A good metalic paint?

[Thorbrand]

So, I got a bottle of AK Extreme Metal Steel enamel paint and there is definitely a difference, as you can see the first picture is with Humbrol Acrylic Metalic Steel and the second is with the AK Extreme paint and as it comes in a 30ml bottle I think it will last a very long time.

[Guest]

I just bought a new metallic paint that I've just tested and I'm mighty impressed!!!
Nothing I've ever tried before has even come close to this fantastic paint so I felt I had to update this thread with my results!

The paint in question is Ammo by Mig Alclad II Metal.
It's sold under license from Alclad 2 lacquers so it's not a Mig paint - and this is probably why it's so good because it's not an acrylic whatsoever!!!

I didn't know anything about this paint more than I'd read that the Alclad 2 stuff was the bees knees so I ordered without hesitation to give it a go.
In hindsight the thinner/cleaner bottle was a waste of money since it smells like cellulose thinner mixed with something less hostile and I tried to clean my airbrush with both cellulose thinner and isopropanol after spraying and they both worked fine. I've not thinned it though because I didn't see any reason for it.

Here's a cockpit with one thin coat of Mig Alclad II polished aluminium ALC105 and it covered really well and I didn't use any primer at all - just direct on bare plastic and PE - and it stuck like nothing else!
It's a bit translucent though so on parts that I want to be metal I will use the primer but the cockpit was later sprayed with scratches effect and olive drab and it worked really well. I didn't even use varnish before the scratches effect! Good stuff!

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I also tried to brush paint the ALC105 polished aluminium paint and it brushed as well as it sprayed. No brush marks because it flows really well.
It's the fastest drying paint I've ever used - even much faster than Tamiya so it was bliss to work with and I will buy other colours like copper, polished brass and chrome next time I order something.

They've also got a black primer with microfiller so you can polish the part prior to paint for those real mirror like surfaces but I only bought the standard primer so I haven't tried that yet.

The only negative thing I've got to say about the Alclad 2 stuff is that it's in glass jars and they're a pain in the a** to pour from... I haven't got any pipettes so I had to wing it.
I suspect the solvents in the paint are too aggressive for some plastics, hence why it's in glass jars?
I will buy some pipettes next time I order to solve the problem.

One more important thing to know: It doesn't like a 0.15mm needle and nozzle but it sprayed like a dream with 0.4mm! They recommend using 0.3mm but it did work with 0.15mm but there was some backflow in the airbrush. I don't know the particle size they use but I don't mind using my 0.4mm setup because it'll mostly be used for larger surfaces anyway.
The paint is super thin, like pure alcohol so be careful with the jars/bottles because if you knock one over it'll be empty in a fraction of a second...

I will discard my other "metallic" paints now because they're nothing compared to this!
That's my view anyway.

I painted on a couple plastic bottles both with and without primer and it looks really well. It's a bit translucent so you better use it on a darker primer, or just use the one they recommend. It sprayed as well as the paint so I'm not complaining. Sadly I was so happy painting away that I forgot to take any pictures apart from the cockpit one, but it works - trust me!
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[papa 695]

I use the Vallejo Metal Colour, it works just as good as Alclad

[colin m]

I just bought a new metallic paint that I've just tested and I'm mighty impressed!!!
Nothing I've ever tried before has even come close to this fantastic paint so I felt I had to update this thread with my results!

The paint in question is Ammo by Mig Alclad II Metal.
It's sold under license from Alclad 2 lacquers so it's not a Mig paint - and this is probably why it's so good because it's not an acrylic whatsoever!!!

I didn't know anything about this paint more than I'd read that the Alclad 2 stuff was the bees knees so I ordered without hesitation to give it a go.
In hindsight the thinner/cleaner bottle was a waste of money since it smells like cellulose thinner mixed with something less hostile and I tried to clean my airbrush with both cellulose thinner and isopropanol after spraying and they both worked fine. I've not thinned it though because I didn't see any reason for it.

Here's a cockpit with one thin coat of Mig Alclad II polished aluminium ALC105 and it covered really well and I didn't use any primer at all - just direct on bare plastic and PE - and it stuck like nothing else! :smiling3:
It's a bit translucent though so on parts that I want to be metal I will use the primer but the cockpit was later sprayed with scratches effect and olive drab and it worked really well. I didn't even use varnish before the scratches effect! Good stuff!

[ATTACH]292320[/ATTACH]

I also tried to brush paint the ALC105 polished aluminium paint and it brushed as well as it sprayed. No brush marks because it flows really well.
It's the fastest drying paint I've ever used - even much faster than Tamiya so it was bliss to work with and I will buy other colours like copper, polished brass and chrome next time I order something.

They've also got a black primer with microfiller so you can polish the part prior to paint for those real mirror like surfaces but I only bought the standard primer so I haven't tried that yet.

The only negative thing I've got to say about the Alclad 2 stuff is that it's in glass jars and they're a pain in the a** to pour from... I haven't got any pipettes so I had to wing it.
I suspect the solvents in the paint are too aggressive for some plastics, hence why it's in glass jars?
I will buy some pipettes next time I order to solve the problem.

One more important thing to know: It doesn't like a 0.15mm needle and nozzle but it sprayed like a dream with 0.4mm! They recommend using 0.3mm but it did work with 0.15mm but there was some backflow in the airbrush. I don't know the particle size they use but I don't mind using my 0.4mm setup because it'll mostly be used for larger surfaces anyway.
The paint is super thin, like pure alcohol so be careful with the jars/bottles because if you knock one over it'll be empty in a fraction of a second...

I will discard my other "metallic" paints now because they're nothing compared to this!
That's my view anyway.

I painted on a couple plastic bottles both with and without primer and it looks really well. It's a bit translucent so you better use it on a darker primer, or just use the one they recommend. It sprayed as well as the paint so I'm not complaining. Sadly I was so happy painting away that I forgot to take any pictures apart from the cockpit one, but it works - trust me!
[ATTACH]292317[/ATTACH]
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Another convert to Alclad. It is amazing stuff, but pretty harsh. You really need to wear a good quality mask when painting with this stuff. As for cleaning, yes you guessed correctly, cellulose thinners does the job spot on.

[Thorbrand]

It seems the better the metalic paint you use the more biohazard gear you need to wear! lol I'm just waiting for metalic paint to come out which has nuclear atoms in and an eerie glow

[Guest]

The secret with Alclad etc is that it's just very tiny metal particles suspended in solvents - and the better solvents get they also become more toxic so it's a toss-up I think, but I don't mind using cellulose thinner and MEK if the results are fantastic because a) I'm getting old anyway and b) I'm not using it many minutes per day
In a way I think using these "toxic" products are better for the health than using the "pure" acrylics because every time I try these "pure" acrylics it looks like crap - and it takes days for each layer to dry - and that's not good for my health because I get frustrated and angry!!! :tongue-out:

If you're worried about your health just mask up :sick: and paint away! I live in the countryside so I breath fresh air every day compared to the city folks so a bit of toxic fumes I can handle!