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What kind of paint do I use to achieve this effect? I have metallic enamels but they have that sparkly glittery look like with most car paints I've seen.

I want something that is smooth, reflective, very metallic, like in the pic I showed. What do I use? Thanks!

Pic is not mine.

Unfortunately, metallic paint can't create that effect. It's achieved by a foil.

I particularly like Weirdingway's example used in his blog here.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/300/584689.page#7478649

And the foil he suggests

http://www.hlj.com/product/hsgtf5/Sup

This was surprisingly hard to find, but I remembered seeing a polishable metal paint, here it is;

http://ak-interactive.com/v2/?product=xtreme-metal-chrome

http://ak-interactive.com/v2/?product=true-metal-steel

It would be vastly easier than foil, but would not get to mirror standards

Alclad will do it too, to a mirror finish.

Stages: 1) VERY clean, smooth surface. Polish it up to around 1200 grit, then a bit more. 2) Very high gloss black. 3) Alclad lacquer. 4) Polish with soft cloth. 5) Apply clear red lacquer. 6) Apply very high gloss clear lacquer.

Be warned; not an easy process, at all. Every step absolutely needs to be done perfectly. No dust, no blemishes.

winterdyne wrote:
Alclad will do it too, to a mirror finish.

Stages: 1) VERY clean, smooth surface. Polish it up to around 1200 grit, then a bit more. 2) Very high gloss black. 3) Alclad lacquer. 4) Polish with soft cloth. 5) Apply clear red lacquer. 6) Apply very high gloss clear lacquer.

Be warned; not an easy process, at all. Every step absolutely needs to be done perfectly. No dust, no blemishes.

If you use Alclad candies with their 'Bright Silver Candy Base,' you apply metallic directly to bare plastic. However, there are a few of the normal Alclad II paints that require a gloss black base (Chrome is one, but there are a couple others too).

I assume with the foil you have to cut it to shape and then apply it and glue it?

No, usually when working with foil you need to stretch it over the area you want; this means cutting oversize then smoothing it, then trimming it with an EXTREMELY sharp blade.

I remember trying to work with that foil on an Apollo Capsule in the 1970s.

I never managed to succeed at getting it to work.

But a friend of mine was VERY successful with it (he did a P-38 Lightning that was the brushed aluminum look. One of the most beautiful kits I had ever seen).

I should try it out again on some Tau.

MB

Hmm thinking, my Mega Armoured Warboss should be toting some seriously reflective gold armour.... he is a Bad Moonz Boy after all!

Is it self adhesive?

Well you can use foil. You can also do chrome effects with airbushes. For airbrushing heres a tut http://www.mvpfigure.com/gundam-model-tutorial/airbrush-tutorial-how-to-create-mirror-chrome-effect-by-nanxnei-studio/

 Ir0njack wrote:
Well you can use foil. You can also do chrome effects with airbushes. For airbrushing heres a tut http://www.mvpfigure.com/gundam-model-tutorial/airbrush-tutorial-how-to-create-mirror-chrome-effect-by-nanxnei-studio/

ok so yeh im gona be trying this for my crons!
Question, how would you guys weather/rust chrome?

Solar Shock wrote:

 Ir0njack wrote:
Well you can use foil. You can also do chrome effects with airbushes. For airbrushing heres a tut http://www.mvpfigure.com/gundam-model-tutorial/airbrush-tutorial-how-to-create-mirror-chrome-effect-by-nanxnei-studio/

ok so yeh im gona be trying this for my crons!
Question, how would you guys weather/rust chrome?

Chrome being chrome wouldn't rust.....

IF anything just do your base dirt colored dust up the legs a bit.

 Desubot wrote:

Solar Shock wrote:

 Ir0njack wrote:
Well you can use foil. You can also do chrome effects with airbushes. For airbrushing heres a tut http://www.mvpfigure.com/gundam-model-tutorial/airbrush-tutorial-how-to-create-mirror-chrome-effect-by-nanxnei-studio/

ok so yeh im gona be trying this for my crons!
Question, how would you guys weather/rust chrome?

Chrome being chrome wouldn't rust.....

IF anything just do your base dirt colored dust up the legs a bit.

This is my problem I run Crons who are orks who have looted them, so generally they are very broken and smashed up, so I want to know what to do as battle damage.
I suppose it depends on whether the idea is that its a plating or a solid chrome metal. If it was a plating I could do some damage showing the metal below.

Then if its only chrome plated. do small pits and scrapped edges in brown rust like colors.

You could also do water spots and acid rain damage with some VERY thin white wash. IIRC

 Desubot wrote:
Then if its only chrome plated. do small pits and scrapped edges in brown rust like colors.

You could also do water spots and acid rain damage with some VERY thin white wash. IIRC

Ah great idea i can cut and bore holes into the armour and rust it in those spots. Hmm I would like to do it using the salt technique or using chipping fluid, but im not sure whether either will work well with it. I tend to think the salt technique would work best, I have a feeling chipping fluid would not chip very well after all the layers required to the chrome effect, whereas the salt chips would still rub off after all those layers.