mooby64

iTrader: (3)

Placed my order of 25 cans today. RIP Pactra

SSG.House

iTrader: (1)

I'm kind of surprised Testors is still around in any shape. I grew up building models, and there was never a lack of places to buy models or paint etc. But in today's age of instant gratifaction and Xbox babysitting...finding model kits is hard, because kids don't build them, I don't know if its the parents or the Xbox.....but its a shame.

the incubus

iTrader: (17)

I'm not a professional painter but here's my $0.02

It's amazing how good a water based paint is but it simply doesn't compare to Lacquer paints specifically engineered for use with/on lexan. It has been my experience that PACTRA specifically is the absolute most durable brand and it actually bonds to the surface of the lexan rather than simply rest on its surface.

I have an old beat up Andy's body I painted with my signature Rally Green from Pactra that is over 20 years old and you cannot scratch it off without gouging the lexan. Compare that to my B4.2 and T4.1's bodies and you can rip that stuff off with ease. Spraying over it with a lacquer paint does indeed protect it but with the watercolor paints being what's touching the lexan, it can still be pulled off though it's a bit more difficult than with watercolors alone.

Lacquer based paints are the absolute best paints and Pactra is… WAS top quality. They just needed to offer more vibrant colors and neons for my tastes.

SkipGear

I couldn't agree more. You just can't do a good candy color with the acrylics either. The shading and fading doesn't work any where as well.

the incubus

iTrader: (17)

Absolutely and as for fades, even with rattle cans lacquer paints blend so smoothly. People can't believe I did this paint job with nothing but rattle cans. All Pactra of course!

Mel

iTrader: (35)

Hopefully someone takes it over like they did with spaz ... ooooh please some one grab this up

asc6000

iTrader: (15)

Apparently they sell many many times more Rust-Oleum and wont miss the hobby industry.

Taylorm

Water based paints and nitro fuel never mix well.....Pactra was all I used to paint my nitro bodies.............and the search begins for a new source of lacquer......Good job Testors.....hope to see you go out of business..

elex300

iTrader: (110)

I dont use much laquer base paint myself. When I do its RCS or Spaz Stix. I would think House of Color would be a great replacement for laquer base. It even comes in rattle cans now.

SkipGear

House of Color already tried RC. Joel Johnson was working with them and since I was painting for him, I was one of the original testers. Their paint shot great and the color selection was unique but it was not really consumer friendly. The fumes made Pactra paint smell like roses and the paint took much too long to dry between coats. It was 3-4 hours between the time you painted and could safely remove tape. I still have 2 dozzen of the sample colors and pull them out every once in a while for a special paint job but for a guy who is painting multiple bodies in a session, it just took too long. You had to have a serious paint booth to shoot it indoors and I think it really needed some sort of drying setup to get it to cure in any reasonable length of time.

I do use House of Color flake and pearl additives, in Pactra laquer, they won't work the same in any of the acrylics. Our shop carries most of the Spaztik so it's time to get the full line. I have shot a few colors with it but I'm still much more comfortable with the Pactra.

the incubus

iTrader: (17)

Water based paints IMHO should be left for shelf queens that will never see any racing action of any sort. It's simply too delicate to hold up to the rigors of anything outside of mounting and dismounting a body.

I am very curious to know if automotive paints can be used since there are a plethora of different lacquer based brands and there is a vastly greater variety of colors. I know that for the 1989 Maxima Nissan used this fantastic paint that flexed and stretched with their foam rubber rear lip wing that resisted cracking, flaking and hazing due to sun and impact damage. You could literally squeeze the damn thing with your fingers as much as you wanted and never affect its adhesion or luster.

The problem with automotive paints is that you would need sample bottle sizes to fulfill RC paint needs. Otherwise you're looking at buying quarts ranging from $25 all the way up to $70+.

elex300

iTrader: (110)

As long as you back acrylics with Rustoleum they hold up really well. I have SC bodies that I ran for months and barely have a scratch on the inside.

BashemSmashem

iTrader: (42)

While I am sad to see Pactra go (been partial to True Blue Pearl for years) I just started using Parma and so far am liking them sooooo much better ! The colors are much brighter IMO and the ease of clean up is so easy compared to the lacquer based paint .

As for adhesion to lexan well that is something that lacquer is better at but as long as you do thin coats and back the acrylic with something its pretty durable as well .

the incubus

iTrader: (17)

Not so. Backing Waterbased paints protects them better but a decent whack on it and the water base separates from the lexan because it is not bonded to it. So no matter whta you put over it to protect it, it will never bind with the lexan.

Lacquer based paints however impregnate to the surface of the lexan because the Lacquer melts into it a tad. if you were to spill Lacquer directly onto lexan it will get hazy because it begins to burn into and melt the substrate. When you spray lacquer based paints however the fact that it is being misted on means it's drying as it it being applied and so it evaporates quickly enough that it does not damage the body as it sort of melts into the surface and cures, there by becoming far more durable than water based paints.

This video here clearly shows the affects of lacquer on lexan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-0EVJKFCDg

BashemSmashem

iTrader: (42)

LOL , re read what I typed there incubus ....... I said lacquer DOES bond to the lexan better .....