I aquired a USA Trains Northern Pacific GP9 from one of the members of our club. Other then a little dust its in great shape except on one side behind the cab. There is a small area of the black paint that has chipped off. It looks like there are a couple of paint bubbles that need to be fixed so I want to know if there is anything special about the black paint that USA Trains use.
I have attached some pictures.
I recall I used Polly Scale Steam Power Black to patch a couple of spots on my short hood after removing the steam generator detail (BN unit, not NP but I’m guessing the black is close between the two). Close match if I remember right. If you’re going to weather it eventually, something close enough might work. Or if you’re feeling really adventurous remove the paint on both doors and repaint to represent doors replaced in service.
double post when I went to edit?
double post?
Perhaps USA Trains can be of assistance. Owing to the fact that the trains are manufactured in China, they may have resources state side that can provide details about the types of paints they use and the exact colors. Just a thought.
Personally, I would color match it as best as I could and roll on. After all, real locomotives look really nasty and they are far from perfect in terms of colors and logos.
I know that Aristo supposedly used Floquil paints. I don’t know if USA used the same line or not. But now that Floquil paints are no longer made, I would see if I could find a close alternative in the Model Master/Testors line. Alternatively. Micro Mark is coming out with paints that are supposedly a match for some of the Floquil paints. They do have a steam powered black in that line
Please excuse my ignorance, but why does Chuck need model paint? Why does Lowes or Home Depot paint not work for models? I know model paints come in small jars, and even the sample jars at L or HD are huge in comparison, and cost more than little jars of model paint. Is it a chemical difference or just a cost issue? My HD store can match any color I want.
Bill, house paint isn’t the same as model (plastic) paint. Chemically there are differences, and the pigments in quality model paint are ground finer, so that a thinner coat will cover without obscuring the details. I am not a chemist, nor do I play one on TV, so I cant say what all the differences are.
As for quantity, Lowe’s sells custom mixed paint in trial sizes, and I have used them for trim and detail work inside. Unfortunately they do not sell exterior paint in the trial sizes.
Thanks, David M. Now I know.
Bill, a thought did occur to me though. Years ago I went to a NAPA to get some paint custom mixed to match my Mazda pick up. Now it was a lacquer paint, but maybe some auto places deal in enamels. Of course it would be gloss, and it would be a quart. It was just a thought.
Unless one is color blind, (not an uncommon thing), one can mix their own pint easily using Tamiya Colors. I know. I am pretty darn good at it. Though, some colors, like black require a steady eye and a good bright light. Don’t use neon type lighting as this will distort the color you are trying to mix.
Anyway, that is my experience.
Stacy, getting a perfect match takes a good eye and know how. I have been able to match some colours and others, well, I just do a repaint after failing to match a few times.
If one wishes the optimum color match, do your matching outside on a sunny day, in natural lighting. All other light sources introduce some form of color distortion, unless you have long arms and deep pockets to purchase photographic quality color balanced lighting.
As for mixing, the pro’s aren’t perfect at it. Color formulas are dependent on the quality and batch of the individual colors involved, and may vary from ix to mix, even using the same brand of paint.
Bob C.
David, they used to make little paint sticks, kinda like Magic Markers, with auto touch up paint. Of course, those couldn’t be custom mixed.
Bob, and that is why when you have 2 gallon containers of paint you either mix them together, or switch from one to the other when you move from one wall to the next. If you change from one gallon to another in the middle of the wall the slight difference in colour (if there is any) looks terrible. Yes, I found that out the hard way.
Bill, yea. And the one I had made one heck of a mess…
David Maynard said:
Stacy, getting a perfect match takes a good eye and know how. I have been able to match some colours and others, well, I just do a repaint after failing to match a few times.
Which is kind of funny since no locomotive or car I have seen in real life ever really looks perfect.
It is those imperfections that make the locomotives and cars look realistic and not merely another toy.
js
Stacey,
I would totally agree with the following caveat - Minor differences over the massive side of a 1:1 scale passenger car will be hardly noticed due to the surface area. The same minor color shift on even a full 1:20 scale passenger car is far more noticeable due to the considerable reduction in surface area.
Compound that with lighting colors shifts, what the eye ‘sees’, the colors them selves and even an extremely small color shift can stand out like a sore thumb.
Bob C.
An additional thought came to mind this morning. Consider watching a couple of the car shows where they rework or repair and repaint cars. Color matching is the most difficult part of the process. Highly successful painters will use ‘style lines’, door seams, window edges, etc to hide the ‘imperfect’ match by deceiving the eye with a natural break line.
Bob C.