The Custom Colour range of aerosol colours was designed primarily for spraying clear polycarbonate model car bodyshells. It was developed with the aim of being easy to apply, covering and drying quickly, and achieving good adhesion to the medium. All of the regular colours achieve this totally, but as time has passed we have introduced “effect colours" such as fluorescents, Ice Candies and Fusions. Although we still try to make these as easy as possible to apply they are more difficult to use and do need a level of care to get a good finish.
The Plain Colours Despite being able to cover a bodyshell in one heavy coat, probably without runs or sags the best and most reliable way, in the sense of the paint staying on the body is to spray a series of light, thin coats allowing each one to dry thoroughly before applying the next. Bodyshells flex a great deal, especially in crashes and although the paint does have a strong bond to the surface if one thick coat is applied it will be more rigid than the body. Should the body have to flex excessively, say in a crash, the paint layer not being as flexible as the body will inevitably crack and the bond being broken, come off. Applying the paint in a series of thin layers nets a much more flexible covering which will be less likely to come off. Metallics To allow the effect to work these colours are not quite as dense as the regular colours, will take more coats to cover and more care to attain a finish without shading. Some can be a little translucent and will benefit from a silver backing. Fluorescents These are a translucent colour that rely on a white base coat to create the effect. When applying the colour coat it is difficult to make sure that the colour is covering evenly so split the bodyshell into sections and spray systematically. Directions or this can be found on the flip side of this leaflet under the heading ‘Even Coverage’. White Pearlescent This is not a white paint but a white pearlescent suspended in a clear carrier coat. Used in conjunction with a colour the pearl is applied first and then backed with the colour. It gives a ‘glittery’ effect with dark colours such as black but can lighten the overall effect of mid colours such as yellow. Works well with white.
The actual candies are a tinted translucent lacquer, the effect being completed by backing them up with a base colour. The range includes a silver especially for this but backing up with different colours produces different effects. You can back up with white, gold, black, ordinary silver and each will produce a different overall colour. These are the most difficult colours in the range to use but the final effect is worth the effort. The Ice Candy will need four coats and as with the fluorescents divide the body into areas and apply the coats at ninety degrees to each other to prevent patchy or streaky finishes. Put a thin initial coat on but then put on just slightly heavier than usual coats, so the paint looks just wet as it goes on. Care should be taken to make sure that the body is free of fragments like dust and hairs before applying the Ice Candy coat as this will show through to the finish
The Fusion colours work by refraction and reflection. Depending on the angle they are viewed from they produce different colours, and so on a car changing the angle you look from will result in a body that is constantly changing in colour. The intensity of these colours depends on how many coats of Fusion that are applied, we recommend three or four. Light Fusion coats are applied first, as usual each coat at ninety degrees to the previous one, and then a ‘base coat” is put over them. As with the Ice Candies the base coat can be any colour but with the Fusions dark colours give the best effects with black being the most startling. Keep your bodyshell offcuts and use them to experiment with colour combinations.