# Moebius Jupiter 2 hull painting treatment



## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

What paint brands, custom mixtures, and/or other finishing techniques are my fellow J-2 builders liking for their "silver," "grey," or "silver-grey" exteriors? 

Kindly post your thoughts, tips, warnings, and test strips here!


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

For the most "Hero" look, I'm using a white primer, and Testors "Steel" which is a flat silver gray.


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

I have used German Silver in the past and like the bluish/silver non-glossy look.


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## jaws62666 (Mar 25, 2009)

Im trying the Krylon grey primer and brushed nickle top coat


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## Chuck Eds (Jul 20, 2009)

I've always used Testor's silver (#1246 I think) & dullcoat, simple & effective!


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

As I posted in my thread, Tamiya Mica Silver...





For the Interior, I painted it the colors Moebius suggested, except for the floor and several odds and ends...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I will probably use Tamiya Gloss Aluminum in a spray can. Very smooth and durable. You can handle it, tape over it etc without smudging, finger prints, etc. If I want something brighter I might try the Testors AMC silver lacquer in their auto lacquer series. It was great on my LiS Robot.


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

beatlepaul said:


> As I posted in my thread, Tamiya Mica Silver...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I love your exterior treatment. I may go that route, but I'd like the finish to be a bit less glossy, so I may use a bit of a dull coat-not much, thru an airbrush.


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## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

*Tamiya!*

I'm planning on using Tamiya spray for the two halves of the hull and interior.
I'm going to use their whit primer, Wooden deck tan, light sand, Red brown, & gray green for the interior, & Either metallic silver or Mica silver for the outer hull. Not sure which of the two yet. I'll get both and test on some scrap plastic to see which looks better to me naked eye.


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## The Robinson (Mar 2, 2010)

What is the diameter of the J2 interior floor inner circle. is there some schematic showing that


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

I'll be using the Krylon Brushed Nickle rattlecan spray for the recessed hull areas, and Tamiya Mica Silver as the main hull color, all atop a layer of white primer.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

djnick66 said:


> I will probably use Tamiya Gloss Aluminum in a spray can. Very smooth and durable. You can handle it, tape over it etc without smudging, finger prints, etc. If I want something brighter I might try the Testors AMC silver lacquer in their auto lacquer series. It was great on my LiS Robot.


*Ditto*


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## Gary K (Aug 26, 2002)

The Robinson said:


> What is the diameter of the J2 interior floor inner circle. is there some schematic showing that


On the studio set, the circle had a radius of 9 feet, so at 1/35 scale, you get a radius of 3.086".

Gary


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## XMAN64 (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm using Krylon dull Aluminum......no gloss and no metal fleck yet it has the clean metal grey look when you hold it up to a light...The closest thing that I can compare it to is that it looks like the tamiya gloss aluminum but without the gloss.


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

In the past, I have painted a;; of my Jupiter 2's testors metallic silver however, it scratches easily and fingerprints are a nitemare even after 12 years. BeatlePauls looks great in mica silver and tamiya i am finding out is much stronger and resists fingerprints & drys harder while the testors seemed to always dry slower/softer and would always scratch easier. All of my J-2s had all the same color on the outside hulls & inside the landing gear bays & the legs themselves which looks good. I am trying to picture the landing gear bays a different color than the hulls and maybe the landing legs as well, how many here are doing the same ?


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

bert model maker said:


> In the past, I have painted a;; of my Jupiter 2's testors metallic silver however, it scratches easily and fingerprints are a nitemare even after 12 years. BeatlePauls looks great in mica silver and tamiya i am finding out is much stronger and resists fingerprints & drys harder while the testors seemed to always dry slower/softer and would always scratch easier. All of my J-2s had all the same color on the outside hulls & inside the landing gear bays & the legs themselves which looks good. I am trying to picture the landing gear bays a different color than the hulls and maybe the landing legs as well, how many here are doing the same ?


I want to make the fusion core and the landing legs a slightly darker shade of Mica Silver.


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## cunumdrum (Jun 26, 2009)

bert model maker said:


> In the past, I have painted a;; of my Jupiter 2's testors metallic silver however, it scratches easily and fingerprints are a nitemare even after 12 years. BeatlePauls looks great in mica silver and tamiya i am finding out is much stronger and resists fingerprints & drys harder while the testors seemed to always dry slower/softer and would always scratch easier. All of my J-2s had all the same color on the outside hulls & inside the landing gear bays & the legs themselves which looks good. I am trying to picture the landing gear bays a different color than the hulls and maybe the landing legs as well, how many here are doing the same ?


I am using testors metaliser titanium on the gear wells, the footpads and a portion of the strut. The upper portion the "hydraulic ram" I am using metaliser polished aluminum. They are buffable and I will seal with metaliser sealer. I wanted a slightly different look for the gear etc. The outer hull I will use Alclad lacquer.


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## mmmmp (Jan 15, 2010)

I used Tamiya TS-17 for the main hull. I let it dry about 5 days and gave it a light 
mirco-fibre polish. Looks great.

For the fusion core and landing legs I used rattlecan Testors 'chrome'. I let it dry 2 weeks and it still was soft and picked up a LOT of fingerprints. I gently polished with a q-tip and then vigorously polished with a mirco fibre cloth. It helped, looks okay, but it's not acceptable as is. (The core is fine - the legs are the issue.) My last hope it to clear coat and do one last buffing. If this dosen't work I'm going to buy the hero legs. They look a little beyond my skill level, but I'm really try to make this thing look as good as possible where it counts. FWIW, I placed one white LED in each landing well - so it shines directly onto the pad....this offsets the wells and gives nice difinition to the ship in general. I'm not a great modeller, so the easier I can do things the better. 

I'll post a couple of pics soon, I'm still having trouble using photobucket despite the kind help I've received here.

Mark


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Testors Chrome never dries. A clear coat will turn it a nice dull grey color. You can remove it easily enough with Super Clean, Purple Power, etc. Also, Tamiya's plastic safe lacquer thinner will strip it off in a jiffy, as will Gunze Mr. Color Thinner.

If you want a bright Tamiya shade, they have Bare Metal Silver in their AS series for polished metal.


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## mmmmp (Jan 15, 2010)

>Testors Chrome never dries.<

So, it's not just me! 

>A clear coat will turn it a nice dull grey color.<

Oh, that's not what I'm after. Good to know, you saved me some time.

>You can remove it easily enough with Super Clean, Purple Power, etc. Also, >Tamiya's plastic safe lacquer thinner will strip it off in a jiffy, as will Gunze >Mr. Color Thinner.<

I generally use Easy Off, but I've been wondering about that Tamiya product. I'm gonna' try that.

>If you want a bright Tamiya shade, they have Bare Metal Silver in their AS >series for polished metal.<

I'll indeed check out that BMS. 

Great advice. I didn't realise it, but I'm almost finished except for final installation of some more LEDS, practicals and a couple of other minor things. 

Thanks as always, 
Mark


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

While I have not picked up the M J2 yet (I know, I know) I did build several of the PL J2's. I used Testors Metalizer buffable aluminum. However, I did not "buff" the paint before I sealed it with gloss coat. Out of the can, all the Metalizers have a slight "texture" to them. This gives them a flat metalic color. When sprayed with a gloss coat you get a nice textured semi-gloss metalic finish. In my eyes it looked perfect. :thumbsup: That's what I will do with the M J2. I may pick one up at Wonderfest in May.


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## Dar (Apr 20, 2007)

robiwon said:


> While I have not picked up the M J2 yet (I know, I know) I did build several of the PL J2's. I used Testors Metalizer buffable aluminum. However, I did not "buff" the paint before I sealed it with gloss coat. Out of the can, all the Metalizers have a slight "texture" to them. This gives them a flat metalic color. When sprayed with a gloss coat you get a nice textured semi-gloss metalic finish. In my eyes it looked perfect. :thumbsup: That's what I will do with the M J2. I may pick one up at Wonderfest in May.


Thats what I did with my unfinished PL. It gives it that nice texture and to me it looked correct.


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

I'm pretty bad about not "following the rest of the lemmings" and doing the exact same thing as the multitudes. I haven't posted it yet, but I finished my PL 12" J2 in House of Kolors "Orion Silver" microflake basecoat, and topped it with "Kosmic Klear" kandy that has some super-microscopic rainbow flake in it! A gnat would bust his ass if he landed on this thing it's so shiny and smooth! LOL! I left the inside uncleared so it has a matte silver finish, but still sparkles in good light. I'm going to do the 18" version and probably the next Chariot I build the same way. I'll be posting the 12" soon so you can see it, or maybe I'll shoot some pics this weekend of the hull for you. Dare to be different! :freak:


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

I've been looking at the ALSA and Kosmic Color paints as well, for the hull. I think I am leaning towards a white pearlescent finish for the hull, either over a gunmetal base, or not.... I'm not sure. If it's going to be pearlescent white (or over metallic, if that even works), then I will probably use ALSA pearl base, or Tamiya.

I mentioned elsewhere that the few PL models I have laying around that I never finished may see drastically different mods (or hacks, if you will) of the main one.... I am still mulling over taking another Moebius version and giving the J2 a "steampunk" treatment, but that's just an idea....copper, rivets, an interior that evokes the 20,000 Leagues Nautilus... I need to finish my main one first before I get any grandiose ideas, haha.... 

as far as the other ones, maybe a military green version, for the "Miltary Industrial Complex" J2... or one with elaborate graffiti on it, as if it were a subway car in The Bronx :lol:

Just silly fun ideas, my main one is one I want to make a showstopper, and I don't necessarily care too terribly much about being "canon" about it. For example, the J2 in the astrogator will definitely not be yellow with a pinwheel on it. :freak:

Overall, I want the interior to look a bit more subdued than the general suggestions ask for. I just have not decided much at this point.

All I really know is that I just don't know! :drunk:


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

^^ If you can track down the innovation comic that Bill Mumy co-wrote you'd see the J2 treated very much as you describe. part steampunk, part borg. it was described as being the result of many years of patching and repairing and cannabalizing alien tech


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

here's the cover


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

I forgot I had a few unfinished photos (it still isn't finished-this is the 12" PL version) I'll take some shots in the sun if it comes out this weekend!

It looks nice and shiny here, but you still can't see the "aurora" effect you get in the sun. I like that idea of a pearl white finish! But, a true pearl white is really achieved by using a white basecoat, then using the pearl powder of your color choice mixed in the clear topcoat. The alternative is now some companies offer pearl basecoats you just clear over. I use automotive grade urethane enamel from House of Kolors. You have to make sure you have a good primer coat (several for that matter), then you have a 2 part basecoat consisiting of a base and reducer mix. The final kosmic klear topcoat consists of the klear, reducer, and catalyst. I've done it for so long I don't even think about it, but it's a lot of work (and expense) when you first start using this method. I use an automotive touch-up gun on larger kits like this too, it yields a nice smooth finish, and of course the airbrush on my smaller builds. You mentioned that "chrome" paint from Testors, throw it away! The only good method of chroming on models is "Alclad", which has to be airbrushed over a gloss black (thats correct) basecoat. A litle tricky to master, but what a finish it yields if applied right! 

Little interior peek..............

Oh, and here's some stuff shot with Alclad to replace old or damaged kit chrome---------


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Jeebus!! I had that skull kit!

parallel lives, I'm tellin'ya!


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

Lou, it's funny you mentioned the Innovation LIS comics, I treated myself last week to the entire run of that comic (18 issues, plus annuals and special issues, I only need to buy the finished "Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul" 350 page graphic novel by Mumy, that completes that story arc before Innovation yanked) . From what I have seen so far, it does a fantastic job of extending the story, excising the over-the-top camp factor, and keeping the characters pretty much intact. 

It's interesting to see how the J2 is presented there, with all the changes and mods you mentioned...and I absolutely love the backstory given to it, how the J2 was built on alien technology from a crashed saucer, and the subplot involving Aeolus 14 Umbra. 

It's a great addition to any LIS fan's collection.

Tim, from what I have read, I HAVE seen that for a true chrome-like finish, it's best to start with a gloss black basecoat, and from all the technical things you mentioned, it makes me want to lean more toward a simple pearl white finish, and perhaps use the Tamiya Light Gunmetal color for things like the landing gear and/or inside the landing gear wells. The pearl white is just something that (to me) evokes that look of the J2 in the pilot, but also again, just IMO, nods toward the clean look of, say, the Icarus in Planet of the Apes, something Kubrickian (without all the greeblies :lol, or even the NASA space program. 

Those are all fantastic pics, and I can see the glossiness in the reflection of the hull! And I've seen in other pics the prismatic effect you refer to, and it was definitely something I considered a possibility at one point. :thumbsup:

So, in effect.... an automotive finish will not eat away at the styrene plastic, eh?


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Primer, primer, primer.........Several coats of (believe it or not) Krylon sandable/fillable grey, available at your local K-Mart! LOL. I quit using expensive 3M primer years ago, and I haven't had one paint job go bad since I started shooting this stuff about 15 years ago! I generally lightly sand it with some 600, then primering and start painting. I will let it sit in primer usually for a week or two to totally gas out. 

I'm a sucker for Pearl White too. I love to add some microflake in the mix. I'm partial to the green or blue pearls, or sometimes I toss both in the mix! I did a Fender Stratocaster a few years back for a guy, who wanted it to look like his 70's Firebird he had years ago. I did it white pearl with kandy blue racing stripes and it was totally bitchin'! 

I did this Christmas Mailbox Trike a few years back with some green pearl in the mix, but the flip-flop doesn't show up well in artificial light....



I think a pearl white J2/Gemini would be awesome! (and different!)

Lou, "Ghost of the Red Baron", now worth several hundred dollars in just about any condition. Designed by my good friend, Tom Daniel. If you have the book "The history of Monogram Models" by Thomas Graham, this build and just about 70% of the other builds in the chapter about Tom Daniel are mine! My only claim to fame in my lifetime of model building!


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## mmmmp (Jan 15, 2010)

Very interesting stuff here!

FWIW, I also play a Gibson Firebird. (Vintage Sunburst finish.)

Mark


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

SO, as I continue dry-fitting and other little tasks, I have amassed a few different types of "pearl" paint. What I've discovered through a few tests is that I am not too terribly fond of the Tamiya Pearl White Lacquer Spray. It looks basically like a shimmery, glittery clear coat. I was looking for something that had some depth to it, and perhaps a bit of a color spectrum under different light. I've tried laying down some base colors to work on top of, to see what effects I would get...black? Nope. Tamiya light gunmental? Nope. Not too fond of that one at all, it looks even more "glittery". 

I did find something in a bottle at the art supply store today... Creatix Pearl White. It doesn't have the subtle prismatic thing I was thinking about, but that's fine... there's a translucence and depth to it that I am liking. I know it's for airbrushing, but I took a few practice strokes of it with a flat paintbrush on a gray primed old PL J2 I have laying around, and I like what I see, so far. It's metallic, it's pearly, and in brushing one layer over another, NOW I have this wild hair to consider adding a subtle AZTECING effect to the Moebius J2.

:freak: OY.

In the past I was always of the thought that the hull of J2 should come off looking like a precision-tooled, singular-forged and SEAMLESS shell, but with the interaction of layers of the Createx Pearl, it's got my head spinning in a whole other direction, now. I do want the effect, if I do it, to be subtle, barely noticeable in fact, until you've looked at it for a few seconds, or for light reflecting off of it to bring it out .... and I'll most likely come up with a pattern of sorts in Illustrator and plot it out on the laser cutter onto some stencil material. NOT entirely sure yet, and a far cry from the pearl white I envisioned at first. 

Choices, choices! AAAAAH!!!!


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

I've been amassing an Alclad collection, but don't know which I would want to use. Doesn't sound like anyone is considering that option. (That alclad skull photo on p2 looked awful nice though.)


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

Model Man said:


> I've been amassing an Alclad collection, but don't know which I would want to use. Doesn't sound like anyone is considering that option. (That alclad skull photo on p2 looked awful nice though.)


Oh, I saw some little bottles of those today, and was actually thinking about them! Now, THOSE have that prismatic effect I was talking about, but I could not decide if I wanted to go with a reddish, greenish or bluish cast.

So I got none. 

Actually, i think I was trying to figure out its chemical makeup, and how to layer it with a water based pearl (like the Createx).

(I may still go back and get them for something, I need to think about it a little more, and I want to read up more on how best to use lacquer in combination with other paints....what goes on top of what, what kind of protection the plastic needs, etc...)


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## Asmenoth (Feb 27, 2009)

Not sure about layering in the creatix as the Alclad are lacquer based paints. You could try it as the coats go on rather thin.


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

That's what I am learning from all this reading...here, and whatever else I can find and retain.

It's somewhat easier with paintings (and wall painting for that matter): you can paint oil over water base, but never the opposite. Same principle, it seems, except lacquers would be grouped with oil, as common sense would have it. 

AND, following that logic, I would think the Alclad could go OVER the Createx...is that a correct assumption?

:hat:


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

WmTodd said:


> ...(I may still go back and get them for something, I need to think about it a little more...


And at $8/bottle, thought is definitely required.

I think lacquer's safe over enamels, but not the other way around. Dunno about latex, acrylic or other media.


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## logon (Apr 13, 2010)

RSN said:


> I have used German Silver in the past and like the bluish/silver non-glossy look.


well said friend


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## Orne (Feb 23, 1999)

The 'steampunk' version referred to above, built over a 1/24 scale LM J2 kit and later used as artists' photo-reference during the Innovation LIS comic-series run:

http://culttvman.com/main/?p=6416
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=6502#more-6502

For those looking to make the landing gear retract, this was the method I used (based on the 1/35 scale J2 plans Mike Evans sent me); I recommend replacing the rubber tube insert with ball-jacks.


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

I like that variant on the Jupiter 2, and the comic stories it's based on are really enjoyable and demonstrate what a good show LIS could be/could have been with good writers.

When I mention "steampunk", this was more what I was envisioning:

http://www.culttvman.biz/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7303932

More like copper, rivets, pipes, gears..... something like Jules Verne's (or Disney's) Nautilus.


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## Orne (Feb 23, 1999)

I think that Victorian treatment of the Voyager is 'steampunk'; only thing I was pointing out was that the Innovation version had been similarly labeled. My opinion was it was had more of a Star Wars greebly/Terminator 'Tech Noir' look, which is why so many silver/chrome metallic schemes were worked into the interior/exterior.


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

Yes, very greebly. :thumbsup:

Yep, we're on the same page about all that.


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## Darkstar (Jan 27, 2010)

Are most of you guys leaving whatever grey colors you chose as the FINAL top coat or are you applying any type of clear coat or sealer? And if so, won't it make the finish either too shinny or dull? I haven't started this one yet but I remember totaly ruining a kit once by covering it with a clear coat as it changed the entire color so I'm skittish about this if it is needed. Thanks.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

If in doubt, white primer and Tamiya Mica Silver rattlecan spray will give you superb results.


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## Darkstar (Jan 27, 2010)

Seaview said:


> If in doubt, white primer and Tamiya Mica Silver rattlecan spray will give you superb results.


Sounds good but should we be using a clear coat or seal over the Tamiya or leave it as is? Thanks.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Leave as is, my friend!


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Darkstar said:


> Sounds good but should we be using a clear coat or seal over the Tamiya or leave it as is? Thanks.


NO clear coat is Needed!

As Is Will do!:thumbsup:


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## Darkstar (Jan 27, 2010)

No clear coat, thanks guys. :thumbsup:


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Seaview said:


> If in doubt, white primer and Tamiya Mica Silver rattlecan spray will give you superb results.


Well said Seaview ! I cannot find mica silver on the shelves. I have always painted my Jupiter 2's with testors metallic silver & it looks good However, it is prone to scratching and takes along time to dry completely. Tamiya paints are much more durable In my opinion & they dry a lot quicker. Has anyone painted the interior of their upper hull to block light from shining through the hull from the inside ?


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Bert.
I used some foil tape on the inside of my hull (top) but only in the freezer tube wall area

the bottom I sprayed flat black before I started.


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

I've painted the inside hull black on both halves, glued magnets in on the larger registration pins and may glue some more along the rims. Haven't painted on the outside of the hull, yet. 

I've painted a few pieces on the smaller assemblies, and things have gotten to the point where I need to figure out the flow of things, what gets painted before what gets wired before what gets permanently glued. Meanwhile, a large portion of the interior is dry-fitted and held together with little strips of foil tape so it doesn't jiggle around, pending painting, drilling for Fiber Optics, etc.....

It seems to me that the landing gear needs to be painted before going in, but before that, the interior of the landing gear wells need to be painted, but maybe I need to decide where to place an LED for best effect in each landing gear well. :freak: I think....

Also, with the windows in the teeny little doors in the landing gear well.... notice how they back up against an opaque wall of styrene? Has anyone else thought about opening up a hole and backlighting those windows, and/or frosting the little window?


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## skinnyonce (Dec 17, 2009)

WmTodd said:


> Also, with the windows in the teeny little doors in the landing gear well.... notice how they back up against an opaque wall of styrene? Has anyone else thought about opening up a hole and backlighting those windows, and/or frosting the little window?


thats a thought not occured to me, maybe some green/ red fiber optics for the door opener controls ?????


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

Even better!


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## richlen2 (Apr 2, 2009)

I am getting tremendous results with
1. White Primer
2. Krylon Metallics Bright Silver--it's very inexpensive, goes on beautiful and is very durable.
3. The new Painters Choice 2X Gloss Clear Coat. 

I painted the bottoms with these over the last week letting each one dry in a nice sunny window (not hot) for 48 hours. It looks really bright and everyone I show it to goes WOW! No it's not the exact look of the show but it is impressive. For that I'd go with a testors buffed metalizer


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

Every model I light, the insides go black almost first step. If the guts need to bounce light around, they go silver after the black. Light glowing thru plastic is called subsurface scattering -much like shining a light against your finger and seeing the bone and blood vessels. Metal doesn't do this. To stop it, a coat of black will do. A coat of silver would do as well, but I like to double down on some bets.

I placed those doors in poz and hadn't thought about cutting the windows out, but will now! Thanks, WMT! 

Good one on the fiber idea, skinny!


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Looking at my upper hull witha light inside i can see light shining through the plastic where it is thinner. maybe paint the inside upper hull flat black & when thats cured, spray some Buff/tan color on top of the black to match the walls of the ship. Hopefully that will keep light from shining through to the outside hull.


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

I've decided on using Scalecoat II (Plastic compatible) model RR paint for the silver. The micro pigment means all the detail will still be there, not covered by those heavy rattlecan layers. Scalecoat II also dries for real, and won't fingerprint later. I did an entire passenger car fleet without any problems. very uniform coverage too.


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