Chrome trim or painted trim?

[gbdolfans]

Hey guys and gals,I would love some opinions.I am working on the Revell '55 Bel Air hardtop.It is the one that has the Goodguys logo on it and comes with the soda tray with sodas.I painted it with one of the One Coat Lacquers and it looks great.The best paint job I think I have done.

I know most of you use Bare Metal foil for the window trim.I do not have this and have not tried it.I usually use Model Master Enamal "Silver chrome trim".It satisfies me.

The question is should I use the paint or leave the trim,"Body Color" to match the body.I know bumpers and grilles are painter body color,but,what about the trim around the windows.

I will try the foil in the future,but not now.

I really want to thank all that reply in advance!!!! :D

I will try to post a pic later today or tomorrow!!

[Harry P.]

Wouldn't that be totally up to you and your own taste?

I mean, asking a question like this isn't going to solve anything... you'll get some guys who say paint it, some who say leave it body color, and in the end you haven't really accomplished anything.

I don't mean to dump on you, but I don't get why you asked this...

[bill_rules]

Paint one side, foil the other and turn it around on the shelf every now and then.

Edited June 6, 2012 by bill_rules

[Harry P.]

Paint one side, foil the other and turn it around on the shelf every now and then.

Now there's an idea!

[Guest]

Invest in BMF!! You will never paint again, it just doesnt look good, no matter how good a painter you may be. And it's easier than painting to boot!

[gbdolfans]

I was just asking to see if anyone has done this or if anyone has heard of it being done???

That is making the trim body color.

Bill,that is an idea I did not think of.Thanks!!

[cobraman]

You could mask and paint but to be honest that almost never will give you a good result. if you do mask use a tape that is low tack like painters blue. The last thing you want to do is remove your masking and have it pull up some of your paint. Make sure your paint on the body is very dry. You can always paint a car silver and then the trim is already done. : ) Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Why not throw up a couple of photos for us to see ?

[moparmagiclives]

You'll probly never see many cars with the trim purposefully painted the same color as the car. I would say, trim it out to look like chrome, what ever and how ever your skills allow, or take it off. May I suggest trying your hand at a silver sharpy and some making tape. Just another method. Try it on some spare parts first of coarse

[gbdolfans]

http://i905.photobucket.com/albums/ac253/gbdolfans/th_DSCN5114.jpg

Here is a pic of the '55.I hope this posting works!!!

[Deathgoblin]

Nice paintjob, love the color. I have to agree with the majority: foil!

[mikemodeler]

Nice paint job and my opinion on the BMF is that it is like the old Life cereal commercial- Try it, you'll like it!

[Jon Cole]

Sounds as though you are judging more "Body color vs. chrome" rather than "silver paint vs. BMF"?

Body colored trim is still popular, although I think it really took off during the 90's.

Like Harry said, that is your call. As for silver vs. chrome foil, I feel the the former looks toy like, the latter looks like an adult model build... if done well.

[cartpix]

What's it going to hurt to use foil? You already know how to paint it. Try something new. It is up to you, though.

Jeff

[vintagestang]

If you don't want to foil the Testors silver paint marker will get you as close to chrome as any thing I've ever used. But still try BMF.

[gbdolfans]

Thanks to all for your suggestions.Yes,I will try BMF,but,I don't want to use it on this one.

Patrick,I will look into the marker and see how it looks on a scratch piece.

I may just have to use either the paint or marker and live with it.

I do not build for contests,only for my own enjoyment and pleasure.

again,thanks to all of you for your comments!!!!

[lvnlwd]

i just used the bmf for the first time .....and i cant stop using it lol...... watched a vid on youtube to ease my worries.

[Harold]

The first time I used BMF was '87 when I got back into the hobby. Haven't looked back since.

[lvnlwd]

the tailgate would never look that real painted.....bmf baby lol

[gbdolfans]

Thank you guys for your positive comments. :D

I picked up some BMF yesterday and will try it very soon!!!

It will be fun to learn something new.I guess it is true about teaching an OLD

dog new tricks.I will post some pics when I try it.Thanks again to all who commented.

[jerseyjunker1]

as a test you can buy some air conditioning chome tape some are rather thin others are thick and some are less shiny than others. i use them all the time on junkers. you get a large roll for not to much money. if you don't like the look' just peel it off.

[Jon Cole]

Good deal, George! Be sure to have a sharp #11 blade. I will often have one blade for trimming from the sheet, and another for trimming the foil once on the car. Some people don't even put the blade in a handle, just hold it between the thumb and index finger. Use just enough pressure to make it stay put, then after it's all trimmed, go back and burnish it down. A little bit of luck, skill, and practice will be your friend!

[High octane]

Invest in BMF!! You will never paint again, it just doesnt look good, no matter how good a painter you may be. And it's easier than painting to boot!

What Lee said as painting the chrome trim went out with the arrival of BMF and it's kinda like still using a rotary phone nowdays. PASSE

[sjordan2]

Aside from body chrome, I think a lot of builds could be improved by using Alcad or Spazstix for parts that are supposed to look like polished aluminum, etc., to take the "kit chrome" curse away from engine parts like valve covers, and many types of wheels.

[Wayne Buck]

Ultimately, it's up to you, as it is your model...

My vote would go to BMF (or silver trim if you're not comfortable trying foil yet). Some cars do look good with body colored trim, or even black trim. It all depends on the car and nature of the build... ie. If it had some more modern equipment like 17" or larger rims, LS series engine, Corvette suspension, etc.., Black trim or body colored looks cool, but, if it were all stock underneath (or older running gear), I think chrome trim looks more "appropriate". This is all my opinion, BTW..

I was scared to try BMF at first, but once I used it, I never looked back. It just looks SO much better! It's really not that bad to do, just a bit time consuming... but then again, it's pretty time consuming to paint all of the trim (and you risk touching the paint by accident and getting it on the body where you don't want it, if you do it with a brush or marker).

If you spray it silver, then I believe you might as well have just gone with the BMF, since you have to cut the tape out and burnish it... and it's scary when you pull the tape off!

If you do decide to use BMF in the future, make certain you have a fresh & sharp #11 blade, and take your time. ...my 2c

Your Chevy looks very cool, BTW, nice color for it!

[2n3/4 SFPD]

After watching Dr. Cranky's video on YouTube, I'm scared to use BMF.