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Substitute for Polly Scale Paint?

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  • Member since
    February 2001
  • From: El Dorado Springs, MO
  • 1,519 posts
Posted by n2mopac on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 1:33 PM
Thanks y'all for your help. This gives me several options to try as well as some carrying opinions of quality to weigh. Appreciate it!

Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado. 

Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy

Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings

 

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Posted by maxman on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 1:03 PM

NP2626

Scalecoat by Weaver Models has a line of railroad specific Acrylic paints called Scalecoat II.  Google Scalecoat and you'll get there.

 
Scalecoat II is not acrylic.
  • Member since
    December 2011
  • From: Northern Minnesota
  • 2,774 posts
Posted by NP2626 on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 7:48 AM

Scalecoat by Weaver Models has a line of railroad specific Acrylic paints called Scalecoat II.  Google Scalecoat and you'll get there.

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

  • Member since
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  • From: Summit NJ
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Posted by fkrall on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 7:47 AM

jrbernier

Ron,

  Badger Modelflex is also an acrylic paint with lots of model railroad specific colors.  It is 'air brush' ready - All of the colors are thinned for air brushing.  Polly Scale needs to be thinned depending on the pigment.  One of the issues with the Badger paint is that it does not 'brush' on very good, and I have tended to use Polly Scale for the most part.

 Jim

Jim,

I've had a different, more positive experience with Modelflex, which I like and find brushes well.  I'm painting my track with it as we speak.  I do start with Pollyscale SP Lettering Gray as a primer coat, and that might be the difference.  I also use artists' brushes, as i enjoy using acrylics, both craft and artists', but I don't know if that affects Modelflex brushability or not.

As to colors, Golden makes a quality line of artists' acrylics, and they have an online color mixer that I use frequently.  Google "golden online color mixer" to bring it and related articles up.  It can take some time, but I've used it to match railroad-specific colors by comparing swatches on a white index card.

Rick Krall

  • Member since
    February 2013
  • 38 posts
Posted by thebarnet on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 2:56 AM

I use Vallejo's Model Colour and Game Colour ranges along with Games workshops Citadel paint range all three ranges are acrylics and very good i have been using the Games workshop range for the past ten years on my war gaming Models the only problems i can i think of is the Games workshop have changed the way there range works and how it's labeled. and both the Vallejo Game Colour range and  Games workshops Citadel paint range have bizarre names  

Apologies in advance for any use of UK RailRoad Terms 

"there is the wrong way the Right way and then there is Great western railway Way"

  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: East Haddam, CT
  • 3,272 posts
Posted by CTValleyRR on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 5:57 PM
Testors Modelmaster Acryl line has many colors that duplicate PollyScale shades. The only significant omission is railroad specific colors. Due to tha Rustoleum marketing muscle, these are widely available. I have been using both Mdelmaster and PollyScale for both airbripush and brush painting for years, with excellent results.

Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford

  • Member since
    June 2012
  • 243 posts
Posted by AVRNUT on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 2:24 PM

Humbrol also has a fair size line of Acrylic model paints. They have about 25 railroad colors included in the line, which has over 100 colors total. They are available from Hornby America website & most cost around $2.05 per can.

Carl

"I could never belong to any club that would have me as a member."

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: SE Minnesota
  • 6,847 posts
Posted by jrbernier on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 11:06 AM

Ron,

  Badger Modelflex is also an acrylic paint with lots of model railroad specific colors.  It is 'air brush' ready - All of the colors are thinned for air brushing.  Polly Scale needs to be thinned depending on the pigment.  One of the issues with the Badger paint is that it does not 'brush' on very good, and I have tended to use Polly Scale for the most part.

  Tru Line train paints are also acrylic, but mainly Canadian specific colors.  Tru Line paints are made by RPM(owner of Polly Scale) for True Line Trains - I suspect they may be gone as well in a few years.

  Tamiya has acrylic paints, but nothing with model railroad specific colors.

  Craft stores have several brands of acrylics(Apple Barrel/Creamcoat/FolkArt/etc, but nothing really railroad specific.

Jim

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

  • Member since
    February 2001
  • From: El Dorado Springs, MO
  • 1,519 posts
Substitute for Polly Scale Paint?
Posted by n2mopac on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 10:33 AM

I have been doing some research since Testors announced the discontinuance of the Polly Scale paint line. I have used Polly Scale paint exclusively for over 20 years. I have read a lot on here about other lines of solvent-based paint to replace the Floquil line, but what is available in acrylics to replace Polly Scale? Someone give me some leads please.

Ron

Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado. 

Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy

Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings

 

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