Model Master Italian Red Alternative

[tbzep]

With Testors/Model Master paints at about $5 for a 3 oz can, my son and I have been on a quest to find a worthy substitute. It's been almost impossible to find something as good. The Italian Red is bright, but not washed out....a very rich color. On top of that, it's lacquer, the one paint type that we can't screw up with. It dries super fast, handles higher humidity, and finishes up nice, glossy, and slick. It's definitely the one to beat, IMHO.

I picked up some Rustoleum Lacquer in Chinese Red, and some Valspar Enamel in Cherry yesterday. These color titles have been used by other companies in the past, and all of them were darker and less inviting. Not this time. Both of these reds are nice and bright and very similar to each other once applied over a white base. They cover opaquely with only two or three coats and look great. When viewing the test strip indoors, they both look a little brighter (better?) than the Italian Red, but the real test will be out in the sunlight with a decent size model instead of the little scrawny test strips I painted. If they can hang with the Italian Red outside, they will be unbeatable. :cool:

You can't go wrong with either of these if you like a bright, yet rich red color. I'm partial to lacquer, so I'll be buying more of it, but I won't hesitate to grab the Valspar if the Rustoleum happens to be sold out all around. Both are 11 oz. cans and were considerably cheaper than the little Testors cans.

[rokitflite]

I'm liking the Tamiya "Bright Red" right now... :D

[snaquin]

Thanks for the tip. I'll look for the Rustoleum Lacquer in Chinese Red. I don't think I've ever seen Valspar in any of the stores around here.

I never did like the Krylon red (Cherry red?) and gave up on it long ago. I have some fins already primed with white Dupli-Color and I've been considering trying to find some brand of red lacquer to finish that project.

.

[tbzep]

I'm liking the Tamiya "Bright Red" right now... :D

It looks really good on those fins. Nice slick finish.

However, Tamiya loves to sell a little paint for a lot too. ;)

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

With Testors/Model Master paints at about $5 for a 3 oz can, my son and I have been on a quest to find a worthy substitute. It's been almost impossible to find something as good. The Italian Red is bright, but not washed out....a very rich color. On top of that, it's lacquer, the one paint type that we can't screw up with. It dries super fast, handles higher humidity, and finishes up nice, glossy, and slick. It's definitely the one to beat, IMHO.

I picked up some Rustoleum Lacquer in Chinese Red, and some Valspar Enamel in Cherry yesterday. These color titles have been used by other companies in the past, and all of them were darker and less inviting. Not this time. Both of these reds are nice and bright and very similar to each other once applied over a white base. They cover opaquely with only two or three coats and look great. When viewing the test strip indoors, they both look a little brighter (better?) than the Italian Red, but the real test will be out in the sunlight with a decent size model instead of the little scrawny test strips I painted. If they can hang with the Italian Red outside, they will be unbeatable. :cool:

You can't go wrong with either of these if you like a bright, yet rich red color. I'm partial to lacquer, so I'll be buying more of it, but I won't hesitate to grab the Valspar if the Rustoleum happens to be sold out all around. Both are 11 oz. cans and were considerably cheaper than the little Testors cans.

Hmmm. Seems to me that someone else has been talking up Valspar for quite some time now......Can't put a finger on a fin, but the name will come to me..... :D
Okay, so I use them because there's a Lowe's five minutes from my house. Still good stuff. ;)

[foose4string]

Thanks for the tip. I'll look for the Rustoleum Lacquer in Chinese Red. I don't think I've ever seen Valspar in any of the stores around here.

I never did like the Krylon red (Cherry red?) and gave up on it long ago. I have some fins already primed with white Dupli-Color and I've been considering trying to find some brand of red lacquer to finish that project.

.

Lowes has taken up with Valspar. I can't remember what it replaces, but it looks like it's their "house" brand right now. I'm pretty sure Tractor Supply is a Valspar dealer too.

[snaquin]

Hmmm. Seems to me that someone else has been talking up Valspar for quite some time now......Can't put a finger on a fin, but the name will come to me..... :D
Okay, so I use them because there's a Lowe's five minutes from my house. Still good stuff. ;)

Ahhhh, so Lowe's is the place. I only had a Home Depot before I moved and they carried mostly Rustoleum but now I have a Lowe's just across town. I've never browsed the paint department at Lowe's so I'll check them out soon too.

.

[LeeR]

FYI ... my local Hobby Lobby stores sell the Rustoleum Lacquer paints. I've used the 40% off coupons to buy them several times. Makes the $4.99 list $3 with discount - -darned good for a large spray can.

[tbzep]

Hmmm. Seems to me that someone else has been talking up Valspar for quite some time now......Can't put a finger on a fin, but the name will come to me..... :D
Okay, so I use them because there's a Lowe's five minutes from my house. Still good stuff. ;)

If they'd only do lacquer instead of enamel, I'd be hooked. Well, that and if I had a Lowe's five minutes from my house. Kody and I made a 45 minute drive to get to Lowe's for that can of paint, but Wally World is within a ballistic shot of a modest sized G40 powered rocket from me. Not that I'd ever try to prove it. :rolleyes:

I also have had more trouble with enamels bleeding under tape than with lacquer, not to mention, I'm with GH on the great smell of highly volatile organics....but I just can't get into fruity enamels. :p

[LeeR]

I'm liking the Tamiya "Bright Red" right now... :D

rokitflite -- what base white did you use? I assume you are using something other than Tamiya, due to cost? I'd probably use Rustoleum Lacquer in white, but it would be good to know what other paints might be compatible with the Tamiya. I've wanted to try them for quite some time, based on the great colors they offer.

[tbzep]

We've found the Rustoleum lacquers at several Wal Mart stores and at Hobby Lobby, which is also a 45 minuted drive for us. Wally World has a better price unless it's coupon day at HL. Like has been mentioned before, though, the Rustoleum lacquer is only available in black, white, and red.

While we were at it, I picked up a can of Rustoleum Burnt Orange for another project to be named later. :cool:

[foose4string]

The Lowes by me has Valspar laquer in addition to the Rustoleum laquer , but only black, white, red, and clear.

Edit: oops, no red in the Valspar laquer but they do have Aluminum. I almost bought a can of the Aluminum a couple days ago, but ended up putting it back for some reason. Lots of spray cans in the basement. :o

[tbzep]

The Lowes by me has Valspar laquer, but only black, white, red, and clear.

Valspar lacquer or Rustoleum lacquer? I forgot to mention it, but Rustoleum offers the lacquer in clear also. I haven't found any Valspar lacquer, but I'll keep my eye out for it.

[foose4string]

Valspar lacquer or Rustoleum lacquer? I forgot to mention it, but Rustoleum offers the lacquer in clear also. I haven't found any Valspar lacquer, but I'll keep my eye out for it.


Yep, it was Valspar, I'm pretty sure of it. They have the Rustoleum too, but it was more expensive IIR. Check it out...

Valspar Lacquer (http://www.valsparspray.com/Product/pcode---6802/Go_product---GO)

Says dry to handle in one hour, recoat anytime. I hope they expand the color chart..Rustoleum too.

[tbzep]

Yep, it was Valspar, I'm pretty sure of it. They have the Rustoleum too, but it was more expensive IIR. Check it out...

Valspar Laquer (http://www.valsparspray.com/Product/pcode---6802/Go_product---GO)

Says dry to handle in one hour, recoat anytime. I hope they expand the color chart..Rustoleum too.

Cool. We didn't see any, but next time we'll look for it. I'm always game for saving a buck or two.

[rokitflite]

rokitflite -- what base white did you use? I assume you are using something other than Tamiya, due to cost? I'd probably use Rustoleum Lacquer in white, but it would be good to know what other paints might be compatible with the Tamiya. I've wanted to try them for quite some time, based on the great colors they offer.

Lee,
I put the Tamiya paints over the old formula Krylon gloss white.


Yeah tbzep... The Tamiya paints ARE expensive AND they went up like $2 right after I found out how much I liked them :rolleyes: . I was just offering a substitute based on your original post... I did not know cost was a consideration because I did not read carefully... Duh. :( Come up and vist and I'll give you 30% off on the Tamiya paints ;) .

[tbzep]

Lee,
I put the Tamiya paints over the old formula Krylon gloss white.


Yeah tbzep... The Tamiya paints ARE expensive AND they went up like $2 right after I found out how much I liked them :rolleyes: . I was just offering a substitute based on your original post... I did not know cost was a consideration because I did not read carefully... Duh. :( Come up and vist and I'll give you 30% off on the Tamiya paints ;) .

I'll pay you full retail if you'll do my sanding for me. :D

[Mark II]

Lowes has taken up with Valspar. I can't remember what it replaces, but it looks like it's their "house" brand right now. I'm pretty sure Tractor Supply is a Valspar dealer too.
There is also another line (http://www.valsparspray.com/Product/pcode---4181) of Valspar paints that is sold in craft stores like Michael's. I bought a can of one of the satins last fall, but I haven't had a chance to try it on anything yet. Has anyone tried these paints?

MarkII

[Mark II]

Also, I'm not sure how this color compares to MM Italian Red, but have you checked out Dupli-Color Radiant Fire? It's probably expensive for spray paint (I don't remember what I payed for the can I have), but it is a really vibrant red. Also, I think that you can recoat anytime with this paint.

MarkII

[foose4string]

If companies(including Krylon) can continue to produce lacquer based paints, then I don't buy the fact the Krylon changed their formula to conform some new law? I think it was as simple as them finding a way cheaper way to make and package paint....and it shows. Dumb move, even if it was a regulatory thing. They are going to lose a lot of sales in the long run.

[tbzep]

There is also another line (http://www.valsparspray.com/Product/pcode---4181) of Valspar paints that is sold in craft stores like Michael's. I bought a can of one of the satins last fall, but I haven't had a chance to try it on anything yet. Has anyone tried these paints?

MarkII

That's the variety of Valspar enamel that I bought at Lowe's. My can is identical to the can on the left. The color I tested is 65014 Gloss Cherry. The color chart does not do it justice. It doesn't look anything like the actual bright red color....assuming my monitor is adjusted correctly.

[tbzep]

Also, I'm not sure how this color compares to MM Italian Red, but have you checked out Dupli-Color Radiant Fire? It's probably expensive for spray paint (I don't remember what I payed for the can I have), but it is a really vibrant red. Also, I think that you can recoat anytime with this paint.

MarkII

I haven't run across any decent selection of Dupli-Color. Wally World has a few colors in the automotive section, but it's been a while since I've looked there. Once this storm system moves through and we get a chance to paint something and look at it out in the sunshine, I think we will be happy with what we found.

[foose4string]

I haven't run across any decent selection of Dupli-Color. Wally World has a few colors in the automotive section, but it's been a while since I've looked there. Once this storm system moves through and we get a chance to paint something and look at it out in the sunshine, I think we will be happy with what we found.

I can't remember if it was AutoZone or Advanced Auto(or both), but one of them has a pretty decent selection of Dupli-Color. I've never tried it.

[LeeR]

I've used the Duplicolor high temp paint for one model so far -- DE1620 Chevrolet Orange Engine Enamel. It is a really nice color. I bring this up because I like orange, and all the lacquers in big spray cans seem to be limited to black, white, red, silver, and clear.

I've used the yellow, but need to check my notebook of colors, since I have a number of yellow models, and need to check which one was done with this engine enamel.

I did find my auto parts stores have the best selection.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/hobbes_pics/Banshee/th_banshee-02.jpg (http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/hobbes_pics/Banshee/?action=view&current=banshee-02.jpg)

[Mark II]

I can't remember if it was AutoZone or Advanced Auto(or both), but one of them has a pretty decent selection of Dupli-Color. I've never tried it.
I got the can of Radiant Fire at Advanced Auto. They have quite a large selection of Dupli-Color paints. That is also where I get my Dupli-Color filling primer.

MarkII

[o1d_dude]

I picked up a can of the Model Masters paint in the Italian Red today thanks to this thread. Paid $5.49 at the LHS for a 3oz can that I intend to use on my DRM.

I have probably bought more spray paint in the last six months than in the last years.

Thanks, fellas. I now have a new addiction: Lacquer paints in rattlecans.

[Mark II]

I picked up a can of the Model Masters paint in the Italian Red today thanks to this thread. Paid $5.49 at the LHS for a 3oz can that I intend to use on my DRM.

I have probably bought more spray paint in the last six months than in the last years.

Thanks, fellas. I now have a new addiction: Lacquer paints in rattlecans.
Now you really are a rocket geek... Welcome to the cave. :D

MarkII