Halfords Artfx spray paint

 

For Doncaster show in a couple of weeks, I need a BRM sign for one of the stands. The best way to to this, it seemed to me, was to ask Justin at ScaleModelScenery to laser-cut a couple for me. Using an electronic copy of our logo, he quickly had a pair of signs in the post. 

Obviously, they needed paint, and my first thought had been some Halfords car paint. In the store though, I spotted a more limited range of colours called "Artfx". Since I needed red and white, the range wasn't an issue, and they are a couple of quid cheaper then the car paint. 

I primed the laser-cut MDF with white car primer, to seal the material and give the top colours a bit of punch. After that, I tried out the Artfx paint. 

I wouldn't say the spraying is any more controllable than car paint, but the output does seem softer, and easier to use. There are no runs in the paint, but coverage was impressive. It certainly works well, even on the edges were a little of the laser burn was showing through my primer. The red really stands out, as I hoped it would.

Apparently, and unsurprisingly, the paint is an acrylic base, although one strong enough to resist being washed off my hands easily!

The finish isn't matt, more a slight eggshell. This looks great on the signs, but you may need a varnish topcoat for modelmaking.