Jump to content

Brightest Silver Paint 4 My P-51D Mustang ?


schooner

Recommended Posts

Hi Gang (New Student Here) :wacko:

I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row be4 I start on my first

P-51D 1/48 scale.

Need to know: What the brightest silver paint I can buy ?

Its got to look like metal or aluminum.

 

Any and all suggestion/help I can get will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I highly recommend the AK Aluminum paint. BUT, it has to be applied with an airbrush; it's not a "brushable" paint. For brush painting you have two choices: Humbrol Metalcote paints (an import, may be hard to find), or using a special technique to apply Model Master Metalizer Aluminum.

 

If you can find the Humbrol paint, it's supposed to brush well like most of the Humbrol paints.

 

The Metalizer paints are not normally brushable if you use the traditional "wet brush" technique. However, you can use a "dry brush" technique to apply them:

1) Do NOT shake the bottle or stir the paint; just open the bottle

2) dip the brush into the un-stirred pigment and then dab it onto the inside of the jar lid

3) give the pigment a minute or so to dry just a bit

4) dip a wide, short bristle brush into the pigment

5) wipe the brush lightly onto a paper towel to remove some (but not all) of the pigment

6) start applying the pigment onto the surface wiping and "scrubbing" it on

7) you'll have to keep working each area you apply the paint/pigment, but it should begin to blend and shine up as you go

8) refresh the pigment in the cap as needed, keeping it moist, but not fully wet

 

Or, you might go to almost any arts/craft store/department and find a tube of RubNBuff. This is a silver paste that you apply to the surface using a paper towel or cloth. This is essentially the same thing you're doing in the above dry brush method, except RubNBuff has provided you with the "pigment" in a tube. Rub it on, polish it up, and let it dry for 24hrs.

 

One more thing, the KEY to any metallic finish is an absolutely glass smooth surface to apply it over. The brightest silver paint will not look as shiny or smooth as metal if applied over a rough, scratchy surface.

 

Hope this helps!

 

GIL

Edited by ghodges
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or, stop by your local home improvement store and go to the paint section. Find the spray cans. There is usually an assortment of metallic colors to choose from, but the shiniest of the shiny is Chrome. Primer your model, then using light passes build up the paint. Have the light in the room arranged so you can see if the surface is "wet" or not as you work. The second, and I mean the second, it appears wet STOP or for sure it will run. Like all modeling techniques, its not necessarily hard, it just takes practice.

 

Also, with any spray can metalic, if it says to wait so many hours or days to re-coat, believe them. If you don't, it may crack, run or just get messed up. Also, spray can metalics dry to the touch quickly, but they can take days to really set to the point where you can handle them. In addition, they do not respond well to masking of any sort, so do the metalics last. Note, this applies to big box store sprays, not the specialized stuff Gil and the others speak of.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Testors Modrel Master "Metallic Silver' in the spray can works very well for me for those aircraft that are painted silver. Please note that most of the aircraft saying they are natural metal were painrted silver dope (a fine example are P-51Ds, where the wings were painted silver and the fuselage was natural metal), what I hate, as they rarely represent the actual aircraft are highly polished silver (chrome) models. The only P-51s you'll see as almost chrome are certain warbirds, like Quick Silver here in SC.

 

While those bright chrome models do look good and is difficult to get done correctly, it surely isn't accurate.

 

Just my two cents my friend.

 

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Schooner:

 

Remember to study the P-51D in question. Wartime photographs seldom reveal a plane too shiny, unless the maintenance crew had a lot of time on their hands, or a recent restoration showing a very high degree of luster on the aluminum. I now use what Tim uses, Testors Model Master paints, especially the aluminum and magnesium shades with airbrush. I have used others but it can get involved if you are a beginner.

 

Happy Modeling,

 

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alclad Airframe Aluminum, Polished Aluminum, Chrome. Gloss Black Primer

1/72nd P-51

5%20Airfix%20P-51%20upper%20wing.jpg

 

1/48 High Tech

4%20High%20Tech%20Israeli%20Mystere%20IV

 

1/72nd Leduc

1%20Leduc%20010%20Strbd%20Side.jpg

 

Hope these Help

Good Luck

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My fav is now the new line of Vallejo Metallics (avoid the old stuff). It can go on with a brush or airbrush, is self leveling and being acrylic can be washed up with water and no stink. Of that, the brightest is either their Chrome or Duraluminum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...