!) so had to strip it all back (twice!) and then didn't have enough pebeo left to respray the body! 🤣

 

Keith

Keith, how does the color of the Pebeo compare to the Porsche? And how does the metallic sheen/metallic"ness"? compare to hobby metallic paints? i.e. Vallejo metal color etc. I'm deciding between using Citadel Leviadon Blue + floor gloss vs the Pebeo

[keefr22]

Sorry I don't actually have that blue, I just noticed it when looking for a colour for a build a couple of years back - I actually ended up choosing their purple pearl. As to that particular colour I actually think it was better than many metallic hobby paints, including specific auto paints intended for car modellers, as the metallic particles were much finer. It did dry with a mattish sheen so needed a gloss coat, which is where I ruined it - but that had nothing to do with the Pebeo, just my cack handedness! I wouldn't think the blue would be a whole lot different in finish.

 

Thinking back I can't actually remember how I thinned it, but it was most probably with distilled water with a few drops of acrylic retarder. I don't think I used anything like windscreen washer fluid or generic airbrush thinner.

 

One thing I forgot to mention, when looking through the AK 3rd gen range, I noticed they do a clear blue too, if you wanted to try that over the silver primer, as doing that with laquer paints gives a lovely candy type finish, so it may work as well with acrylics. It might be worth asking @cmatthewbacon how he thins Stynylrez primer as I have to admit I can only get it to work with their own brand thinner, and I really struggle to clean the stuff out of my airbrush, but others don't seem to have that problem, so it's probably just me! 

 

Keith

 

 

[cmatthewbacon]

@keefr22 I just spray it straight from the bottle using 25psi through my Mr Procon Boy SQ (single action, compact, used as a spraygun rather than an airbrush, really) and wash it out with lashings of plain cold water. I think it might be one of those things where using acrylic thinner or cleaner make it gunge up rather than flushing it out... The SQ is also small enough I can just unscrew the needle and drop the whole body and separate needle into the bath of my ultrasonic cleaner and set it going for 20 minutes when I've done...

best,

M.

[Bozothenutter]

A metallic blue  covered with a clear blue maybe.

Experiment on some plastic spoons.