Floquil Vs Alcad
This is Floquil Bright Silver compared to Alcad Aluminum. Both are applied at the same psi (12-15) over Model Master Custom Lacquer Gloss Black.

Floquil















Alcad:

Hi Fred,

The Floquil looks the better of the two but I believe you have not done alclad any favours by spraying it over black. Alclad Aluminium should be sprayed over grey or white - only Alclad's chrome and polished aluminium should be sprayed over gloss black.

I have used Alclad lacquers a few times and it definately looks better on grey. I once did 2 1:72 P-47's side by side - one on black and one on grey and the grey one came out much better. The black based kit required LOTS of coats.

Hmmm....I still like the look of that floquil though.......

Tell me Fred, which one looks best to you, in the 'flesh' as it were?

Regards,

Lee

Hi Lee,

Whoops! I thought Alcad's secret was gloss black undercoat. I guess I should have read the forums (and directions)

As is, the Floquil is much shinier and smoother. Both Alcad and Floquil were have 3-4 coats applied. Compare the Flo' to my prior posts and you will see the single thin coat of Floquil over the bare (and unwashed!) plastic of the cowl. I think the cowl is just as, if not more so, shiney and reflective than the Floquil over the gloss black.

This is the first time I have tried the gloss black. I think that unless I use an Alcad that recommends gloss black, I will use my traditional lighter glosses.

Oh, what the heck, if anyone is interested here are the instructions for Alclad 2 as taken from their website -

APPLICATION GUIDE-PLASTIC MODELS:

For use on injection plastic kits a primer is necessary. 'Regular ALCLAD' is similar in strength to lacquer/cellulose car paints-injected polystyrene plastics frequently have areas which ALCLAD can craze.

Apply one of these primers before using Regular ALCLAD:
Tamiya Plastic Primers-white or grey
Auto Primer-white or grey
Future/Klear -floor sealer/polish

Plastic primers and auto primers should be lightly polished with 1000/1200 wet & dry paper to give a less absorbent glossy surface .

ALCLAD High Shine -Chrome and Polished Aluminium both require a dark glossy base. Polished Aluminium should be used over Tamiya TS-14 gloss black,or gloss black auto paint. Chrome and only chrome should be used over gloss black model enamel paint.

SPRAYING: ALCLAD should be sprayed at 15-20psi.
Spray 1 ½ -2 ½ inches away from the model.
Use the airbrush like a paint brush not an aerosol.
Buffing is not necessary-though tonal variation can be made by polishing selected panels with micromesh. A sealer is not required.
Regular ALCLAD can be masked and over painted Decal solutions can be used with Regular ALCLAD,but are not recommended for Chrome or Polished Aluminium.

Cheers,

Lee

Hi Fred!

Interesting comparison, but I have to defend Alclad a bit here.

Alclad have several different Aluminium colors in their range (white, regular, dark, dural-, polished).
If you want a really shiny ac, you should use "Polished Aluminium" (over gloss black!) that gives the shine as Floquil does.

The "regular" Aluminium gives a more dull metallic surface, wich I prefer on a "used" airframe.

Sorry to say, but I have never seen any Floquil paint here in Sweden, would have been nice as they have a lot of those elusive railroad colors (Warbonnet Red, Armour Yellow, Harbour Mist Grey to name a few).

Just my points of view, your P-47 looks really good!
Can´t wait to see her with decals on!


Cheers!

Stefan E