PS38 Translucent Blue Spray

Tamiya PS-38 Translucent Blue, a translucent blue of 100 ml

Note the type of product: this is not an opaque paint. The translucent shades of the Tamiya PS range are tinting lacquers that filter the color of whatever is beneath them and do not cover a surface themselves. Spray them onto bare clear polycarbonate and all you get is tinted glass. Chemically the range is a lacquer intended for the polycarbonate bodies of radio-controlled models, not for styrene plastic kits. The can holds 100 ml and is used directly, with no thinning.

How a translucent shade is worked

• The base makes the result: over a silver or chrome coat you get a deep effect resembling a painted car, and over a white one a lighter, cooler tone
• The saturation is governed by the number of coats, and each further pass deepens the color, but there is no going back, so add carefully and keep checking from the outside
• The metallic base coat has to be smooth, because a translucent lacquer hides no irregularity and will emphasize it instead
• At the end it is a good idea to seal the whole paintwork with a covering coat from behind, or the body will let light through
• An uneven pass shows on translucent colors as streaks, so spray smoothly and without stopping over the surface

Who it is for

For builders who want a candy paint effect and are willing to work in layers. It is not the choice for quickly repainting a body in one color; the opaque shades of the same range serve for that. Anyone who wants to try working with a base and with depth of color, though, will get a result that cannot be achieved with an opaque paint.

Safety at work: flammable contents in a pressurized container. Spray outdoors or in a well-ventilated space, with no open flame or hot objects, wearing a respirator and eye protection. Keep a distance of about twenty-five to thirty centimeters. A test spray on scrap material with an identical base is essential with translucent colors, because once applied the shade cannot be lightened. Do not puncture the can, do not burn it and protect it from temperatures above forty degrees Celsius.