I’m looking for recommendations for paint that would be suitable for airbrushing a model. I want the model to look like a freshly-shopped steam locomotive, so an appropriate level of gloss (not weathered, flat, grayish etc.). The model is an S scale (1/64), UP 4-12-2. It seems like most “engine black” model paints tend to be flatter than I am looking for. Any photos of your models as examples would also be appreciated.
Thank you,
Scott Griggs
Louisville, KY
Hi Scott,
If you don’t mind using solvent based finishes:
Scale Coat II #2001 Loco Black may suit your request. It is a Matte Black finish with a very low gloss level. Cool factor with this is that you can apply 1 to 2 thin coats of clear if you wish to slightly increase the gloss level.
Respectfully, I normally do the reverse in that for black finishes, I prefer to apply Scale Coat II #2010 Gloss black and then tone down the gloss with semi-gloss clears.
Both of these products are black and not charcoal or grayish in tone.
True-Color Flat Black #805 has a slight gloss look, it isn’t truly flat. I use it for my steam as well as signal head back plates.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
I agree with Antonio on the Scalecoat. I like to be able to apply decals without the additional step of adding a gloss coat.
IMG_8500_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
I use Scalecoat 1 on brass and bake it for an hour or two at 185° F or so. Scalecoat 2 is suggested for plastic models.
https://www.minutemanscalemodels.com/
IMG_8503_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
After the decals are set another coat of gloss, then a blended flat/gloss finish can be applied. You can mix the clear finish to the desired degree of “flatness”.
IMG_8545_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
Practice before tackling one of your prized locomotives, there is a learning curve.
Good Luck, Ed
I paint my steamers with Dark Grey Auto primer from a rattle can. After a few hours on the road, even the newest shiniest steamer get covered with coal soot and looks flat grey.
Krylon matte black. It is a rattle can, but it works great, no priming required. I use Krylon for a lot of my models when I can match the colors. The Painters Touch comes out way too thick - avoid those…
Chuck
Scalecoat is my paint of choice for all locos and rolling stock.
Sheldon
I favor either True Color or Model Flex engine black. I use flat black or weathered black on my locomotive trucks and some times on the pilots.
Most steam locomotives, even ones just out of the erecting shop, are seldom all-black, as non-lagged areas, such as the smokebox and firebox are usually treated with a mix of oil and graphite, which can range in colour from brown, to grey, and even silver, depending on the mixture and the preference of the owning railroad.
I prefer to represent most of my steamers as having been in service for sometime, but in most cases, well-maintained.
To that end, cabs and the sides of tenders might be out-of-the-bottle black, but the boiler would be black lightened somewhat with either white or grey…maybe both, as would be the tender deck, while the running gear would be somewhat similar, but with some brown added, and perhaps more grey.
Smokeboxes and fireboxes might be grey-ish, or brown, with a tinge of rust, dependent on when they were last treated with the oil and graphite mix.
Once the painting is done, clear coat is applied, using a fairly glossy version on the cab and tender sides, and a less-shiny version on the boiler jacket. The running gear gets an even duller, but still somewhat shiny, clear coat, while the tender deck get an application of Dullcote.
The smokebox and firebox get no clear coat at all, as they should be dead-flat and not smooth-looking, as would be the case if Dullcote were used.
I also use a brush, and the same semi-gloss as is used on the boiler, to brush-paint the piping and appliances on the smokebox and firebox.
Here are a few examples…
…this one’s pretty-much just out of the shops…
…while this one’s been in service, but still not looking neglected…
[IMG]https://i23.photobu
I never paint anything black. Black does not look black in the sunlit world. If it did, we could not see any detail. It reflects in various shades of gray.
To simulate this on a model I mix (Scalecoat 2) 4 parts black, 1 part white, and 1 part red. This produces a pleasing warm dark gray colour. This also photographs very well to my eye.
Scalecoat 2 is glossy. Your final clear coat after decals will determine the gloss level.
As noted before, other parts of the locmotive might be different colours when it is painted.
This steam locomotive was painted with my warm gray mixture.
This one is black as factory painted by Bachmann.
I also never paint anything pure white. White reflects harshly in photographs. My inner circle of my SGRR herald is white, and it always looks harsh to my eye in photographs.
-Kevin
Thank you to all who replied. You’ve given me some great suggestions, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the photos of your models.
Scott Griggs
Louisville, KY
Few things are more difficult to photograph well than a newly shopped and painted steam locomotive (the prorotype I mean). Milwaukee Road 261, UP 844, N&W 611 - that glossy black throws everything off and details disappear.
Similarly steam loco models that are painted to look like newly shopped and painted engines might glean and glisten beautifully but the detail just seems to melt away. Bachmann’s version of the N&W Class J for example.
For that reason many modelers, and those who take model photographs for a living such as for the old Pacific Fast Mail catalogs, add some gray to the paint, tone down the gloss, and even go so far as to “paint on” some highlights to, in a sense, mimic or replace what toning down the gloss has cost them. They simulate the gloss artificially in other words.
Long long ago a great modeler John Gascoyne wrote (and photographed) an intereting article about how he painted his C&O locomotives, the C&O being one of those railroads (the Milwaukee Road being another) whose steam always looks so much blacker than other railroads’. He was one who simulated the high gloss with highlights in a contrasting shade.
Dave Nelson
I highlight painted a lot of the details on my steamers. Using lighter gray on pipes and handrails can really make them stand out.
-Kevin
unfortunately a real solid black woulld hide detail on most of the model … if you set on a ‘brand new’ black, then at least spray the handrails and piping a slightly lighter colour to help bring out the detail in that area …