Metal Colors

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Company: Acrylicos Vallejo - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: Acrylicos Vallejo - Website: Visit Site

Vallejo has introduced a series of eighteen metallic colors in their Metal Colors line. This also includes a glossy black primer and a gloss protective varnish. Each bottle is 32ml (1.08 ounces) and has an excellent pour dropper which is angled. MSRP is $10.99 per bottle.

The colors reviewed are:

  • 77.701 - Aluminum
  • 77.702 - Duraluminum
  • 77.703 - Dark Aluminum
  • 77.704 - Pale Burnt Metal
  • 77.706 - White Aluminum
  • 77.707 - Chrome
  • 77.710 - Copper
  • 77.711 - Magnesium
  • 77.712 - Steel
  • 77.713 - Jet Exhaust
  • 77.716 - Semi Matte Aluminum
  • 77.717 - Matt Aluminum
  • 77.720 - Gun Metal Gray
  • 77.721 - Burnt Iron
  • 77.723 - Exhaust Manifold
  • 77.724 - Silver
  • 77.657 - Gloss Metal Varnish
  • 77.660 - Gloss Black Primer

A quick review of the paint itself. It is prethinned and will need mixed before use (which is normal as almost all metal colors settle). There is no smell from the bottle or when spraying which is wonderful. The color selection is great and should allow for many different models to be painted with all the varied colors. To test this paint, I wanted to do several things. First, I wanted to try some different base coats. I tried the supplied gloss black, Tamiya gloss black thinned with lacquer thinner and lastly, Tamiya decanted gloss silver from the spray can. Second, I wanted to spray all the colors over the basecoats and see how they sprayed. Lastly, I wanted to get the colors on an actual model and see what it looks like on the real thing.

I based coated a piece of styrene with each of the three base coats I wanted to try. The Vallejo base coat did require that I remove the tip guard from my airbrush. Normally, when using my double action, I keep a tip guard on it so I don’t bend the needle. In this case the paint stuck to it and sprayed globs. Once removed, the material spayed well. All three dried quickly.

I sprayed the color coats. First, I sprayed the colors. A couple notes. Low pressure (10-20psi) worked the best. Also, build the colors slowly, you don’t want to try and build quickly but you can mist it and it builds beautifully. I sprayed all the colors and they all performed well. The matt aluminum was little different as it built a little slower due to the matting agents. Drying time was very quick…five minutes to the touch. One thing that impressed me was that after a day, these coatings are rock hard. You can’t leave a fingerprint on it!

Lastly, I wanted to do a kit and chose Kitty Hawk XF5U Flying Pancake. As usual, I built and prepped the kit with a eye toward the Metal Colors. In other words, the surface needs prepared flawlessly as the metallic look shows all errors. I could have used some more time but I wanted to get the painted tested. I base coated the top with Tamiya gloss black and the bottom with Vallejo black and let both cure for a couple days. I used seven colors. I misted the primary aluminum color over the entire kit. It dried quickly and I masked it off later the same day using Tamiya tape. I sprayed the center panel’s steel, the exhausts magnesium, the leading edges of the tail white aluminum, and several panels chrome. I added miscellaneous panels of duraluminum and dark aluminum. I was totally impressed how hard the coatings were - I would not leave fingerprints no matter how I tried. My last test was to see how the dried coatings were affected by chemicals. I tested them with super glue kicker and all of the decal sets. Nothing affected it and left marks. That is awesome to know. I finished off the kit and used it to spray the windshield also without any issues. One note about the pictures - they really don’t show well just how god the paint went on and looks when done.

So, in summary, these paints are awesome. Easy to apply, great coverage, all sorts of colors and go well over all sorts of base coats. And they are acrylics and have no odor. Highly, highly recommended. Finds something metallic and use these and you will be totally impressed. My thanks to Alex Vallejo for the opportunity to review these paints.

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