Not all is lost "Paint"

[JoeW]

Now as the paint seems to settle it appears that Floquil is a defunct brand for the most part.  But not all is lost in this important supporting category of our hobby.  We have two comprehensive brands of pre-mixed railroad colors.   
I am interested to know if any of my friends here on Railwire have done a comparison of the Trucolors vs. the Scale coat railroad paints.  After looking through some of the previous paint posts I didn’t find any of the fine tooth focused threads on the subject.  If I missed one I hope someone will direct me to the thread I don't want to waste your time.  If not I thought it would make a useful subject to bring up.
I am not interested so much in discovering if one is better than the other.  I assume both brands have strengths and weaknesses and characteristics that are worth pointing out.  Remember it is good that we have two brands left to support our interest.

I will kick it off with these questions:
1.    Are the two brands chemically compatible? Can they be mixed?
2.    If not are they compatible after they have cured. In other words can you paint one brand over the top of another.
3.    How well do they handle under quill brush application?
4.    How well do they hold up after they have been opened? (shelf life)

What say you?

[flight2000]

Umm, I still count 4 Brands:

Tru-Color
Scale Coat
Badger ModelFlex
True Line Trains (granted they are mostly Canadian Colors, but they are really well done despite being made by RPM) 

I continue to use the last two with great success and they are still available on the market. 

Can't speak to the others because:
    a.) I can't get True Color paints delivered overseas and...
    b.) I've got a boat load of Polly Scale left so never had a need to use Scalecoat

Cheers,
Brian

[6axlepwr]

1.    Are the two brands chemically compatible? Can they be mixed?

No

2.    If not are they compatible after they have cured. In other words can you paint one brand over the top of another.

Yes

3.    How well do they handle under quill brush application?

Do not know

4.    How well do they hold up after they have been opened? (shelf life)

Do not know about shelf life of True Color, but I have had some Scale Coat for about 10 years now and it is still good.

Here is a factor you want to consider as well if you take your paint work to the weathering stage. True Color dries like an acrylic which means you can then use oil based weathering paints and solutions over it. Scale Coat stays as a solvent based paint so best to use acrylics for weathering.

[mmagliaro]

Of the 4, Scalecoat is the only one I have used.   

It has a very long shelf life, at least 5 years, and probably a lot more.  I've got bottles older than that which
are perfect.  The key is making sure that lid is screwed and sealed well.  This is Scalecoat I, the solvent-based stuff,
I'm talking about.

Brush painting - excellent.  Levels, does not leave brush marks.  Dries slower than Floquil, with a gloss finish which
are both better attributes for brush painting, I think.

I have always liked this paint, and I'll continue using it as long as they keep making it.

[Kisatchie]

Of the 4, Scalecoat is the only one I have used.   

...Dries slower than Floquil, with a gloss finish which
are both better attributes for brush painting, I think.

Does Scalecoat still make their drying accelerator? I used it often. The paint would be dry to the touch in, like, 5 minutes.


Hmm... maybe I'll repaint
my treehouse, then...

[JoeW]

Umm, I still count 4 Brands:

Tru-Color
Scale Coat
Badger ModelFlex
True Line Trains (granted they are mostly Canadian Colors, but they are really well done despite being made by RPM) 

I continue to use the last two with great success and they are still available on the market. 

Can't speak to the others because:
    a.) I can't get True Color paints delivered overseas and...
    b.) I've got a boat load of Polly Scale left so never had a need to use Scalecoat

Cheers,
Brian

Thanks for chiming in with more facts, honestly I forgot about Badger and I am unacquainted with True line paints.  I am very interested in this subject as I begin my journey off the Plastikote/Testor brands (Floquil) plantation.  Floquil along with Polly scale have been my RR color staple all these years.  Besides lamenting what once was, my methods for painting have revolved around my familiarity of these two products so it is a difficult departure.

[flight2000]

Thanks for chiming in with more facts, honestly I forgot about Badger and I am unacquainted with True line paints.  I am very interested in this subject as I begin my journey off the Plastikote/Testor brands (Floquil) plantation.  Floquil along with Polly scale have been my RR color staple all these years.  Besides lamenting what one was my methods for painting have revolved around my familiarity of these two products so it is a difficult departure.

No worries.  Here's a link to the True Line Trains webpage for their paints.  Acrylic based, so I'm happy to stay within those bounds.  Not crazy about the solvent based stuff, but may have to learn to deal with it at some point.

http://www.truelinetrains.ca/paint-accessories/paints

Cheers,
Brian K  (as opposed to Brian B.    )

[Joetrain59]

See this,
http://www.microscale.com/Floquil%20Color%20Chart.pdf
 Joe D

[up1950s]

See this,
http://www.microscale.com/Floquil%20Color%20Chart.pdf
 Joe D

Helpful chart Joe , thanks .

Now , what manufacturer is going to make millions with a Floquil clone . I want my Floquil ! I am sure there will be plenty of  " Mules " to supply it to Cali and French America .

[Joetrain59]

Thanks Richie,
 But I can't seem to print it.

[ArtinCA]

Another small player in the paint market is Micro-Mark and they're acrylic paint. It's made by Vallejo paints. I have not got any yet, cause I've still got PollyScale to burn, but I have used Vallejo paints for other projects and they are great! They also make washes that work well. I've been playing with them on some equipment. The Vallejo line is geared towards the military modeler, but there's some good colors to use in the line.

[nkalanaga]

I have two bottles of Scalecoat I that are at least 35 years old, and they're still liquid.  Of course, they haven't been OPENED for at least 30 years, which probably helps!  But I've had paints that would dry out even if the bottle was still factory sealed...

[OldEastRR]

Speaking of this topic, did anyone else notice the omission of Badger from this month's Model Railroader "Hobby Paint Roundup" article? Very pointed omission, seems to me. There were brands I'd never heard of in there (even on the forums), but no Modelflex. Maybe it's not a hobby paint ... Or they don't advertise enough with Kalmbach?

[nkalanaga]

The author specifically said the article WASN'T all-inclusive, so it isn't surprising that some brands were left out.  None of the hobby shops in my area, regardless of their main sales interests, sell Badger paints.

[flight2000]

I've been buying the paint from ABD, Inc which I believe is tied to Badger, but not 100% sure on that.  The only thing that annoys me is the shipping cost, so I make sure I buy what I need in bulk so I don't go back every couple of weeks for paint. 

The ModelFlex line is one of those that I've had some bad luck with the paint becoming a hockey puck before it's even opened for the first time.  Not often, but enough that it makes you wonder about storing it in a plastic container.

http://www.modelflexpaint.com/index.html

Cheers,
Brian