Paint Cracking - M@r!b*r* Fluorescent Red

[lvndeva]

Hi all,

I would like get some advice on a recent problem i had painting the body of my Tamiya mp4/4:

I sprayed the body first using Tamiya white Primer (spray can), followed by Tamiya Pure white (spray can). Then i sprayed on Gravity Spain M@r!b*r* Fluorescent Red using an airbrush (thin coats). I only managed to spray on 2 coats.
To my surprise, the red started to crack, almost looks like it was 'shrinking'. Refer to the pics. Has anyone experience similar issues? Why did this happen?

Also, i do have the fujimi mp4/6 which i sprayed on Tamiya white Primer (spray can), followed by Tamiya Pure white (spray can), just like the mp4/4. Clearly i'm not going to use gravity M@r!b*r* red again.
I do have Tamiya's Fluorescent red TS49 spray can, but i recall reading somehere that this paint tend to lose it fluorescent glow over time. Is this true? Any other problems using this paint for mclarens?

[Sennafan]

I haven’t used gravity, but assuming it is similar to Splash and Zero

I have stopped using Tamiya white primer for these paints and switched to a very thin white automotive primer from Duplicolor

When painting any of the color coats, I use multiple mist coats to build the color and no wet coats

The only wet coat I use is the final gloss coat after days of drying, decals etc

[lvndeva]

I haven’t used gravity, but assuming it is similar to Splash and Zero

I have stopped using Tamiya white primer for these paints and switched to a very thin white automotive primer from Duplicolor

When painting any of the color coats, I use multiple mist coats to build the color and no wet coats

The only wet coat I use is the final gloss coat after days of drying, decals etc

Thanks for your comments. Yes i do paint in thin coats and build on the layers.
Also, i've painted Gravity colours over tamiya primer directly on my 1/12 Tyrrell 003, didn't have any problems.

It could be that gravity paints are not compatible with tamiya paints (except tamiya thinner)?
OR, the use of spray cans creates a different surface tension????

[notime4me]

The Tamiya pure white hasn't had enough time to fully cure and is shrinking below the fluorescent red. Gloss colors take longer to harden. Even though it may feel dry to the touch if you press your finger hard enough in to the paint it will leave a print

[bossy122]

Lose the TS 36. ALL of my Mclarens have cracks. Some took longer than others to crack but they're all cracked. I switched to Gaia 103 Fluo red and on my "current" Macs, both at least a year after painting have no cracks. And airbrushing fluo red gives you far more control than the can - this from someone who HATES airbrushing. But the 36 should be avoided at all costs....IMO.

[Icon_Modeler]

Lose the TS 36. ALL of my Mclarens have cracks. Some took longer than others to crack but they're all cracked. I switched to Gaia 103 Fluo red and on my "current" Macs, both at least a year after painting have no cracks. And airbrushing fluo red gives you far more control than the can - this from someone who HATES airbrushing. But the 36 should be avoided at all costs....IMO.

You should try reading his post instead of assuming. He make no mention of TS-36 anywhere in his post.

I've said this for years, DO NOT MIX BRANDS OF PAINT!!! Use either all Tamiya or all Splash but you should NEVER mix brands of paint. You are always going to have a compatibility issue. Plan and simple.

And the cracking issue with Tamiya TS-36 is more often times than not caused by what notime4me has pointed out. The base layer of TS-26 Pure White was not fully cured and is what caused the cracking of the TS-36 over the top of it.

Yes Tamiya TS-36 has little or no UV protection built into it and so it is prone to fading over time. BUT, most Fluorescent colors are also prone to this. Keep your model out of direct UV sunlight. And what I have done with good success is to use a solid base color under the Fluo color so if it does fade at least it is not fading to white.

My Niki Lauda Helmet is painted in this manor and the solid color underlayment does not effect the luster of the final Fluo finish.

[bossy122]

Yup, I sped read and saw "Tamiya" and "spray". I would still recommend the Gaia 103.

[lvndeva]

Lose the TS 36. ALL of my Mclarens have cracks. Some took longer than others to crack but they're all cracked. I switched to Gaia 103 Fluo red and on my "current" Macs, both at least a year after painting have no cracks. And airbrushing fluo red gives you far more control than the can - this from someone who HATES airbrushing. But the 36 should be avoided at all costs....IMO.

You should try reading his post instead of assuming. He make no mention of TS-36 anywhere in his post.

I've said this for years, DO NOT MIX BRANDS OF PAINT!!! Use either all Tamiya or all Splash but you should NEVER mix brands of paint. You are always going to have a compatibility issue. Plan and simple.

And the cracking issue with Tamiya TS-36 is more often times than not caused by what notime4me has pointed out. The base layer of TS-26 Pure White was not fully cured and is what caused the cracking of the TS-36 over the top of it.

Yes Tamiya TS-36 has little or no UV protection built into it and so it is prone to fading over time. BUT, most Fluorescent colors are also prone to this. Keep your model out of direct UV sunlight. And what I have done with good success is to use a solid base color under the Fluo color so if it does fade at least it is not fading to white.

My Niki Lauda Helmet is painted in this manor and the solid color underlayment does not effect the luster of the final Fluo finish.

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This is an interesting method. May i know what base colour do you use under the fluorescent red?

Also, i actually painted the pure white weeks before painting the fluorescent red, it has to be dry i think.
But yeah, i guess mixing brands is not a good idea. i have to take this into consideration for future projects.

[Icon_Modeler]

The helmet is painted with House of Kolor brand Fluo red from a spray can. My local custom paint/airbrush place, Coast Airbrush, sells House of Kolor paint and they have the ability to put any paint into a spray can for their customers.
So the helmet was first sprayed with white primer. Then a base coat was applied. The base coat is a mix of House of Kolor Fluo Red and House of Kolor bright orange. I'm not sure of the ratio of the mix, it was done by the sales guy at Coast Airbrush. I simply told him what I was doing and and he suggested the underlayment color and mixed it up. Then I top coated with the Fluo Red and finally added the 2K clear coat also from a spray can.

Yes, it sounds like a compatibility issue, 100%. The TS-26 Pure White should have been dry after 4-5 days.

I hope this is helpful, Good luck!!

[Sennafan]

I have actually honed in on the problem for me, it is Tamiya white primer, then on several Macs, TS-26, then a flouro color, only one that worked well was Testors from a small bottle airbrushed, have had issues with TS-36, so not compatibility there, but maybe not enough drying time, have had issues with Splash and Zero Flouro red over the Ts-26 too

So for the first time I will spray the flouro color, Zero Flouro red, over the automotive primer, Duplicolor, then mask off for the white