Model Railroading And Rust-oleum 2X Spray Paints

Testor’s modeling paints have been a staple for model railroaders for as long as the author can remember. He has used them since he got into the hobby. Their Model Master line was one of the best lines of paints for general use. Great selection of colors, fast drying times and low odor. Unfortunately, Testor’s has discontinued this line. The replacement line has yet to be tested enough to satisfy the model railroader. At club meetings the talk is that generally they have not been tried.

The venerable Dullcote and Glosscote have also been discontinued but are still available as long as warehouses have them (while supplies last). Other enamel paints still remain as they have but the master line has changed. The one big problem that the author can find with these paints is the price for the quantity, 3 oz. for $6.49 or $2.16 per ounce.

So, what does the model railroader community do now?

Not everyone realizes that Testor’s is owned by the Rust-oleum Corporation. They are known for their many different lines of paints. With that in mind, the author researched these different lines and found the 2X line which touted the fact that they were specifically formulated to work well with plastics. Now, up front, these paints are not formulated to match any railroad paint schemes. However, if you are modeling non-specific livery cars the sky’s the limit on color.

As examples, the author has recently created some Department of Energy (D.O.E.) gondolas in two different gloss finish colors, blue and white, and also a Saskatchewan covered hopper in a different gloss color (Meadow Green) with these paints. He also used the Clear Matte spray as a replacement for Dullcote on the gondolas but left the gloss finish on the hopper (you can see this in Figures 1 & 2). The gondolas were all undecorated, black models before painting. The hopper was an AccuRail series 2000 undecorated model kit. See the figures for the results after paint and decals were applied.

Figure 1 D.O.E. Gondola painted 2X Bright Blue

Figure 2 Hopper painted 2X Meadow Green

The paints come in a variety of finishes. Gloss, semi-gloss, satin and matte. Gloss was used in the example cars to allow decaling without having to add another gloss coat on top of flat paint. This was very convenient. The author has not seen yellowing of the matte finish applied after the cars were decaled and he continues to watch for it. Yellowing would be an immediate no-go.

According to Rust-oleum the following are the dry times for these paints. Dry and recoat times are based on 70ºF and 50% relative humidity. Allow more time at cooler temperatures.

• Dries to touch in 20 minutes
• To handle in 1 hour
• Is fully dry in 24 hours.

From the author’s experience these times are accurate for the 2X paints used on the model railroad cars that he has tested. The exception to this is the Matte Clear finish (Dullcote equivalent) which had similar handling times to Dullcote. After one hour he could do whatever he wished with the cars.

Now back to the original problem. As stated earlier, the cost of a single can of Testor’s Model Masters paint was 3 oz. for $6.49 or $2.16 per ounce. A single can of Rust-oleum 2x Paint retails for $5.99. at most retail outlets the price is around $4.50 for a full 12 oz. That works out to $0.38 per ounce. That’s 38 cents per ounce! Your call.

Ace Hardware stores carry the complete line of the Rust-oleum 2X paints. They are also available on Amazon if you are willing to wait for delivery. However, they are also more expensive on Amazon. The author does not know if Amazon carries the complete line.

The full Rust-oleum 2X paint line is exhibited here. 

<Addendum>

The author had a very dark gray undecorated Atlas covered hopper kit which he wanted to be lite gray like most of the hoppers are today. He used Rust-oleum lite gray Automotive primer on the hopper as an experiment and it turned out very well. Not an exact match for the other hoppers but very, very close. After applying clear gloss paint, decals and then 2X Clear Matte paint to set the decals, although the model is not finished, you can see the result in figure 3. 

Figure 3 Lite gray Rust-oleum Automotive Primer result

Give the 2X paints a try. You’ve got nothing to lose.

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