Red Interiors....Difficult?

[10thumbs]

Hi guys,

I need some help. I have a 64 Dodge on the bench, and it's supposed to have a red interior. The original car, a race car, had one.

The pics I see of red interiors on model cars does not really enthuse me. Maybe it's the lighting or the light reflection or that some cameras can't handle a closeup in red. From the photos I see the color seems to be just a glare and unreal looking. I'm wondering what, if at all, the problem is. I'm just reluctant to do the interior in red paint. I tried middle blue, but I can't get the shade right.

I like red interiors on real cars, I have no problem with the color. Just on model cars.

Anyone give some insight on this? Do you think red interiors in real light look OK?

Michael

[1972coronet]

Years ago , I built the Jo-Han 1964 Hemi Charger Dodge Super Stock kit . I sprayed the interior with Testors Flat Red ; then , I buffed the seats and dash pad with a soft tissue . The results were spot-on .

The key to red interior -- in my opinion and in practise -- is to contrast its brightness with enough black ( interior door panel lines , primarily ) and enough chrome (interior door handles , window crank handles , etc. ) to pare-back on the POP ! of the red-on-white colour scheme .

Be certain to darken exterior door , trunk , trim , etc. , recesses ; and , if it helps , add some subtle red stripes on the car's body and / or employ "Red Line" tyres .

[Foxer]

I'm not sure what shade of red you're after but it's as John says, flat colors give a better representation for interiors. The red in my '59 Impala is just Testors red I think, but was covered with Dull Coat and buffed.

[10thumbs]

Hi John, thanks. The interior panel lines on the door panels are good and deep. I've primed them, and already shot them with color several times. They're deep. I didn't know about doing interior panel lines!! Good stuff, thanks.

Also using flat red, I'll get some and give it a try. Yes, it's the POP that drives me away when I see photos.

The exterior is white with a dark blue roof. I hope the contrast is not too much.

Michael

[10thumbs]

Mike, that looks very good! I think maybe the trick is to contrast. I've even thought about adding black floor mats, but I doubt they can be seen through the windows.

That is a very nice interior!

Michael

[10thumbs]

Here's a pic of the car. The interior does look like a flat red.

Michael

[Harry P.]

The trick to getting realistic interiors isn't in the color you pick, it's getting the various levels of gloss correct. Nothing looks more toylike and "fake" than an interior where everything is the same gloss level... seats, dash, "carpet," door panels, etc. Look at any real car interior and you'll see various gloss levels on the dash, door panels, upholstery, etc. The '59 Impala, for example, has a glossy painted dash top, but obviously the seats weren't as glossy as the painted metal dash.

Look at real interiors and recreate what you see. Glossy things glossy, flat things flat, etc., and your interiors will look great.

[Matt Bacon]

I'd add to what Harry has said -- vary the shades slightly as well. Keep the things that are the same material the same shade, but give some slight variation between leather and plastic or painted metal. It would probably have been thrown out by the quality inspectors at the time, but in a model, it just adds to the impression that the interior isn't one kind of plastic in one colour = "toy". I must have eight different kinds of black, from "German Grey" to "Charadon Granite" to "Rubber Black" to "NATO Black" to paint modern cars' black interiors in everything from aniline leather to alcantara, via piano black and carbon fibre...

bestest,

M.

[Harry P.]

Excellent tip, Matt. There are almost always slight variations in shades of color in a car interior. In a red interior, it would look more realistic if the "carpet" was a slightly darker shade of red than the upholstery or door panels. Again, a Google image search is your best friend here. Don't assume... do the image search, find the appropriate photos, and do your best to recreate what you see.

Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about. This is obviously a "red" interior... but if you took a can of gloss red and sprayed everything with that, the end result would look very "toylike" and fake. Look closely at the photo...

See how shiny the dash top and steering wheel is? Painted metal is a lot shinier than vinyl seats or carpet. There's even a difference in gloss between the vinyl part of the seats and the cloth inserts (although the vinyl here is probably Armor-Alled and too shiny)... and see how the carpet is dead flat? And how it's not the same exact shade of red as the dash or the vinyl seats?

Getting these little things right will go a long way to making your interiors really look real, no matter what color they are.

[High octane]

I use interior paints from Eastwood, and they come out great right over the plastic with no primer needed. The paint is SEM Colorcoat Flexible Coating Portola Red. I've used this on my '64 Dodge & Plymouth as well as my '65 Dodge Coronet.

[my80malibu]

My Method is Tamiya Acrylic flat red with dullcote sprayed over it when dry. For the dash I use Glosscote.

[zaina]

I also use tamiya red with dullcote. Here us a 64 dodge I did after a little research for the colors.

[10thumbs]

Thanks guys for the tips.

Harry P., your in depth description and explanation has come across, and is greatly appreciated. As Andy has shown above, the Dodge has door panels with deep lines. This gives me a wonderful opportunity to apply some "depth" in the interior. Even though the real race cars didn't have a luxurious interior, I feel the model has to have now some extra attention. I've seen them finished and a boring red interior just doesn't hit it, hence my query.

So, Germany doesn't offer a great variety of model paints, but I know in the meantime how to spray the he## out of Humbrol paint cans, and I'll get some today.

Red it is! I've got BMF, and the race car is getting some gleam.

Michael

[1972coronet]

Mike and Andy , those interiors are perfect !

In my haste to reply , I'd neglected to mention --it's really an addition to Harry's , et al. , replies-- that , given the same top colour coat , that varying the base coats' colours will also provide the desired shades ; for instance : dark grey for the "carpet" , light(er) grey for seats / door panels , and perhaps white for the glossy parts (dash frame , primarily) . This way , you can utilise just one can of top-colour coat , but change its appearance by employing varied base-colour ("primer") coats.

Good luck and have fun !

[Mike Kucaba]

Not to pick a nit, but that dash Harry shows looks like it has padding on it. It's probably vinyl.

[TooOld]

Not to pick a nit, but that dash Harry shows looks like it has padding on it. It's probably vinyl.

Sorry Mike . . . it IS steel .

[slusher]

Great tips on interior painting guys...

[Tom Geiger]

My little bit of red... I don't like black interiors in models, especially on cars with roofs. The dark color just cancels out light so the interior is almost not there. So I experiment with different lighter colors. This one came out to my expectations.

[ssroczyn]

My simple trick has been to get one of those model masters mixing jars and

then mix one Testors Gloss Red with one Testors Flat Red. It produces a

very nice "Semi Gloss" Red. I always have this on hand.

Steve

[Ramfins59]

Here are some pics of interiors that I've done in Red.

First up is the interior for a '56 Pontiac promo I built. While the carpet was flocked in Gray and I used some upholstery decals, the seats and parts of the door panels were flocked in Red. The door panels have chrome trim and cranks & handles. The dash was painted a gloss red along with the steering wheel.

Next up is the interior for a diecast '53 Cadillac. Again, while the carpet is done in a dark Gray flocking, the seats and door panels were done with both flat Red paint and Red flocking with some Red wire added for upholstery piping.

[10thumbs]

@Tom, beautiful interior. The Corvette looks real! Compliment. I can "see" the floor mat/carpet looks darker, not all glossy red.

@Steve, yep....I'm mixing flat and gloss today already. The shop downtown has nothing in between. It works!

@Richard, contrasting works! Thanks for the beautiful pics. What a cool Cadillac!

I acquired four different "reds" today- 2 matt, 2 gloss. I looked through the basement last night....I mean way back! Guys, I found something! The most beautiful ruby red (?) I've ever seen. Humbrol #19, red gloss. I think the tin is about 30 years old, along with the others I found. Lots of flat "desert" paints from old WWII tank days. These dated back my model days end 70's. Old paint. The flat paints are still good, but needed about 30% thinner to get them liquid again. #19 Humbrol needed only a drop or two!! This red is the coolest I've ever seen. My next Model, a 64 Plymouth, is getting this paint!! The tin is 95% full.

Michael

[Ramfins59]

Sounds great Michael. Good luck with your Plymouth.

[Hawk312]

Done right, I love red interiors!!

For reference, here is duplicolor red vinyl and interior dye directly over krylon white primer:

And here is duplicolor touch up spray topped with testors dullcote:

[10thumbs]

Jeez, those are cool red interiors!

Thanks David.

Michael

[10thumbs]

UPDATE..

Hello guys,

Here's a pic of the finished interior. I applied as well as for me at this time the tips acquired here on this thread. Different red tones, flat, gloss and semi gloss. all mixed. I had to go with "carpet" on the back of the interior because the paint job (brush) just showed too many dust particles and junk so that I couldn't use plain paint. After all, it is a race car, without other seats.

My first attempt with BMF and carpet, as well as acrylic paints with an air brush. I'm very happy, and I want to thank those that offered help, as well as those who posted some red interior pics.

I'll post more of these shots on my ongoing build thread, Color Me Gone.

Please feel free to offer criticism.

Michael

Edited April 3, 2014 by 10thumbs