Ford Fairlane: Rattle can paint tutorial

I have been coaching another builder as part of the mentorship program run by the Model Car How-To Facebook Group. The focus has been paint on styrene, so I thought I would document my approach, which works for me but is certainly not the only approach, so that it is out there for posterity. (Separately I will describe resin and metal, which differ from styrene mainly in the preparation stage.)

The guinea pig is AMT's 1966 Fairlane, and it will be done in black with rattle cans as I am too cheap to buy an airbrush, and too impatient to learn to use a whole new tool, especially when the rattle can works quite well. Black is supposed to be tricky, and airbrushes can generate better finishes than rattle cans; but you be the judge.



First step is to remove mold seams and flash, and fill and sinkholes or mold ejection pin marks. The Fairlane came from a relatively nice mold and is pretty clean to start with.



The main seam runs along the drip rail, then along the fender tops. There are two little mold seam joins on each side on the rear quarter panel, and the fender tops are very sharp; paint won't stick well here.



A new #11 blade dragged across the fender tops works well.



Flash is also minor on this kit. A little bit on one inner fender, and a bit around the headlights.





I have decided to keep the molded-in wipers, but now would be the time to cut them off if you chose to do so.



The door handles are pretty thick, so I carefully drilled a couple of holes, then hogged it all out. This is tricky and you may wind up making new ones if you dig too deep.










With all the prep done, time to move on to primer. First step is to wash it carefully in warm, not hot water, using dish soap, not detergent. Dawn is the preferred brand in this part of the world. Rinse well and dry it carefully with a lint-free cloth or paper towel, then with a hair dryer on low or medium. Keep your greasy mitts off it from here on; lift by the window frames or support on a stand.

Check the height of raised lettering; you don't want to put paint on too heavy and smother it. The Fairlane is pretty delicate.



I feel that sticking to supplies made for styrene is smart, and furthermore that sticking to one supplier, who probably has gotten his products to work together, is also smart. For example, I know from bitter experience that Tamiya rattle can paints include a solvent which will strip Testor’s enamel rattle can paints. So pick a brand and stick with it. I have migrated over the years from Testor's enamel to Tamiya TS paints. So I put on a couple of light coats of Tamiya primer, at 20 minute intervals. This will show up any rough spots, sinkholes or mold seams you may have missed. If it shows up here, it will show up in the final paint. Go back to the beginning if needed.





If the primer looks good, put the can of top coat in a basin of domestic hot water. Hot, not boiling! And no open flames or hot plates please. It's a pressure vessel and can explode, which will be painful. I like to use a new can for top coats, setting half-filled cans aside for engines, interiors and chassis which don't quite leap out at you like a badly painted roof due to splatter from a dirty nozzle.



Dry the can off before using, to keep water drops off the model. The next step is the key to a shiny job right out of the can, so sit up and pay attention: spray into your booth to be sure the nozzle is clear, then apply three to four VERY LIGHT coats, at 20 minute intervals. DO NOT try to cover the model in the first or second coat. The photos show what I am talking about. First coat looks like you missed the model entirely, but wait 20 minutes anyway:



Second coat covers a little more, but still misses lots of it. Don't worry about the areas that have not been touched; wait another 20 minutes.



Third coat is getting full coverage, sort of, in some areas.Wait another 20 minutes.



Fourth coat is a 'flood' coat. This is meant to soak it enough to avoid orange peel with out it dripping or running. If you see signs of orange peel, keep spraying.



Of course I got a couple of dirt specs smack in the middle of the roof... I will report on my adventures dealing with this later. Anyway the mist layers tend to provide something to anchor the flood coat, so it won't run, while allowing individual blobs emitted by the can and onto the model to run together just enough to minimise or, ideally, eliminate orange peel.



It all looks nice and shiny here because it is wet; stand it up so the roof, hood and trunk are horizontal and paint won't run there; people see these first and a good roof sets a good first impression.

The next step is also ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL: LEAVE IT ALONE for at least 3-4 days, and ideally as much as a week. I know, not easy, but letting it harden properly before embedding your greasy thumbprint in the roof is well worth it. Also the sanding needed to get those dust specks out requires that the paint be good and hard.



One interesting note is that the paint didn't flow into the door or trunk panel gaps. I'll have to look into this; this is paint pulling away from sharp corners and illustrates what would have happened if the seam lines on the fender tops had not been sanded down. Another flood coat may be needed.

So patience! And tune in later for the next steps.