First Look: MicroLux Paint - 2
MicroLux is sold in 2-ounce bottles that are thin enough to be
airbrush-ready, but can also be brushed easily.
The colors available are Roof Brown, Roof Red, Engine Black,
Grimy Black, Aged Concrete, Rust, Reefer White, Railroad Tie
Brown, Rail Brown, and Clear Flat Finish. Price is $7.75 each.
The Vallejo paint line contains 20 more colors Micro-Mark has
matched to PollyScale. These colors are packed in ½-oumce
bottles with a dropper style tip.
The colors are Light Sea Blue, Steel Blue, Reefer Yellow, Depot
Buff, Flat Aluminum, Dirt, Reefer Gray, Earth, Tarnished Black,
Signal Green, Signal Red, Caboose Red, Clear Satin Finish, Dark
Green, Aged White, Boxcar Red, Clear Gloss Finish, Undercoat
Light Gray, Steam Power Black, and Concrete.
I am not a stranger to the Vallejo brand of paints, having moved
to Vallejo as my primary paint almost two years ago. I was try-
ing to change from Floquil enamel to acrylic paint without a lot
of success. With Floquil, I was not comfortable with the toxic
vapors and the safety precautions that had to be taken.
2: More PollyScale cross-referenced MicroLux colors.
2
On the other hand, I had problems spraying PollyScale. After I
opened a bottle, the consistency seemed to change the next
time I went back to use the paint. The paint-to-thinner ratio
had to be changed every time I used PollyScale.
I always made sure to clean the top of the bottle to get a
good seal, but that made little difference. Other brands in
plastic bottles had evaporation issues that made the paint
either lumpy or allowed it to dry out, and storage was an
issue. I disposed of too many dried out bottles of paint that
came in plastic bottles.
I found Vallejo while lurking on some military painting and
weathering groups – modelers seemed to really like it. I found
some at a local hobby shop that sells plastic model kits and
radio control.
I bought a couple of bottles of Vallejo's Model Air line and
found it easy to airbrush right out of the bottle.
I should note that Vallejo packages their paint in plastic bottles.
I have had some for over two years and have not found any
3: Small Vallejo Model Air bottles labeled as PollyScale colors.
3
MRH-Mar 2014
