Testors discontinues Model Master products

[Chris333]

What about Dullcote? 

[thomasjmdavis]

What about Dullcote? 

You might try Krylon Matte Finish #1311.  Available at my local Walmart. I've been using it with good success, since the closest hobby shop with Dullcote is 60 miles away.  It does have a nasty smell and best used outdoors or with paint booth.

[nightmare0331]

They'll still have their line of awful enamels in those little rectangular bottles I was using to deface plastic airplane kits when I was 7. They're also into craft paints and materials as well.

Those paints actually airbrush pretty well thinned about 50 percent with straight lacquer thinner. 

Ancient picture, but the red and blue on this model were from those little square jars.



It's sad to hear if the model master line is going, because Japanese Imperial Green was an awesome match for CNW Green and Chrome yellow for CNW Traditional Yellow.  I probably have quite a few bottles floating around somewhere though.

Enjoy!

Kelley.
www.dufordmodelworks.com

[peteski]

Didn't this come up last year?  And then some of us actually called Testors and found out that it was only overseas?  Is this the same rumor come 'round again or some new rumor?

That's what I was thinking.  I found the false rumor from 2017, but now that you mentioned it, there might have been another false rumor later than 2017.  I'm still hopeful  until I see official word from Testors/RPM.

[TLOC]

I just got off the Testor site, nothing indicates they are discontinuing the Modelmaster line.

TomO

[Angus Shops]

I suspect Testors/Rust-oleum starts up this rumour every time sales are a bit slow. I stocked last time the rumour started, and I notice now that I’m a bit low... The last rattle cans I bought were branded ‘Rust-oleum Model Master’. I hope the rattle cans don’t disappear; I use them as primer on resin among other things. And the gloss and matte finishes.

I’ve recently started using Vallejo acrylic paints and I’m very satisfied. So far I’ve used them mostly for painting track, but just today I used them for the first time on rolling stock. They are not sold as railroad colours but with some advice I bought ‘Calvary Brown’ as a substitute for ‘oxide red’, and its a good match. Calvary Brown is only available in the ‘brushable’ line rather than the air brush ready line, but it is easily thinned with distilled or filtered water for use in an airbrush, which is what I was planning to do. However, I decided to have a go with brush application and found it applied easily and evenly. You can also retouch recently coated areas if necessary without messing up the previous application, which is a limitation with a lot of other paint types I’ve used before.

The brushable paint comes out of their little ‘squeeze bottles’ rather thick, but it brushes on in a thin opaque coating. They have a large range of colours as well as a couple of lines of weathering colours and other specialty products. Also, large rattle cans in a limited rande, but with an extreme stink level. The paints seems to adhere well to unprimed resin as well, which is useful, although I will continue to use Model Master rattle cans in roughly similar colours as a primer for added opacity.
Geoff

[mplsjct]

One of the local stores did have some of the Model Master colors labeled as discontinued, about a month or so ago, however, I didn’t get the impression the whole line was getting discontinued.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I'm hoping this is just Facebook gossip. I actually really like the MM Acryl colors and use them frequently. About 10 years ago I converted to all water based paints and use Badger for most colors but like the Acryl paints for yellows and whites. Polly Scale was by far the best water based paint for light colors, but Acryl is a close second. Badgers colors are good, but are not opaque enough when painting lighter colors without primer.

[reinhardtjh]

Just thought I would post a little heads up. We have learned from multiple distributors that Testors is discontinuing the entire Model Master line, paint, tools, everything. Not wanting to add paint to your toilet paper panic buying but if there is a color you particularly need, now is the time to stock up.

Doesn't sound like Facebook gossip.  I don't believe Tony would have posted anything he thought was untrue. 

[wcfn100]

Seven years ago the Model Master line was critical to their success.

Hopefully their spray chalk line can hold the fort down.

Jason

[peteski]

Doesn't sound like Facebook gossip.  I don't believe Tony would have posted anything he thought was untrue.

Nobody is safe from the fake news. As I  said, very early in this thread, I will not cry until I hear it right from the horse's mouth.  I want it official, and in writing.

[amato1969]

I'm hoping this is just Facebook gossip. I actually really like the MM Acryl colors and use them frequently. About 10 years ago I converted to all water based paints and use Badger for most colors but like the Acryl paints for yellows and whites. Polly Scale was by far the best water based paint for light colors, but Acryl is a close second. Badgers colors are good, but are not opaque enough when painting lighter colors without primer.

I have found Tamiya to be absolutely bullet-proof when airbrushed.  Sure you'll have to mix to get specific military and railroad colors, but give their white a try if you're out of the other brands.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I have found Tamiya to be absolutely bullet-proof when airbrushed.  Sure you'll have to mix to get specific military and railroad colors, but give their white a try if you're out of the other brands.

Oh I use Tamiya a lot. I still have several of their Polycarb bottles stashed away for handrail paint. But I like the Testor's Acryl white just a bit better for airbrushing.

[SkipGear]

I have been hearing about this for about a month now and more and more colors were being discontinued as I re-ordered so I knew it was coming but didn't want to say anything. Then the news came from two different distributors at the same time last week. I figured it was time to warn people. There was a similar announcement about 6 months ago that turned out to be the European market mentioned above, we are all that is left. 

When they originally discontinued the Poly Scale and Floquil lines, I had talked to the distributors that we purchased the lines from and none of them could understand it. They said both paint lines sold as well as any paint they sold. It came down to the fact that Testors didn't think the paint could survive a price increase that was going to need to happen. Besides people buying Rustoleum rattle cans are not nearly as picky as we are. They can make 30 colors and fully satisfy the market instead of 150 model colors that nobody thinks is exactly right.

They have already discontinued a bunch of the military colors and the entire automotive line. My paint racks at the store show it. I dread reordering testors paint each week because the list of discontinued sku's grows each time. About a year and a half a go, there was a great deal on a military armor color rack, new rack and all the paint. 6 months later, they discontinued it. I have no faith in testors any more. We have switched over to Vallejo and Mr Hobby paints at the store as well as expanding our Tamiya racks to carry their full line of colors.

The little enamel bottles will still be around as well as DullCoat because it comes from that rack.

[peteski]

I'm still in denial.