Damn Testors!

It's always been about the paints:
When I was in grade school all you had was Testor's Pla paint - small jars, few colors, glossy
By the time I graduated college - Official - fantastic flat colors until they went bankrupt (They surely weren't chemists) , humbroll in little tins, and the great Floquil laquers.
IR had a great line of dry flat military miniature paints - Nixon signed a bill limiting the use of lead even in small jars.
Over the years Floquil went from Xylene to Toluene to Enamels and dropped many colors
Thinner based were replaced by water based
Floquil introduced a complete line of navy paints - then dropped them
Badger introduced navy colors and then dropped them
The story goes on and on - the one thing in modeling that has always sucked except in very special times was the availability of good paints. The paints are like Lucy and the football in Charlie Brown.
Val Kraut

Frank,
Testors killed the Floquil Military line when they took it over. They have not DARED kill the model railroad colors as there are more train buffs than any other kind of modeler (and it does not "compete" with anything else in Testors' line).
Killing Polyscale to force people to buy MM Acryl is not a smart move and may force more modelers to either Gunze Sangyo or Tamiya, even with their far more limited selection.
Cookie Sewell

When Testors took over the Pactra line they dropped all the enamel paints. I've been annoyed with them ever since. As for their glue, I haven't used that since 1969. I used Pactra's right up until Testors killed that and then switched to Plastruct and/or Ambroid's. One bottle of Tenax convinced me to give up on that. Most of it disappeared before I could use it.
Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

Mad Modeller wrote in news:S5qdnTirR7qtjQXRnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
Ain't thatn the truth. I had forgotten about Pactra. I had started using those just before they got killed off. Still have bottles, the Scale Black is pretty good.
Agreed on the Tenax, too. I thought I must have knocked the damn thing over it evaped so quickly.

grey snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Gray Ghost) wrote in news:Xns9DF9E708522A3Wereofftoseethewizrd@216.196.97.142:
Oops, sorry for the poltical commentary. That sig is for a different group. Let's not all get our swords out. 8)
Frank

: It's always been about the paints: : : Floquil introduced a complete line of navy paints - then dropped them : Don't forget the Floquil Military Colors. Still can't find a "warm" gray, like FS303319/303321, Israel Lt. Gray & Israel Tan, respectively.
For all of the colors Testors has killed consolodating the hobby paint market, I'm voting with my wallet, and few of its' contents go to Testors. : : Badger introduced navy colors and then dropped them : And don't forget about the episode of Badger paints turning to cottage cheese in the bottle - contaminated during manufacture, apparently. Very limited color selection, as well.
I have been working with Tamiya and Gunze Mr Color (no Aqueous Hobby Color!)
Does anybody have a source for Revell Germany paints? A club member swears they make the only correct color for the German Army (Bundeswehr), but US customs won't let it in, and no explaination for it, either.
Bruce

0vbp.googlegroups.com: Ignorant question... And you've got the topic right! I've bought two bottles of MM Acryl, not realizing it. I REALLY need them to work, but the first attempt at brushing was so horrible and I ruined the brush trying to clean it with water, paint thinner, and rubbing alcohol! What exactly do I have to have to clean a brush...?

innews: snipped-for-privacy@c16g2000vbp.googlegroups.com: I use 'Klean Strip' Brush Cleaner. Comes in a 1 Qt. can. Works with acryl, enamel, and lacquer. I have cleaned brushes that were rock solid with paint, including a brush found in a stash box that was caked with paint for over 30 years. Available most places where paints are sold. Link below is just for the pic of the can.

2000vbp.googlegroups.com: Hi Everyone, Over the years (60+) I've used nearly every paint brand mentioned in the above posts. Strangely, Poly S was the only one I was never satisfied with. It clogged the airbrush and was almost impossible to remove from the airbrush if it happened to dry there. As to the MM acryl line, though it may be limited in color (not that I've noticed) it has always worked satisfactorily for me. Just never use Gunze acrylic thinnner with it ...it turns to mush! I've used Gunze and Tamiya acryls with no problems as long as the appropriate thinner is used and my bud swears that regular lacquer thinner can be used on any of it either for thinning or clean up. Haven't fooled around much with the newer Gunze acryl lacquers but what I have done with them has been satisfactory so far.
=20 Cliff Davis "Ol' 45"

We're obviously guessing as to their reasons, but could it be they don't like the solvents used? If that seems likely, you might want to try their acrylics.
Rob

:> Does anybody have a source for Revell Germany paints? A club :> member swears they make the only correct color for the German Army :> (Bundeswehr), but US customs won't let it in, and no explaination :> for it, either. : : We're obviously guessing as to their reasons, but could it be they don't : like the solvents used? If that seems likely, you might want to try their : acrylics. : That is the rub - these are "Aqua color" paints - acrylics. Doesn't mean there is _something_ the US Customes/Postal Service doesn't like, of course.
Bruce

The old classic Pactra "Flat Aluminum" in the larger orange-lidded jar was incredible. It was about the only enamel metallic that actually cured completely. One could mask over it, and even brush paint over it, with no ill effects.