Natural Metal Finishes Featuring Alclad II

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

The newest title from Master Class Videos is a bit different from the first title in that it is technique-based, rather than a detailed how-to build on a specific model. Floyd Werner returns to the big screen (perhaps; it depends on how big your TV is) with a detailed examination to finishing models with the Alclad II system. The Alclad II paints are very durable and provide one of the most realistic natural metal finishes available to modelers, and this DVD does an excellent job of describing the steps needed to produce an amazing natural metal finish.

The DVD is divided into thirteen chapters, with the first handful covering the tools and steps needed to prepare the model for painting. Natural metal finishes are very revealing of flaws, and this is a point nicely illustrated on this DVD. By finishing one area completely, and an adjacent area to a point good enough for a camouflage scheme, Floyd shows just how good Alclad II is at showing flaws. The finish needs to be absolutely perfect before applying the metal paint. That said, Alclad II has some great properties to it, one of which is the ability to fix flaws after it has been applied, and repaint without worry.

One of the features of natural metal finishes is the different sheens found on various panels of aircraft. This is the result of many different factors, from the grain of the aluminum to protective coatings, to different metals and alloys used. Throw into the equation different weathering of those same panels, and you can get quite a varied look. Overall, though, the effect is subtle, and that is the key driven home on this DVD. While Alclad II produced a wide range of colors, subtlety goes a long way, and Floyd shows ways of adjusting panel color with washes in addition to using the different Alclad paints.

A couple of other areas that Floyd touches on are chrome and brass. For chrome, the Alclad II is really quite impressive. Under a gloss black base, light buildups of the Alclad II Chrome provides a finish that is better than the chrome plating found in car kits. For brass, the Alclad II line does not have a specific shade for that, so some extra steps are required. The results shown on the DVD are very impressive, and I am looking forward to trying this out on my next ship model.

The Master Class Model Building Video series is turning into a great set of references for the modeler. The techniques span all areas of modeling, making these useful to every model builder. I look forward to seeing what they tackle next. My thanks to Master Class Models for the review copy.