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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