Model Railroading > Paint question

I inherited a couple of Branchline Pullman kits and need to paint them pullman green.
What is the preferred paint for plastic models these days?

True color paint are the one for Model railways, not much choice otherwise for accurate colors.

Tru-Color is acetone based, won't it etch plastic?
In days past I would have used Scalecoat II. I don't even know if they're in business any more.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> Tru-Color is acetone based, won't it etch
> plastic?
> In days past I would have used Scalecoat II. I
> don't even know if they're in business any more.

TruColor is pretty much the same as AccuPaint, down to the smell and how it handles.  It smells like acetone is one of the ingredients in the carrier, but like AccuPaint, the stuff dries so quickly it wouldn't have time to craze plastic.

Scalecoat has been an on/off thing, though the latest iteration appears to be up and running.  They have SC I and II thinner and Washaway shown for sale on their website, so hopefully that's a start of the full line returning.

For plastic, TruColor is the paint to use as it is actually an ink and won't attack plastic. Scalecoat went out of business several years ago, but was recently purchased by another company and the only thing they are selling right now is paint remover.This comes from a 40 year Scalecoat paint user!!!

The new owner of Scalecoat has officially announced that they will be producing more paint but not all the former colors will come on line at the same time. I like their Pullman Green. Be aware that historically, Pullman Green has had various shades, to the point that some variations had a brown in it.

This was a plastic kitbash I built and used Scalecoat Pullman Green, but I weathered it and it is flattened with a dull, clear Scalecoat paint. It was built for an elderly retired railroader friend who has since passed away.  It was a free gift, but he handed me a 20 dollar bill. He had no idea how many hours I put into this! It was almost a scratcbuilding project. I also got a nasty gash in my thumb when I was chiseling away details on the original Bachmann car.. (I should have learned in Boy Scouts to cut away from my body when using a sharp instrument!)

Victor Baird



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/25 20:45 by wabash2800.

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wabash2800 Wrote:
 (I should have learned
> in Boy Scouts to cut away from my body when using
> a sharp instrument!)
>
> Victor Baird

That reminds me of one of my favourite quotes from my old Scoutmaster:
 "Never cut towards yourself, always cut towards a buddy!  You can always replace a buddy."

I am old schoool, I use strickly enamel based paint on plastic. Its easy to mix, work with, etc. and it seems to be a good durable permanent finish when dry.
As far as color, with limited selection, expecially in enamels, I end up mixing a lot of my own "custom" colors.... so that could be an option as well if you can find a particular color.

hankbrank15 Wrote:
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> I am old schoool, I use strickly enamel based
> paint on plastic. Its easy to mix, work with, etc.
> and it seems to be a good durable permanent finish
> when dry.
> As far as color, with limited selection,
> expecially in enamels, I end up mixing a lot of my
> own "custom" colors.... so that could be an option
> as well if you can find a particular color.

Not a bad approach if you are trying to adjust for indoor lighting.

Back in my lacquer days, I did a lot of painting for a guy who like Glacier Park green. I mixed my own lacquer with black, yellow and whatever and came up with a killer green. I mixed a quart of it, so had an endless supply.
I have other Tru-Color paints, so will spray some plastic to see how it works. Its good paint.
Pullman Green is like Boxcar Red, a hundred different colors under the same name.