I’m trying to find a good dark red acrylic paint for painting structures. Any recommendations that would be close to prototype? Thanks.
I use Crafters Acrylics.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Best to use a rattle can primer, done lots of them. Note: different companys have diferent ideas of what a color is so I tend to buy many brands.
If you just want red oxide color, why not just use red oxide primer from a spray can?
-Kevin
There are many shades of iron oxide / tuscan / boxcar red out there, so it really depends on what you mean by ‘prototype’. If you’re looking at a specific railroad that painted it’s buildings a dark red, maybe researching that railroad would give you an idea which paint color comes closest.
I brush painted the Walthers large downtown passenger station with Pollyscale Special Oxide Red, and it looks terrific.
Rich
This yet-to-be-completed building was just shot with a spray can of Rust-O-Leum red oxide primer.
-Kevin
Rattle cans are too stinky for me… I use various colors of craft acrylics for variety, including burnt sienna and terra cotta. They can be hand brushed or airbrushed. Weathering using black washes makes a big difference… You can start with a fairly light color and darken gradually for the desired color and effect. Are you modelling brick, metal or wood? I use different techniques depending on the material.
Simon
I use several of Pollyscale’s “boxcar” colours for my freelanced roads’ lineside structures…
…and because oxide red was was one of the more affordable paints, many non-railroad structures used it, too…
…pretty-well all of my MoW equipment uses it, too…
Wayne
Is it a RR specific colour?
Here is a photo of my large downtown passenger station painted in Pollyscale Special Oxide Red.
Rich
The colour will depend on the prototype, as there’s almost infinite versions of “dark red”.
If you’re painting brick structures, there’s an even wider range of useable colours, some even unrelated to red…
One thing to remember about brickwork (or stonework). No matter what color it is the original will darken with pollution in the air as it ages. Smoke, rain, snow, frost and even sunshine all have some effect. So unless it is a new building aging will have taken place.
David
Milton Farm 3 by wp8thsub, on Flickr
These sructures were first sprayed with Rustoleum oxide primer, then brushed with several different colors of acrylic craft paint. The exact brand and color name probably doesn’t matter too much, as long as it looks right to you. Given the low cost of craft acrylics, it’s worth it to choose a range of colors and try them on different models to see what you like.
For what it is worth… Delta Ceramcoat has a craft color called “barn red”, that as you might expect, looks perfect.
-Kevin
I have a lot of brick structures which started as plastic kits. These should be older buildings, built over a number of years, so some color variation would be expected. Fortunately, rattle-can paint companies make a variety of rust and rusty brown shades. I have a lot of these, and I use them interchangeably. Incidentally, they also work well for painting the sideframes of rolling stock trucks to get rid of the shiny black they usually are made in.
I paint the walls before any assembly so I can paint them flat and horizontal to avoid dripping. Where appropriate, I mask off any spots that will be glue joints. Don’t glue over paint. It won’t work.