Let's talk about paint

 As many of you know, I'm a big user of Scalecoat paint. Sadly, Minuteman Models, has closed his doors over the winter. So there ends that supply line. I have heard that someone is looking at purchasing the product line and rereleasing the paint into the market. Only time will tell if that comes to fruition.

I still have a large inventory of Scalecoat paint for my own uses, but I feel that I have to now look to alternative paints to recommend for use on future model kit releases. Not much point in suggesting something that maybe hard or impossible to source.

Fortunately, there are many options, and I'm going to list my favorites, but first lets quickly review what I won't use, knowing that your results may vary;
TruColor. Never, ever, ever again. I had a HUGE paint fail on a large number of cars I did for a client many years ago. This paint will not adhere properly to resin. Nuff said
Tamiya. I like Tamiya for scenery and structures, but I don't trust it on resin.
Most other acrylics. Most acrylics don't bond well to resin and early generations are tricky to work with.

Now to the paints I'm having good success with

AK Interactive Gen 3

These are the first acrylics I've worked with that didn't leave me swearing half way through the paint job. And the best part is, there's a great selection of red/browns. The consistency is constant from colour to colour.

AK RealColor

This is an Acrylic Lacquer. (The nuance is lost on me too) This is lovely paint to work worth. It handles very much like Floquil or Scalecoat. I make a point of thinning this with the brand name thinner. Saves a lot of potential grief

Mr Color

My new favorite paint. This stuff is a delight to work with. When combined with Mr Color leveling thinner, delightful results occur. And it is opaque, which can not be said for many acrylics these days. Some creativity maybe required to achieve some of the red/browns we desire, but it is well worth the effort.

All three of these paints dry relatively quickly. So no more waiting a week or more for Scalecoat to fully cure.
These paint lines can be found through hobby shops that cater more to the plastic modeler, but a trip into that realm is worth the effort just to see all the delightful tools and finishing products that are available.

It is well worth exploring these alternatives. There are alternatives to our old tried and true products, and you may discover some techniques.
Enjoy