Hawkeye’s Squawkbox

Talon Series NMF acrylic paints were created to fill a void felt by many modelers who love natural metal finishes, yet were not satisfied by the existing acrylic metal colored paints and preferred not to use petroleum based products.

So, I started to investigate a formulation that allowed the same properties, performance and colors as the SnJ Spray Metals did. What I came up with is now know as Talon Series NMF Acrylic Paints.

Talon is simple to apply. It is ready to spray straight from the bottle, no thinning required. However, if you feel the need to thin, then you can use water or isopropyl alcohol. Clean up can be achieved using either isopropyl alcohol or household cleaners such as Windex.

Surface preparation in general is as with any other paint, clean, oil free and dry. However too shiney/smooth of a surface may reduce adhesion since Talon has no etchants to bite into the surface. Generally from my experience plastics with a waxy feel will generally require a primer.

The primer (if necessary) needs to be nothing more than a light misted application of any flat paint. Just give some texture to the surface for the Talon to grab onto. Total coverage of a primer, that is to say until on gets a uniform color isn’t required. Just as long as their is something on the surface of the plastic.

Talon must be applied with an airbrush. I suggest setting your pressure at 18psi and adjust from there to a pressure that best suits your personal preferences. The paint needs to be thoroughly shaken, a little pigment residue on the bottom of the jar is okay.

With the air pressure set, apply with minimal paint flow, a light misting application is preferred. See video.

The video showed you how I apply the Talon using a light application of paint, pausing between “coats” until I had the coverage I desired. The longer you can pause between coats the faster your overall drying time will be. Acrylics glaze over rapidly but are slow to cure. Once I have let the model sit and dry for a period of time, I again will give it one more coat for good measure…this is important…I will apply this last coat with a heavier paint flow than the previous ones. This provides for a uniform level coat.

After your final coat application, let the paint sit and cure for at least 8 hours, 12-24 would be better. It should be dry enough to handle gently in about an hour but again the longer it can cure the better.

Masking over the Talon should not be done using tapes until it has fully cured. I have found that I can mask sooner without ill effects sooner by using Post It Notes.

Talon dries with a gloss clear finish suitable for decaling without an additional clear coat.

In the next segment, I show you how to use the SnJ Polishing Powders as an optional way to achieve that highly polished look.

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