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Another Paint Manufacturer Bites the Dust - ScaleCoat Paint

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  • Member since
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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, March 31, 2023 9:32 AM

Doughless
In these discussions of paints over the years, you are the first person to suggest that you actually add different colors to your railroad color paint to get a slightly different color to represent aged color.

I think nobody reads my posts.

-Photographs by Kevin Parson

I have been posting these painting practices for years!

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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  • From: Heart of Georgia
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Posted by Doughless on Friday, March 31, 2023 12:44 PM

SeeYou190

 

 
Doughless
In these discussions of paints over the years, you are the first person to suggest that you actually add different colors to your railroad color paint to get a slightly different color to represent aged color.

 

I think nobody reads my posts.

-Photographs by Kevin Parson

I have been posting these painting practices for years!

-Kevin

 

Kevin, I read your posts, but never picked up on that.

But you freelance totally, so there is no real "prototype correct" color to fuss about getting right.  

IMO, what you show could be all one railroad's boxcars in various stages of aging/bleaching and ready for weathering, or not. 

- Douglas

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Posted by AEP528 on Friday, March 31, 2023 1:29 PM

SeeYou190

 

 
Doughless
In these discussions of paints over the years, you are the first person to suggest that you actually add different colors to your railroad color paint to get a slightly different color to represent aged color.

 

I think nobody reads my posts.

-Photographs by Kevin Parson

I have been posting these painting practices for years!

-Kevin

 

Feels like there's an opportunity for a paint distributor to sell a 20-pack labelled "Boxcar Reds".

What was batch to batch paint like in the 1950's? How close in color were the batches? Did Alco and EMD use the same paint supplier or were there subtle differences in their colors?

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Posted by dti406 on Friday, March 31, 2023 2:07 PM

AEP528

 

 
SeeYou190

 

 
Doughless
In these discussions of paints over the years, you are the first person to suggest that you actually add different colors to your railroad color paint to get a slightly different color to represent aged color.

 

I think nobody reads my posts.

-Photographs by Kevin Parson

I have been posting these painting practices for years!

-Kevin

 

 

 

Feels like there's an opportunity for a paint distributor to sell a 20-pack labelled "Boxcar Reds".

What was batch to batch paint like in the 1950's? How close in color were the batches? Did Alco and EMD use the same paint supplier or were there subtle differences in their colors?

 

Actually Tru-Color does this they have different reds for any railroad you want, but I don't like the paint or the plastic bottles it comes in which is why I prefer Scalecoat, which does have three different boxcar reds along with N&W and PRR freight car reds.

But it is all subjective, I know of two railroads the Wabash and DT&I which bought whatever red was cheapest at the hardware or farmers supply store and that was what the red boxcars were painted as.

I have very happy that someone has purchased the Scalecoat Paint line and that it will still be available.

Rick Jesionowski

 

Rule 1: This is my railroad.

Rule 2: I make the rules.

Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, March 31, 2023 11:22 PM

Doughless
But you freelance totally, so there is no real "prototype correct" color to fuss about getting right. 

True, True.

Stratton And Gillette freight car red is Scalecoat #2014 "Caboose Red". I add a little orange, yellow, or gray for faded versions.

Dawdle And Delay freight car red is Scalecoat #2087 "Boxcar Red #2", which I do not think I have ever modified for fading.

The most freight cars I have painted for any other roadname is three. Most roadnames are "one-offs", so no fading would be applied.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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    January 2019
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Posted by John-NYBW on Saturday, April 1, 2023 1:28 PM

I'm also a free lancer so I don't get too bummed out about any paint manufacturer going out of business. There are lots of rattle can choices for a suitable red oxide and there is no right or wrong shade. Close enough is good enough. There are enough paint manufacturers around that you can probably find a suitable shade for just about any color if you're not overly fussy about it. 

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Saturday, April 1, 2023 3:15 PM

John-NYBW

I'm also a free lancer so I don't get too bummed out about any paint manufacturer going out of business. There are lots of rattle can choices for a suitable red oxide and there is no right or wrong shade. Close enough is good enough. There are enough paint manufacturers around that you can probably find a suitable shade for just about any color if you're not overly fussy about it. 

 

Well John, if that workss for you fine. I'm not painting any rolling stock or locomotives with rattle cans...... or acrylic paint if I can help it.

Sheldon

 

    

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Posted by John-NYBW on Saturday, April 1, 2023 3:39 PM

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

 

 
John-NYBW

I'm also a free lancer so I don't get too bummed out about any paint manufacturer going out of business. There are lots of rattle can choices for a suitable red oxide and there is no right or wrong shade. Close enough is good enough. There are enough paint manufacturers around that you can probably find a suitable shade for just about any color if you're not overly fussy about it. 

 

 

 

Well John, if that workss for you fine. I'm not painting any rolling stock or locomotives with rattle cans...... or acrylic paint if I can help it.

Sheldon

 

 

It's rare that I have to paint freight cars but I have bought several batches of undecorated boxcars for my home road. The ones I bought from Bowser were prepainted with data only. I bought some Athearn undecorated boxcars which were black and I used a red oxide primer in a rattle can and they came out just fine. I have some outside braced box cars that I'm planning to do the same with. I've also repainted a couple of Jade Green NYC boxcars after I learned that paint scheme wasn't introduce until several years after my time frame. Rattle cans work for me. I've made several attempts at using an airbrush and it has been a failed experimwnr but the rattle can efforts have produced good results. 

I've also painted a small fleet of diesel locos in basic black with good results. One AB set of F-3s I used a cheap paint and it came out a bit thicker than I would have liked but because they're black, it doesn't look that bad. I used a better quality paint on RS-1s, RS-3s, and a GP-7 and I am very happy with those results. 

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Saturday, April 1, 2023 5:03 PM

John-NYBW

 

 
ATLANTIC CENTRAL

 

 
John-NYBW

I'm also a free lancer so I don't get too bummed out about any paint manufacturer going out of business. There are lots of rattle can choices for a suitable red oxide and there is no right or wrong shade. Close enough is good enough. There are enough paint manufacturers around that you can probably find a suitable shade for just about any color if you're not overly fussy about it. 

 

 

 

Well John, if that workss for you fine. I'm not painting any rolling stock or locomotives with rattle cans...... or acrylic paint if I can help it.

Sheldon

 

 

 

 

It's rare that I have to paint freight cars but I have bought several batches of undecorated boxcars for my home road. The ones I bought from Bowser were prepainted with data only. I bought some Athearn undecorated boxcars which were black and I used a red oxide primer in a rattle can and they came out just fine. I have some outside braced box cars that I'm planning to do the same with. I've also repainted a couple of Jade Green NYC boxcars after I learned that paint scheme wasn't introduce until several years after my time frame. Rattle cans work for me. I've made several attempts at using an airbrush and it has been a failed experimwnr but the rattle can efforts have produced good results. 

I've also painted a small fleet of diesel locos in basic black with good results. One AB set of F-3s I used a cheap paint and it came out a bit thicker than I would have liked but because they're black, it doesn't look that bad. I used a better quality paint on RS-1s, RS-3s, and a GP-7 and I am very happy with those results. 

 

My paint schemes are little more involved......

Sheldon

    

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, April 7, 2023 10:03 AM

John-NYBW
There are lots of rattle can choices for a suitable red oxide and there is no right or wrong shade. Close enough is good enough.

Very true. I am certain that if I had no ScaleCoat II paint I would not stop painting. I would find something.

ATLANTIC CENTRAL
My paint schemes are little more involved.

Stratton and Gillette paint schemes run the entire range from simple to very involved.

-Photographs by Kevin Parson

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by THOMAS MCHUGH on Friday, May 12, 2023 7:24 PM

Rapido actuually advertised a paint line at one point and had a color chart.  I reached out and they didn't want to tell me who any of the vendors were because they didn't want to upset the "distributor".  Anyway was never able to track any of it down,  Same with their "bendy" track line that they advertised but was never able to find any

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Posted by Mark R. on Friday, May 12, 2023 9:42 PM

THOMAS MCHUGH

Rapido actuually advertised a paint line at one point and had a color chart.  I reached out and they didn't want to tell me who any of the vendors were because they didn't want to upset the "distributor".  Anyway was never able to track any of it down,  Same with their "bendy" track line that they advertised but was never able to find any

 

The Rapido paint has already come and gone. My local hobby shop used to carry quite a bit of it, that was 3 to 5 years ago.

Mark.

¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, May 13, 2023 1:25 AM

Mark R.
The Rapido paint has already come and gone.

Just like the Rapido uncouplers.

Huh?

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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  • From: Massachusetts
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Posted by Paul3 on Sunday, May 14, 2023 10:50 PM

Rapido's ProtoPaint line isn't coming back any time soon, if ever.  The paint manufacturer had a change of management, and now they only want to sell large quantities of paint per color. ProtoPaint was done as a service to the hobby, and as long as it broke even, Rapido would probably continue the line.  However, with the new quantities required by the manufacturer, that just isn't possible.  It has become pretty much a "one and done" product line, unfortunately.

If anyone is looking for ProtoPaint, AA Hobbies in Warwick, RI had some when I was there last week.

As for the Rapido "Bendy Track", it was announced but never released.  The factory made some samples and the guys filmed a video about it, but that's as far as it ever got.  The factory at the time was just not able to make a satisfactory product, so it was canceled.

The new run of Rapido RailCrew Uncouplers are due in before June this year ("Second Quarter 2023," as it says on the website).

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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 14, 2023 11:38 PM

Paul3
The new run of Rapido RailCrew Uncouplers are due in before June this year ("Second Quarter 2023," as it says on the website).

I read all of Rapido's announcements, and I did not see this anywhere.

It also did not mention it on the Railcrew page.

Then I looked at the product delivery schedule, and sure enough... there is was.

I just sent them an email.

THANKS PAUL!

-Kevin

 

Living the dream.

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