Question about enamel paint

Just purchased a small collection and it had several nice yellow enamel cars in it.
Was going touch up a couple nicks, but thanks to advice I received here, going to leave them alone.

You want to touch up a car that nice?

It's going in my collection but those little scratches are driving me crazy, but going to live with them.

No idea on type of paint, but on a '73 casting in that condition, you would greatly devalue it by touching it up. Yes, it's yours and you are free to do whatever. But if repaints don't bother you, then I would sell that one to another collector, and then purchase a beater and give it a full repaint. As knightni73 indicated, that Show-Off is far too nice to mess with, IMO.

Put the paint brush down, step away from the car, and no one will get hurt.....

Seriously, enamels are hard to find in that good of condition and it would be a shame to do anything to it. If you want something nice and shiny and scratch free, I'll trade you my pink RLC party bye-focal for it!

_Allan_

WOW! don't do it.

Yeah what they said!!! Don't do it man. That car in that condition is fantastic already. Keep in mind those little nicks once and a while give a car character and history.

I've got an identical color Show Off in a condition not even as nice as that. Send me yours and I'll send you mine. :)

Touching up these cars is not a good idea, the colors won't match, and you'll just mess it up, I am a painter by trade since 1980, and my dad painted show cars, so I learned alot of tricks, I don't recommend it

Thank you all for your advice. I got 6 enamel cars in a collection I recently purchased and all of them are in similar condition and look pretty darn good just the way they are.

[QUOTE=scoottir07;480349]Thank you all for your advice. I got 6 enamel cars in a collection I recently purchased and all of them are in similar condition and look pretty darn good just the way they are.[/QUOTE]

Honestly, adding any paint to them will kill hundreds of dollars in value and negate any likelihood of being able to re-sell them.

I enjoy restoring the older Redlines and the Byefocal and Show offs are one of my favorites.
That is a very nice one and I won't touch it up at all.
Also there can be so many variations in the yellow that you would have a hard time even attempting to match the correct shade.
There are plenty of beaters out there that you can redo.
Keep it as is and enjoy.

Rob

Rob,
You and everyone else that took the time to reply are right. I think I will just find a green enamel lola gt to play around with.

I concur with the others, but if you can't refrain, use a toothpick and build up the chip with multiple layers of paint. Just fill the chip without overlapping the original paint. When the touch-up is 'higher' than the original paint, use a new razor blade or x-acto blade and shave the touch-up to match the original paint. No sanding. Depending on the color and size of the repair, this type of touch-up CAN be undetectable.

Most collectors run when they hear the term 'touched up", and if you get associated with that phrase it's a hard one to shake. People would look at one of your enamels and just assume the rest of them would fall in the same category whether they were or weren't, guilt by association.

Those are far too nice, keep as is, just my 2 cents.