Candy Metallics?

[Evil Eye]

So for various projects (including some non-40K stuff) I'm planning on doing a sort of coloured/"candy" metallic finish. However, whilst I understand the method- silver with a clear paint over the top- I'm not so sure on specific paints to use. So I beseech thee, B&C, for advice on painting coloured metallics. Specifically I'm looking for advice on getting a good purple, though advice on other colours (specifically orange and green) would be appreciated.

PRIMER:

This is fairly simple, as I have plenty of Tamiya grey primer, so that isn't an issue.

GLOSS BLACK:

Now some metallics I understand require gloss black basecoats to work properly. Fortunately I have this pretty much sorted as well in the form of Mr. Hobby's Gloss Black, which is very glossy and very black. Hooray!

METALLIC:

Here's where I come to a multi-tined fork in the road. My options are...

Citadel Stormhost Silver: Fairly shiny, easy to work with and water based, but not hugely durable, alas.

Tamiya Chrome Silver: I've used this stuff before and it's pretty good. The grains are a bit big but it's still shiny, and more durable than GW stuff (probably because it's alcohol based).

Humbrol Chrome Silver: I hear it airbrushes pretty well, and if the hand finish is anything to go by it should look beautiful. I have heard enamels can be fragile/vulnerable to chipping though, and the drying time leaves something to be desired.

Humbrol Metallic Blue: An alternative solution to purple might be to use Humbrol's metallic blue and clear coat it with red. In theory it should work, but in practice I have no idea.

Humbrol Metallic Red: See above, but with a blue clearcoat.

Gunze Sagyou Mr. Color Chrome Silver: It gives a lovely finish and is very durable, but is lacquer based, thus making it trickier to use, and also pretty caustic. Also it needs buffing to bring out the shine.

CLEAR PAINT:

Yep, more decisions to make, thankfully less of them.

Forge World Eidolon Purple: Very nice for handbrushing, I have no idea how it is in an airbrush. It is from their airbrush though so it should be fine.

Badger Ghost Tint Purple: Doesn't need thinning (at least according to the bloke who sold the stuff to me) and comes in a dropper bottle. Made specifically for airbrushing.

Gunze Sagyou Mr. Clear Color Purple: I have used this, and whilst it is tricky to use (sodding lacquer mutter mutter) it does look great and it's really durable. It would probably necessitate the use of a lacquer based silver though.

Tamiya Clear Red/Blue: Only going to use if I went with the enamel metal blue/red. Tamiya don't do a purple (boo!) though I'm sure some finagling could be done to get a purple from their paint.

Anyway, advice would be appreciated.

[Mango Polo]

If you want the absolute best shine possible, you'll need to look at lacquer paints. Alclad2, in that case, is the undisputed king. AK Xtreme Chrome is less caustic, but also less reflective. Gunpla forums are an excellent source of information for this (try googling "sinanju metallic red").

 

If you want to completely avoid the most toxic stuff, Vallejo Metal Colour Chrome is a fair substitute. A far cry from Alclad/AK's mirrored surfaces, but still leagues ahead of every single other water-based paints. I'd 100% stay away from the Citadel paints for this. Not only is the shine worse than Vallejo's Metal Colour, but the cost per ml is ridiculously higher. Stormhost is way better than the old runefang, but it's garbage compared to MC Silver.

 

For the clears, I think Eidolon purple would work just fine. Borrowing a picture from Runebrush showing it:

 

http://i.imgur.com/qFIsNo8.jpg

 

e.: You can also consider the Auto Air 4200 Transparent as they have more varieties. Here's a color chart with various bases.

[Evil Eye]

Funny, Gunpla is one of the things I was planning on using it for (specifically a 1997 Evangelion kit) along with of course my Chaos forces.

I'm not too bothered about literal mirror-shiny finishes, and in fact I do like a nice metallic grain, but I have heard about Alclad. The ones I mentioned are just the ones I have on hand- I don't have any Alclad but I hear it's nigh-on identical to factory applied chrome. I'd rather use something I already have if only because, hey, I have it, but I will probably track down some Alclad.

My main gripe with lacquer is less the toxicity, and more the fact that if you're not careful, paint underneath that isn't "strong" enough will just burn off. Sod my lungs, what about my paintwork? Also I know it needs to be sprayed at a certain pressure.

Thanks for the advice against GW paint BTW- I do love Stormhost Silver for hand work but there's no doubt it's not good value for money for airbrushing.

What's the opinion on non-lacquer, non-water based paints (Humbrol enamels, Tamiya's alcohol based acrylics etc)? And finally, is there a good clear pink paint on the market?

Thanks for all the advice in any case!

[Mango Polo]

Definitely have a look at the Auto Air 4200 range (transparent). They have a variety of purples and pinks. These paints have been successfully used for minis :)

[Major_Gilbear]

I would be tempted to get an automotive paint shop rattlecan spray. You can either look through the catalogues/paint chits to find a metallic purple you like, or you can get a custom colour made up for you. The process would then be:

 

- Prime

- Spray metal coat

- Spray clear car laquer

- Detail other bits as normal with a brush

 

You can also to the clear lacquer after the brushed-on details rather than before, and then selectively use a brush-on matte at the very end to remove the shine from those areas as you wish.

 

If you are in the UK, I know that Halford's has a huge library of paints they can mix for you, as well as custom-make or colour-match anything you bring to them.

[madscuzzy]

Gunze/Mr Hobby has an acrylic line (aqueous) that works fantastically.  It has clear paints that work very well as a candy coat finish.

 

Interestingly while the base metal is important, the reflectiveness of the finish is not just the shine of the metal but also of the gloss of the candy coat.