Hello fellow customizers, I bought ROTF Leader Prime last week and i love the mold, the detailing in the mold is amazing and i want to paint him like his on screen counterpart down to last detail. I need help with chroming, I wanted to Chrome his gas tanks his window cover things his grill and his smoke stacks.

I never Chromed anything before so does any of you know how i can start and with what? any retailers sell these product like Michaels?, I live very close to there so it would be easy and cheaper if they have anything if not is there a website or something? Thanks

P.S. I'm Looking for that "see your self in it" quality chrome.

 

bare metal foil or Alclad/Alsa paints are your best bet I reckon! 

 

Go with Alclad II. Same stuff as ALSA, just 1/10th the price.

 

I also prefer Alclad over Alsa. It got a bad reputation when people were having problems with it's durability, however there ARE certain clear coats which won't effect the shine/chrome and protect it very well.

I buy mine on ebay, for about $7 a bottle.

 

It is durable if you apply it right. What clear coat would that be... just in case 

 

I saw an article once where someone compared Alsa, Alclad, and Spaz Stix on plastic spoons. The Spaz came in first, but according to them Alclad was very close second. Alsa just couldn't compare and was really expensive.

Here is a link to the full article.

Chrome spray test: Alclad II vs. Spaz Stix vs. Alsa "Killer Chrome" - Car Forums and Automotive Chat

 

really?
I am using several thin coats of Alclad base black, then the chrome....and like others have said, it's quite susceptible to scratches and damage. Just hard pressure sometimes kills the chrome finish. I usually clear coat it with a mix of tamiya mixed with future.

 

Tamiya clear mixed with future eh, is the tamiya thinned at all? Dont you find future sometimes dulls the shine a bit though?

Ive tried using alclads own gloss black basecoat and without the future to protect it the chrome will rub off on your fingers. Its so delicate! I heard some people on a different forum say it doesnt need protecting if you apply the chrome while the black base is still sticky. This apparently allows the chrome to bond with the basecoat and it wont rub off but i tried that and its BS. You have to protect this stuff for sure.

 

you know, that could be "the secret"...I"ve been applying the chrome while the base black is not dry, and it's working a LOT better (durability wise)

I thin and mix the tamiya and future with 91% alchohol.

 

Hmm..interesting. Ive got the shine down, i just need the durability now. I'll try that next time. THX

 

You could use a silver sharpie. I find that silver sharpies make great effects.

 

There is a gundam marker that does a pretty good job and is a very reflective finish. Silver plating marker is whats its called I think.

 

thanks guys i will probably go with alclad II