Hey guys...just curious...do all metallic paints need a gloss black undercoat to look good? Also...are there any penangites here who've managed to find Zippo lighter fluid in the Bayan Lepas area? I've been told I can find it in the Georgetown area (thanks stevenxsteve!)...but I can't seem to find it in regular hardware stores over in Bayan Lepas...

Well...normally I spray about 1-2 feet away...and probably leave it for about 1 day to dry...

if you paint and topcoat the inner frame, you may cause the joints to become too thick. the inner frame is normally just nice as it is to allow movement. be careful that you don't make the joints too hard to move.

I seem to have some problems with my topcoat. I've painted some details on my model with enamel paint (Humbrol) thinned with Zippo lighter fluid and panel lined with Gundam markers. When I try to put on a gloss coat, the coat seems to react with the gundam marker and enamel paint. I've tried two versions, Anchor brand TC (the one you get from hardware shops) and Mr Topcoat. By right these should be lacquer based and shouldn't react with the two paints right? Other options I have are acrylic based TCs like Future floor polish and maybe Mr Super Clear (it's acrylic right?). But I've read elsewhere of people having issues with Future reacting with gundam markers as well. Any ideas guys?

edit: i think future and mr top coat are acrylic whilst mr super clear is lacquer. I got those mixed up

This post has been edited by reehdus: Dec 23 2011, 11:34 AM

Yup, that's definitely what I figured. The thing is, I've heard people complaining about future dissolving gundam markers as well. i'll definitely have a look at it.

I think future is working currently, the key is to put on really thin coats instead of one heavy coat. I think that was my mistake the last time...in future, I'm gonna enamel wash after I put on the coat

Hi all, got a quick question here. I notice my Olfa hobby blades and side cutters tend to rust very easily even though I take care to store them in relatively dry places. Does anyone know of any tips or tricks to keep tools rust free?

Johnson's baby oil? Hmm I guess any sort of oil would do, even WD40. But does it cause issues when you cut with it? Does the surface of your kit get all oily and stuff?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but for handpainting at least, most enamels can be used straight out of the can/tin/bottle right? Like Humbrol and Tamiya enamels for eg.

Also, do you know if the gaianotes starbright series, gunze metallic/super metallic/mr metal series are suitable for hand painting? I remember reading that these are lacquer paints and I gather those dry pretty fast