has anyone used testors "wet look" clear.....

[foxbat426]

is it any good?? i was going to use it as my clear over flat enamel.

thx

[martinfan5]

Its a good clear coat, I use it and model master ultra clear lacquer

[cobraman]

I have used it plenty of times and I have had good results with it. Don't know about using it over flat enamal however. You may want to do a test on a plastic spoon or a scrap of the plastic your model came with.

[cruz]

The red Impala on this months cover of the magazine is painted in that fashion, don't know who was the crazy guy who built it though....

[JamesW]

I use it all the time. What I do is clear with Duplicolor to seal and protect the paint for handling, then foil and clear with Testors.

[jbwelda]

i typically clear with tamiya first, but for the deep wet look i then overcoat with testors wet look clear. i also like their other clear but it seems to have been disappearing from the shelves probably to be replaced by this wet look lacquer. in cases like this i assume its the old product with a new label but not sure about that in this case.

[martinfan5]

James, what duplicolor clear do you use?

[Dave Ambrose]

I use it a lot and like the results. I haven't had any problems with enamels, but I would keep the first couple of coats really light.

[JamesW]

James, what duplicolor clear do you use?

From the perfect match line.

[martinfan5]

James, thank you for the pics, going to pick up a can and try it out

[Joker]

The red Impala on this months cover of the magazine is painted in that fashion, don't know who was the crazy guy who built it though....

A walking talking model building encyclopedia.

Who will share panel line scribing info with anyone who will listen.

Real nice dude with a great attitude.

James aka Joker

[ZTony8]

I've used both Testor's and Tamiya clear.The Testor's sprays out thicker but is more forgiving over decals than Tamiya's lacquer.

[Merkur XR4Ti]

I've used it as well and like it, but my best results have come after decanting some into a jar and spraying it through an airbrush. For whatever reason when I spray it right from the can I get a ton of bubbles in it that need to be sanded out. Probably user error more than any flaw in the paint itself.

[martinfan5]

I've used it as well and like it, but my best results have come after decanting some into a jar and spraying it through an airbrush. For whatever reason when I spray it right from the can I get a ton of bubbles in it that need to be sanded out. Probably user error more than any flaw in the paint itself.

I have had that happen, I was putting to much on in the area that it happened

[Tom Kren]

I use it and love it !

[MachinistMark]

used to swear by it. Now use 2 part clear.

[Jdurg]

Just curious, but is it a true lacquer? E.G. is it something that can be polished/buffed out using standard automotive products, or is it more of a "lacquer" but still needs to be treated like an enamel?

I have used the Dupli-color clear coat that James posted a picture of, but the only issue I have with that is that it always seems to take a while for it to dry for me. Still, it's a very good clear coat and up until this latest '96 Grand Sport kit that I built, it has been the primary clear coat finish that I've used. However, when I was looking to get the Admiral Blue Metallic color for the Grand Sport, I found a site online with a boatload of color options that had the Admiral Blue (named "Cloissone Blue Metallic" there) which had a nice, large, 12 ounce spray can of clear coat for only $7.95. I figured why not give it a try? After using it on this build, I am floored.

The paint color itself is beautiful, but the clear coat goes on in a way that prevents any type of runs or sags. While it initially appears that it will be bumpy and full of orange peel, as it dries it flattens out and conforms to the surface underneath it beautifully. Also, the clear coat does not negatively impact decal film (the white stripe and the red hash marks are decals from the kit. For the white stripe, I also put another Testors White Decal Paper over the center stripe since the kit's white is a bit too transparent). In addition, it dries very quickly. In a matter of a few hours, it is dry enough to handle. I let it sit for 24 hours, after which there is almost no odor coming off of it. After 48 hours, there is absolutely no odor on it so it has fully degassed. When touching it, it still feels a bit strange, but after using some very fine full scale automotive rubbing/polishing compound on it, it comes out silky smooth. The gloss is incredibly bright (sorry that my photography skills can't capture it), and it has depth to it just like real cars. It's also very, VERY tough. No issues with masking tape on it, or anything else. In fact, at one point I had accidentally dropped a toothpick with some superglue on the end of it onto the driver's side headlight! I was able to wait for the superglue to dry, then it just flaked right off of the clear coat with zero damage. Amazing. I live by this stuff now.

[martinfan5]

Justin, do you have a link for the clear ?

[1930fordpickup]

That looks like good clear Justin . What is the link X2 ?

[Tonioseven]

http://www.automotivetouchup.com/

Edited June 24, 2012 by Tonioseven

[Tonioseven]

I just ordered a can so I can try it for myself; I'm always looking for the next best thing in clearcoats.

[Jdurg]

I just ordered a can so I can try it for myself; I'm always looking for the next best thing in clearcoats.

Yeah, I love this stuff. It is a bit more "noxious" with regards to the fumes, so that is something you definitely need to keep in mind and do your spraying outside, or in a spray booth that is well ventilated. In addition to their clear, they also have a boatload of other paint products there. Paint pens, small touch-up bottles, the aerosol rattle cans, medium sized cans of paint (for spraying), and large cans for spraying. The primer is a good one that is quite fine and "bites" to the surface without damaging it.

Their color paints go on and then seem to "dull" out. They are definitely not one-shot, no clear paints. The basically "flat" sheen of the color coats likely is what lets the clear "bite" onto the color and really attach firmly to it.

One MAJOR thing to keep in mind when using their aerosol cans is that they are designed for use on full scale automobiles. Therefore, I noticed that the 12 ounce can of the Admiral Blue Metallic I bought was all used up when I put two coats on my kit. Likely because a good volume of paint comes out in a wide spray pattern. With the clear coat, which is the same size can, I was able to get a feel for the paint volume with the spray pattern and was able to apply two coats to all parts of the car and there's a small amount left in the can. (Not enough for another kit, but the build I used it on had to spray the body, the hood, the front fender piece, and the hardtop). So if there is any issue I have with the product is that it puts out a lot of paint volume with the spray. If there was a way to modify that nozzle and have it put out less volume, that'd be great. But now that I know the intricacies of the spraying, I'll be able to make better use of the product. Especially if I'm getting another color from them.

Clear and primer, I'm definitely going to stock up on once my finances allow it. Colors will be limited to those which I cannot find a Dupli-Color Perfect Match can of. ($7.00 for a can is better than $20.00 for a can). Still, the qualities of the product are so great that I see myself going back to them for each kit I build.

And yes, I know I sound like a freaking commercial with how often I mention them and talk about them, but I'm just a very satisfied customer and want other's to benefit. In fact, the customer service there is incredible. Before buying the product, I sent an e-mail asking if the product would be compatible with the polystyrene used in model cars, and got a response almost immediately. They said that their paints aren't designed with polystyrene plastic in mind, but they have had many reports from customers saying that it worked fine. Also, when using my first can of clear, there was an issue with the nozzle and paint just started spraying out of it like a fountain. It was a defect in the can and after I called them they apologized profusely and immediately shipped out another can free of charge. Customer service like that is another positive for the product.

Finally, in the latest issue of SAE, in one of their articles they showed a can of their product that someone was using.

[Jdurg]

Here's a good photo showing the gloss. Just took this with my iPhone. I REALLY love this Admiral Blue Metallic color. In ambient light, it's a really deep dark blue color. In direct light, or even better in sunlight, it is fairly bright and metallic. I may want to pick up more to paint other cars.

BTW, if I were to ever do this kit again, I would likely try and convert a larger scale C4 style Corvette and paint it properly. Arctic White basecoat, mask off where the center white stripe is, paint the AB Metallic, then use white decal film for the thin pinstriping like they do on the real thing. It would take an extensive amount of body work and perhaps some custom resin molded parts to convert the MPC 1988 Corvette into the 1996 Grand Sport, but maybe that will be something on my model building bucket list, or perhaps Revell will produce a 1996 C4 large scale Vette. lol.

[gtx6970]

I've been using Duplicolor spray cans on the last dozen or so cars I've painted, And I've used the Duplicolor clear and had mixed results , so I tried and use this on 90% of want I want to clear now. It's urethane

[cruz]

You get terrific results with the Testor's wet look, people very often ask me if my clear is urethane, that's how good it looks if you wetsand it and Polish it right!