Your recommendation for best ("Shinest") metallic paint?

[maxxon]

I do ink glazes of buffed, unpainted metal!

Funny, I used to do ink-on-metal and "bare metal metal" (scrape the edge of the blade clean after painting) years ago...

Then everything went plastic and spoiled that fun...

Well, I still do it occasionally.

[FramFramson]

Right. There's lots of fantasy figures still in metal. But 1/48 aircraft kit, not so much!

[DS615]

Testors enamel model paints are really, really, shiny metallic.
I stopped using enamels decades ago, but they are still the best for certain things.

[Too Bo Coo]

Vallejo Liquid Metal

[Melnibonean]

I have a bottle of Vallejo aluminium. It's super shiny, very thin for spraying and it flows beautifully with a brush. You just need to do a couple of coats.

[Daeothar]

How about something a bit out of the box?

I've seen phenominal results by model airplane builders with rub on metal film. One example was a P-51D in bare metal that looked like a virtual mirror! Apparently, the technique is similar to gold plating; a very thin strip of metal is rubbed onto a prepared surface, and is so thin, it will form even over rivets and into panel lines.

I have no idea about where to find such supplies, its pricing or difficulty of use (I suppose there's a steep learning curve), but the results are simply spectacular...

[Malebolgia]

I have recently experimented with several brands of metallics, simply because the Citadel ones aren't as good as they used to be. I tried new Citadel, Coat d'Arms, Army Painter, Vallejo Game and Vallejo Air. After trial and error I discovered that the brightest paint-on silver is Vallejo Model Air Aluminium - very good coverage, and hardly any pigmentation due to its airbrush formulation. Works just as well with a brush, and can be thinned with water. They do slightly darker shades too.

An expensive experiment, but I finally found a paint that gives the result I needed.

However, if you want to get super-shiny, apparently the Vallejo Liquid Gold also comes in silver. This needs alcohol thinners, but is unsurpassed for shinyness!

Hope that helps.

What are your experiences with inks and washes with the VMA paint? I bought these bottles years ago because everybody recommended them as the best shiny acrylic metallics...but everytime I wash or ink them, the metallic dissolves again, giving a messy result. It's almost as if they aren't waterproof...unless you actually airbrush them.

[psyberwyche]

Ooo, I confess I haven't had that problem so far. I haven't used much of a wash over the air Aluminium though, as it tends to be the absolute final stage I paint on, for chips and edge highlights. However, I have used glazes over it in a few cases, and it lasted fine.

[Too Bo Coo]

What are your experiences with inks and washes with the VMA paint? I bought these bottles years ago because everybody recommended them as the best shiny acrylic metallics...but everytime I wash or ink them, the metallic dissolves again, giving a messy result. It's almost as if they aren't waterproof...unless you actually airbrush them.

Ooo, I confess I haven't had that problem so far. I haven't used much of a wash over the air Aluminium though, as it tends to be the absolute final stage I paint on, for chips and edge highlights. However, I have used glazes over it in a few cases, and it lasted fine.

The Vallejo Liquid Gold line of metallics is a different chemical makeup from their regular acrylics, VMC, VAC, VGC, etc.  So I seal the area for VLG then use it, seal it again, and then add whatever.

Does this help?

[Major_Gilbear]

You need any good paint with lots of very fine "flakes" if you want a very reflective smooth-looking finish, and you need to build up through several thinner layers (not least, to ensure the "flakes" lie flat and reflect as well as possible).

However, I also think that model/area preparation is absolutely essential. You touched on this a bit when you mentioned Alclad, and the key there is to use several layers of gloss black to build up the smoothest surface you can prior to the Alclad going on. Alclad is usually airbrushed to achieve very thin even coats - doable with a brush, but you risk leaving texture in the paint if you're not careful enough.

I have a friend who's painted (with a brush) using Alclad, and the results are undeniably more lustrous than usual metallic model paints. However, even he admitted that he should have spent more time and effort on the undercoat and prep- it would have looked even better still had he not had to rush a bit to get it finished for a deadline.

Personally, I've achieved some smooth and very shiny results with Vallejo Game Colour metals (silvers and golds), but that's a faffy time-consuming process and is a key reason why I usually avoid metal paints if I can.

[sundayhero]

I remember  some guys simply polish the figure bare metals. The result is impressive, especially for blades, without any comparison with painting  

[Too Bo Coo]

I remember  some guys simply polish the figure bare metals. The result is impressive, especially for blades, without any comparison with painting 

Oh yeah, it was one of the first techniques I learned.... and actually never used it.  But I think I'm going to start using it for my fantasy minis as they are all metals.  I'm also going to try Dallimore's technique for making swords from flattened and polished rod.

[FramFramson]

When I polish bare metal I use the wire brush on my dremel. You have to be careful as too much pressure will actually wear away the figure surface. I really should be picking up a softer brass dremel brush for my polishing.

[Major_Gilbear]

I really should be picking up a softer brass dremel brush for my polishing.

Or even nylon? That might take longer, but it'd be kinder to lead-based figures.

[FramFramson]

I barely have any older figures, so I doubt there's much lead in my collection - just white metal, some of which is surprisingly hard. Unless you were talking more generally about metal minis of a variety of compositions?