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 Posted - July 15 2023 : 9:40:35 PM
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I went to a local shop to buy some Testor's paint to finish a few older projects a couple of weeks ago. Testor's no longer makes/sells Model Maker paints. All of that old stock has disappeared from the dealer shelves. The shop owner said it was because of some environmental issues at the plant that would not allow the further production of MM paints. The little Testor's bottles sell for $3.29 @ now. The loss of the MM line with all of its color variations, make it almost impossible to continue to custom paint model trains. Painting multiple engines/cars the same color are just too expensive now due to the small quantity of paint using the small bottles....
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Posted - July 16 2023 : 08:36:12 AM
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quote:The little Testor's bottles sell for $3.29 @ now.
Originally posted by AF Kid - July 15 2023 : 9:40:35 PM
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During the 1970s, there was high inflation. The Nixon administration tried a wage and price freeze, which decreed that prices just wouldn't change. As a sidebar, this policy was the same failure in modern times as it was for the Roman emperor Diocletian over 15 centuries earlier. Anyway, Testors raised the price of those little bottles of paint from 15 to 19 cents and a teenaged kid sued them for raising the price during the price freeze. I never heard the outcome of the lawsuit, but imagine if you told that kid that someday his 15 cent jar of paint would be $3.29.
A while ago, I got some of the little jars of Testers enamel paint at Hobby Lobby. I forgot the price, but I'm pretty sure it was significantly less than $3.29.
Carpe Manana!
Edited by - scsshaggy on July 16 2023 08:38:26 AM
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Posted - July 16 2023 : 10:16:18 AM
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| Custom painting is not dead. But you may need to rethink the way you paint. Most of my custom paint work was done with spray paint cans rather than an airbrush and model paints. Sherwin Williams makes automotive paint in spray cans, and they have the ability to custom create any colour you want from a paint chip. It is expensive, but far cheaper than buying the equivalent amount of model paint ever was.
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Posted - July 16 2023 : 9:38:11 PM
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quote:Custom painting is not dead. But you may need to rethink the way you paint. Most of my custom paint work was done with spray paint cans rather than an airbrush and model paints. Sherwin Williams makes automotive paint in spray cans, and they have the ability to custom create any colour you want from a paint chip. It is expensive, but far cheaper than buying the equivalent amount of model paint ever was.
Originally posted by jward - July 16 2023 : 10:16:18 AM
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Having done quite a bit of custom painting on HO trains, using an Airbrush is the only way to go. Spray cans cannot get the small areas or small touch up spots. One can control the spray from light to heavy with precision using the airbrush. The same goes, when I spray on the finish clear coat...
Automotive paint is mostly Laquer based not Enamel as Testor's is. Some plastic does not do will with laquer....
Edited by - AF Kid on July 16 2023 9:41:15 PM
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Bamos
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Posted - July 17 2023 : 4:53:57 PM
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There are more manufacturers of paint now that there ever was. Just pick another brand there is always something close to anything offered by Modelmaster . I've used Vallejo and is very good paint but only use their thinner otherwise you will get a sticky mess.
Bill
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Posted - July 22 2023 : 11:02:36 PM
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Are we sure that they're done with this, I get that they discontinued Model Master about 3 years ago. So are you talking about that or their regular paints?
But on the flip side, there are plenty of other alternatives, numerous other paint brands (ex. Tamiya, Tru-Color, Badger, Vallejo, etc.)
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Posted - July 23 2023 : 12:56:12 AM
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Yet another reason to go with Penn Central. Many times, one can simply strip the overcoat paint
off and end up with a perfectly black shell. I save thousands using this method. 
Edited by - Chops124 on July 23 2023 12:56:31 AM
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Posted - June 08 2024 : 09:51:24 AM
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Adding to the model hobby losses: The company making Scale Coat II paint remover
has gone out of business also.
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Posted - June 09 2024 : 02:19:37 AM
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| Ouch. The times are changing. Everybody wants a video game.
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Posted - June 09 2024 : 09:42:25 AM
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quote:Ouch. The times are changing. Everybody wants a video game.
Originally posted by Chops124Â -Â June 09 2024Â :Â 02:19:37 AM
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depends on where you look
plenty of people with new hobbies want paint, warhammer is one, maybe gunpla
then there is all the stuff with 3d printers, lots of people are uploading models that can look really good with some paint, even some are HO scale based ;)
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Posted - July 05 2024 : 2:16:13 PM
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quote:Adding to the model hobby losses: The company making Scale Coat II paint remover
has gone out of business also.
Originally posted by AF Kid - June 08 2024 : 09:51:24 AM
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Never fear. Super Clean and isopropyl alcohol (91% and higher) will do the paint stripping trick for you.
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Posted - June 02 2025 : 8:23:55 PM
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quote: quote:Adding to the model hobby losses: The company making Scale Coat II paint remover
has gone out of business also.
Originally posted by AF Kid - June 08 2024 : 09:51:24 AM
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Never fear. Super Clean and isopropyl alcohol (91% and higher) will do the paint stripping trick for you.
Originally posted by el rojo grande - July 05 2024 : 2:16:13 PM
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Do you have a mixing ratio for the Super Clean and isopropyl alcohol (91% and higher)...???
Thanks!
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Bamos
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Posted - June 03 2025 : 05:37:36 AM
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I generally use tthem at 1 to 1. LA'S totaly Awsome from the dollar tree is another good one for both enamals and acrylics. All of these will require a couple of days in the dip to work.
Bill
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Posted - June 04 2025 : 05:18:40 AM
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quote: quote:Custom painting is not dead. But you may need to rethink the way you paint. Most of my custom paint work was done with spray paint cans rather than an airbrush and model paints. Sherwin Williams makes automotive paint in spray cans, and they have the ability to custom create any colour you want from a paint chip. It is expensive, but far cheaper than buying the equivalent amount of model paint ever was.
Originally posted by jward - July 16 2023 : 10:16:18 AM
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Having done quite a bit of custom painting on HO trains, using an Airbrush is the only way to go. Spray cans cannot get the small areas or small touch up spots. One can control the spray from light to heavy with precision using the airbrush. The same goes, when I spray on the finish clear coat...
Automotive paint is mostly Laquer based not Enamel as Testor's is. Some plastic does not do will with laquer....
Originally posted by AF Kid - July 16 2023 : 9:38:11 PM
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My local auto parts store sells enamel paint that they will custom mix for you. It works well on plastic. You can get it in spray cans or in jars. My friend who is a custom painter (model railroad not cars) told me about it. Note that this is an independent shop, not one of the chains.
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Posted - June 04 2025 : 11:15:42 AM
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how about paints from Hobby Lobby? 
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Posted - June 05 2025 : 08:58:51 AM
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| When doing bigger jobs.... (as I will post pics soon I hope) one needs the larger Testor's bottles that were discontinued. The little bottles are around $3 at Hobby Lobby.
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