Testing A $30 Bottle Of Gaia Chrome Paint - Is It Better Than Alclad ??

Wow $30 for a small bottle of paint !! I wanted to see if price made a difference in quality. After all, Alclad Chrome is only $8 and is outstanding.
Well it's safe to say. it certainly no better than Alclad, but how good is it??
Let's see

[@ojloune]

I hope one day you make a tutorial on how to chrome. Thanks for your videos.

[@user-rf7mg1sx3e]

The video literally shows you how he chromes them. Make sure you have a high gloss black finish on your part, then apply 2-3 very light coats of your chrome paint of choice. Boom. Chrome.

[@InvokeZero]

Thank you for the comparison. These videos help so much it's hard to describe. I just picked up some new paint today and was almost tempted to get some of this until I remembered you did this comparison. Saved me $30+ and I'll be picking up some Alclad Airframe Aluminum at my local hobby shop tomorrow instead.

[@barbatosrex9473]

Airframe Aluminum is one of my favorites. Great paint. Thanks for the feedback and for watching

[@domislegit1]

Glad you finally made this video!!

[@brandonwhite2384]

Keep up the great videos. Interested in Splash paints review!

[@barbatosrex9473]

Me too, I haven't tried Splash paints yet myself, when I film it for testing it'll be my first time with them. I'll post that very soon

[@bigchef2112]

Excellent review. Thanks. I’ve been wanting to get this, but wasn’t sure. Now I know to stick with my Alclad. I would like to see what Alclad chrome looks like over different gloss color such as copper, gold, light blue. Also, would like to see what Tamiya clears look like over the top. Wondering if the tint will retain the chrome look. Thanks.

[@barbatosrex9473]

I was told by Alclad to only use their Aqua Gloss over the chrome. To never use a solvent based clear. I did the video of the Aqua Gloss but I will be testing other clears soon too

[@madpinoy5683]

Alclad having lacquer in their name is sort of a misnomer. All their paints seems like a mixed bag. Their standard Chrome ALC 4107 that comes in the big bottle is acrylic while a bottle of their White Aluminum and Klear Kotes are enamel. Others like their Gloss Black Base and Airframe Aluminum are lacquers. Don't know why their products are so varied. Modo's Chrome is similar to Alclad Chrome ALC 4107 (acrylic). Gaianotes' Premium Chrome is similar to Alclad Airframe Aluminum (lacquer). Gaia's Chrome is expensive for what it is (basically Alclad's Airframe Aluminum) and I wish I had known that before buying one.

[@JHartModelworks]

Great review. If it really is resilient then I might consider it. Alclad has fantastic shine and color, but if it rubs off before you can even attach the parts, then to me it's useless. Finding a chrome with the shine and clarity of alclad but the durability of something like MRP (no where near as good a finish but really durable) would be amazing.

[@barbatosrex9473]

Have you watched my durability video I posted after this test?

[@JHartModelworks]

@@barbatosrex9473 I did. You are getting much better durability that I and other have out of alclad. I can spray the gloss black, spray the alclad, and just handling the parts for dry fitting I can see finger prints where the alcald is rubbing off. If I buff it on a t-shirt I'm back to really shiny black plastic very quickly. After spraying the aqua gloss it dulls down a bit and looses the chrome finish.

[@jamesprinzivalli4966]

Thanks for the review. I’ll stick with my Alclad. A friend of mine recommended the Gaia but at thirty bucks it does not perform any better than Alclad.

[@barbatosrex9473]

Alclad is the gold standard of metal finishes

[@RuneTrips]

Yeah I couldn't wow myself with the gaia for the price. There's a bunch of other chrome paints that are way shinier for the price

[@beherid5111]

The Gaia are cheaper here in Japan while the Alclad would be $30, so the price depends on where you live and imports fees, etc.

[@barbatosrex9473]

You're lucky as we rarely can get Gaia here anymore. I believe the company only ships out once a year and most colors sell out in a day, causing us to wait another year to be able to buy them again

[@beherid5111]

@@barbatosrex9473 I'm guessing this virus BS is also not helping with prices and stocking outside the country.

[@barbatosrex9473]

@@beherid5111 I believe you are correct

[@husseinazeez4045]

Thank you so much so much information in this video grateful 🙂

[@barbatosrex9473]

Thanks, I'll be testing their $25 bottle of Silver Plate within a week so be sure to click on the notification button to catch it

[@michaelbaykara2322]

Stalemate huh? Thanks for the test, I may buy it just to try but I am still trying to get Alclad going and I'm not going to give up! Lol. I did get a semi positive result but still not reflective as your tests, keep up the good work I like them, thanks again Rex.

[@hardtoonz]

Very interested to see how it handles masking tape in your follow up video. May be worth the extra if if doesn't pull straight off like alclad. Thanks for the test.

[@barbatosrex9473]

I'll be testing it's strength tonight and posting the video tomorrow

[@titankyo]

Basically the price got doubled as it got transferred to your country

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

Looks great on the right base.

[@Phil-wo8pe]

Thanks for all the information.m

[@itsagundam79]

This is a lacquer? Off topic, is there a pressure gauge that can mount directly on the airbrush? My quick disconnect has a knob on it for adjusting air flow and a lot of times I just adjust that instead. Be nice if there was a streamlined gauge for the brush instead of walking 5 feet to the compressor each time.

[@gat-x105strikegundam5]

Awesome video again! I knew these weren’t as good as Alclad price wise from the get-go, because 30 bucks is just way too much for just an ounce of model paint, in my opinion.. it does look a pinch clearer to me, but not $30 clearer. I think the main selling point is the durability, but I guess we’ll see just how durable it really is! AND YOU KNOW WHAT!! You can get a 4 ounce huuuuge bottle of chrome from Alclad for $33! That’d last quite a while..

[@gat-x105strikegundam5]

P.S. have a good weekend!

[@barbatosrex9473]

@@gat-x105strikegundam5 thanks for watching and being so kind. You have a great weekend too 👍

[@gat-x105strikegundam5]

@@barbatosrex9473 thanks! And also, I’ve been having trouble with my Alclad chrome. I put it in one of those clear plastic twist cap bottles, and I poured both bottles of chrome into it, ( I had two ) and the I added two stainless steel shaker ball bearings. When I try to spray it, it looks like I’m spraying pure lacquer thinner out of the brush. I’ve cleaned the brush thoroughly, therefore I know it’s not the brush. I’m wondering what the deal is! Maybe you’re not supposed to put two bottle in the same container? Maybe the ball bearing messed up something... I’ve been spraying in between 15-20 psi.

[@barbatosrex9473]

@@gat-x105strikegundam5 that's a strange one. I rarely put my paints in a different container. I believe all of my pure lacquers come in glass bottles so that's probably for a reason. I also don't use ball bearings. I use a battery powered paint stirrer and an electric bottle shaker.

[@gat-x105strikegundam5]

@@barbatosrex9473 ahhh ok! Good to know! I’m getting another bottle of chrome, because I’m painting a Revell ‘57 Chevy convertible, with Alclad candy cobalt blue, chrome trim, etc. I heard that using the candies over their chrome looks awesome, so I’m super excited! I usually put my Gaia paints in the big bottles with the mixing balls, because I primarily airbrush with them, so I just like having them premixed with the thinner I use ( mr leveling thinner ) for me!

[@jerryperkins235]

do you have to 20coat everything !!!!!!!

[@warrenbennett1355]

Question : What is your blackest black paint

[@DanielTralamazza]

Good series, I wonder how these compare to molotow liquid chrome

[@barbatosrex9473]

I was thinking of airbrushing Molotow liquid. A friend said the Molotow airbrushed wasn't as good as he hoped. I'll be testing chrome alternatives soon so check back soon

[@daveabbott]

Molotow liquid chrome - does what it says on the tin - try it - it is the best - bar none!

[@barbatosrex9473]

I did in another video, good stuff

[@Phil-wo8pe]

Amazon has ALCLAD304 Aalclad II Lacquers Gloss Black Base Lacquer Paint …not the Aalclad II Gloss Black Base 305 is there a difference?

[@barbatosrex9473]

Same paint, new label

[@FastLikePuma]

Wow that's intense! Where do you order from?

[@jiminboo]

What thinner did you use? Did you thin it with Gaia metallic thinner T-09s or Mr Color Rapid thinner? Supposedly, these thinners evaporate faster and highly enhances the metallic sheen of these paints... cheers

[@barbatosrex9473]

T-09 Metallic Thinner

[@starscream8163]

Can you paint over Tamiya TS Gunmetal or gloss black?

[@davep4703]

I haven't seen the Alcad polishing cloths in the UK yet, will you be testing these out soon. I would think that they will damage a bare Alclad surface.

[@barbatosrex9473]

I'm researching how to use them now, then I'll do a video test

[@user-fo6ud3zs2o]

отличный тест! отличное сравнение!

[@HY31494]

Is Alclad made in USA?

[@Spawn3DA]

Can gaia clear yellow be applied over the chrome to make the chrome look golden? Doesn't this paint make chrome black? Or do you need a layer on top of the chrome so that it does not lose its shine / reflection?

[@barbatosrex9473]

You can spray the clear yellow over this and it looks great. I have tested an actual black chrome, it's by Alclad. Check it out here kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKLGhXpmf6yhocU

[@rendyiswanto9529]

can you top coat it with laquer clear gloss or laquer clear colored paints?

[@barbatosrex9473]

Any tip coat takes away from the chrome look

[@rendyiswanto9529]

@@barbatosrex9473 oh wow, even enamel top coat?

[@kyllerkill]

Alclad comes in a 1 ounce bottle. The Gaia comes in a 2.5 ounce bottle. That’s why the price is so high. You get 2.5 x the amount.

[@michaelbaykara2322]

I don't think they are 2.5, from what I saw they're all 30ml

[@jerryperkins235]

must use light coat

[@comradetyrone2298]

Did you already make a video testing out the other Gaia paints? Can't seem to find any

[@barbatosrex9473]

I was going to but then it became almost impossible to find them here for purchase and I don't like doing videos of products that are tough to find

[@comradetyrone2298]

@@barbatosrex9473 oh, that's too bad. It's very hard to find any videos or even pictures of what the paint looks like and I'd hoped that you made some videos. It's like looking for a ghost or something

[@barbatosrex9473]

@@comradetyrone2298 well I plan on a video of them for my soon to launch Patreon channel

[@bgmx74]

Question for you before I order this paint: The alclad bottle shown in the video is "high speed silver" but the review is for chrome. Is Alclad II Chrome Lacquer (item# ALC107) the correct chrome? I'm painting a red injection molded taillight insert on my car.

[@barbatosrex9473]

I have every Alclad paint and tested them all. Their Chrome and Black Chrome are awesome as see in my other video. When I tested the High Speed Silver I was shocked as to how close it was to the chrome.. My conclusion for you is just flip a coin cause either one will work perfect for what you're looking to do with it

[@bgmx74]

@@barbatosrex9473 you're awesome, thanks for being so comprehensive. this seriously saved me money and time

[@starscream8163]

Did Gaianotes Mirror Chrome gets turned unshinning metallic silver after touching it or rub it?

[@barbatosrex9473]

No, it still looks great. I think my Green Stuff World is the best still. Check out my latest test of those

[@starscream8163]

@@barbatosrex9473 Really well the Molotow Liquid Chrome is the real problem because when you touch it the chrome unshin silver.

[@swanfaceduck]

love the video's

[@barbatosrex9473]

Thanks, many more to come. 👍

[@jerryperkins235]

you DO NOT spray the heck out of any chrome spray !!!!

[@andylee7457]

What's the paint to thinner ratio you used?

[@barbatosrex9473]

It's pre thinned, no need to add thinner. Most chrome paints on the market are pre thinned. Just shot a lacquer thinner thru the brush when your done.

[@krakken242]

god your hands are fidgety. love your reviews, very educational.

[@cookingwithbacon9023]

The ceo of Gia is the only one who disliked this video