Informal survey on resin casting color

[DKS]

While studying some resin kits from various manufacturers, so far none have tinted resin that I've seen. Now, in some cases tinting would not be appropriate—for instance, rolling stock kits should be neutral so as to make painting easier. However, for other items such as details and even structures to an extent, it makes sense to me to tint them an appropriate color.

So, I have few questions. First, does anyone else tint their resin? Second, what do modelers prefer—tinted or untinted? Third, for kits that should not be tinted, would modelers prefer a medium grey or ("natural") white resin?

[Catt]

I haven't done any casting yet,but I think it would depend on what I was casting .If it were a brick structure I would probly use a reddish tint or maybe a light brown.

As for a untinted model I think that the resin colour would be ine of choice or what was available.Though a white resin would probly make the final paint choce look better.

[Philip H]

James Will (WILLMODELS @ eBay; N Scale Vehicle Association) has occasionally offered some of his vehicles in tinted and clear resin.  He will often do so as a custom pour for a customer.  The ones I have seen look really good, though masking the clear ones for painting can be a challenge.

for the ones that don't need tinting, I prefer a light to medium grey.  That's the color of most undercoats/primers anyway, so if it comes in that color it may be easier to paint later.  White would be appropriate for things that are supposed to be white.

[Dave V]

I would argue even brick structures could be untinted white or neutral.  I think you get more natural color variation by adding reds over a mortar color than you do by adding mortar color over brick red.  My stone bridge started painted Antique White and I added darker colors on top.  The result, compared to one I did some time ago starting dark and working light, is much more like what I see in Pennsylvania.

I personally enjoy painting light to dark versus dark to light.

Detail castings, OTOH, should be close to the color it intends to replicate.  Conrail cab signal boxes in blue, for example, or fire hydrants in red or yellow.

[MichaelWinicki]

Speaking of Will Models, I have all of his resin buildings and they are all grey... And that is A-OK.

[TiVoPrince]

Whatever  
colour allows thinnest possible reliable paint coverage.  As mentioned specific items that have a 'natural' colour should be a similar shade to allow ease of painting.  Whenever possible, buildings should be white as it is the lightest potential colour that is likely to be applied...

[wm3798]

Being a long time lighting geek, on structures opacity is more important than color. 



While not a resin casting, this shot demonstrates one of the problems of translucent materials.  Right inside the big double windows, Bryan has a counter built in as part of the wall.  This creates a horizontal white surface that catches the light from above, then transmits it to the outside.  Because the casting is inside the building, it's hard to blacken the first surface that the light hits, so there's a little light bleed on the outside below the windows.

The quick fix will be to put a coat of black under the window on the outside wall, then another coat of white.  Not a really big deal, but more work than it would have been had the counter been a separate part, or the casting material been more opaque.

On a structure like a DPM model, opacity becomes an issue mostly at the windows, where the thin parts of the sashes can bleed light.

It would seem to me that casting a structure in a lighter color would exacerbate this problem.  My preference would be for a solid neutral gray.

Lee

[Wardie]

When I am spraying boxcar red, Maine Central Pine green and most darker colors white or grey has made little difference, but I have found with yellows and light oranges, MEC harvest gold being in that category, it really helps to have a white primer underneath, it also cuts down n the number of coats of paint needed. Granted this sample is injection molded plastic, but when painting some Atlas boxcars I had to spray 6 coats of the harvest gold to get the color right over grey, when I primed the cars with white, I had full coverage of the right tint with just 2 coats of paint. When the final color is unknown and the option to pick the color of the resin is available I would recommend white. Unless it is a case of something like vehicle casting where the option of masking off the windows would make clear resin a better choice.

[robert3985]

I am also of the opinion that opacity is the main quality to shoot for.  I've got a batch of the first run of Intermountain reefer kits, and the details are there, but they're cast in a "reefer orange" color and the paint isn't completely opaque, so the small details are essentially translucent.  Translucent ladders on their sides really gets to me!

I've got two MT Burlington 40' boxcars, one cast in red plastic and painted flat red..the other in an opaque brown or black and painted shiny red.  The opaque plastic one looks exponentially better than the translucent red plastic one.  This proves to me that tinting your resin castings close to the same color as the paint you're going to put on is not what you want to do.  An opaque "primer" color would be much better.

The other advantage of tinting resin castings in an opaque neutral color (a warm gray most likely) is that no primer is needed to "opaque-ize" 'em...making the details less concealed by an additional coat of paint. 

Brick structures? I also agree that an opaque "mortar color" would be best and would also prevent an extra first coat of paint to obscure all that fine detail you put into your products. Besides,  "brick color" is usually about as effective as "flesh color" if you know what I'm talking about.  I'm sure "mortar color" is going to be much easier to achieve.

Hope this assists you.

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore

[Ian MacMillan]

I started casting in white when I started, but now I prefer to use gray. For detail parts I would want mine cast in a color as close to the actual color as possible.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I like a medium gray to paint with. It slows a uniform coat come out in a uniform color. One of the biggest challenges their painting I had was matching the red of an Athearn fire truck to a modified cab in yellow plastic. No matter how close the paint was on samples, it NEVER came out right. Having a gray base color would have saved the project.

[cv_acr]

I like a medium gray to paint with. It slows a uniform coat come out in a uniform color. One of the biggest challenges their painting I had was matching the red of an Athearn fire truck to a modified cab in yellow plastic. No matter how close the paint was on samples, it NEVER came out right. Having a gray base color would have saved the project.

Couldn't you have painted a light grey undercoat first?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Yes, but that would require planning and thought. 

[DKS]

Thank you all for the feedback. It's pretty much as I expected. Interesting the division between the "natural white" and "neutral grey" camps.

Myself, I just wonder why more manufacturers don't tint their resin at all; it's easy and relatively inexpensive, although for best results, it's not just a matter of adding a little black; adding white tint as well gives the resin more opacity. There are also additives that will make it look like metal or wood--all sorts of cool products out there.

[Nato]

           Over the many years I have been modeling in N (Gauge) Scale I have  seen everything. A flat black Pennsylvania 2-10-2 boiler w/ cab from Camden & Amboy,white GP 60 M & M B diesel shells,gray streamlined passenger car shells from J&J,freight car colred box car shells,a light tan color on Porthole Productions UP E-2 diesel shells,gray and brown building kits. Clear color would be interesting as is done on some resin garage kits for Japanese Anime (anamation) figures. I remember as a kid buying clear plastic Varney cars and trucks for my HO-HO layout. I found if I carefully used majic markers, my coloring tool of choice back then,inside the bodies with the windows masked,the finished car looked great,because the clear outside reflected the light off the painted (markered,ecch) inside surface like a waxed polished car fender.Of course I used a small brush and tried to carefully paint the chrome,grills and window frames silver on the outside of the body to give the look of raised chrome pieces attached to the painted body. Needless to say this ruined everything,plus my free handing was not very great. Nate Goodman (Nato).