Gaahleri Products Test Log - Part 4 (Kaleido Acrylic Paint Test)

Gaahleri Kaleido Acrylic Paint Test Log — Spray Performance

This article continues the evaluation started in Part 3: Gaahleri ACE Series Airbrush where I tested the Gaahleri ACE Series Swallowtail Barbatos Rex airbrus.

In this part, I’ll focus on the performance of Gaahleri Kaleido Acrylic Paints — how these paints behave through an airbrush.

All tests are done using a Gaahleri ACE Series 0.3mm airbrush, using a simple and repeatable setup so the results are easy to understand.

Test Setup

I received the following Kaleido Acrylic paints:

• Colorworks Acrylics (Primary / Mecha / Auto)
• K023 Sky Blue Gloss (Primary)
• K107 Hibiscus Purple Gloss (Mecha)
• K118 Desert Rose Gloss (Mecha)
• K123 Sunset Orange Gloss (Mecha)
• K308 Metallic Oak Green Gloss (Auto)
• K316 Graphite Gray Gloss (Auto)
• Metal Colors
• KM002 Gun Metal
• KM004 Titanium Alloy
• KM008 Red Copper
• KM010 Scorched Gold
• KM011 Champagne Gold
• KM012 Flashy Gold

Below are the tests I performed:

1. Paint coverage, surface smoothness, and pigment performance
2. Lacquer clear coat compatibility
3. Scratch resistance
4. Polishing performance

1. Paint Coverage, Surface Finish & Pigment Performance

Each spoon is divided into two zones:

• Left side: coated with Mr Surfacer 1000 (Grey)
• Right side: no primer

I sprayed each spoon as a whole (not by zone), layer by layer.

Starting with K023 Sky Blue:

The paint is pre-thinned, but slightly on the thinner side. To fully cover a grey base, I needed around 4 layers. Example shown below.

1st layer:

2nd layer:

3rd layer:

4th layer:

Some colors may require even more layers depending on opacity. For better coverage, I would recommend using a white primer or surfacer (depending on the finishing you want).

For this test, I limited everything to 4 layers to keep results consistent.

Despite being thin, the pigment is quite strong. The finish is smooth and glossy, which is not something I usually expect from acrylic paints.

Surface texture also follows the base underneath — especially noticeable on the Surfacer side.

Personally, I find the Mecha and Auto color range more interesting compared to the primary colors.

K023 Sky Blue

K107 Hibiscus Purple

K118 Desert Rose

K123 Sunset Orange

K308 Metallic Oak Green

K316 Graphite Gray

KM002 Gun Metal

KM004 Titanium Alloy

KM008 Red Copper

KM010 Scorched Gold

KM011 Champagne Gold

KM012 Flashy Gold

2. Lacquer Clear Coat Compatibility Test

To test compatibility, I applied a wet coat of Mr Color GX112 Super Clear III UV Cut (Gloss) over:

• K023 Sky Blue
• K107 Hibiscus Purple

This checks whether lacquer will damage or dissolve the acrylic layer.

Result:

• No discoloration
• No paint lifting
• No visible reaction

K023 Sky Blue

K107 Hibiscus Purple

The surface becomes properly glossy, similar to a lacquer finish.

3. Scratch Resistance Test

I used a bamboo stick to scratch the surface on two areas:

• With Surfacer (left)
• Without Surfacer (right)

Result:

• With Surfacer: stronger resistance, no peeling
• Without Surfacer: weaker resistance, easier to mark

4. Polishing Test

This test checks whether the paint can achieve a higher gloss through polishing.

I tested two conditions:

• K023 Sky Blue with GX112 clear coat
• K123 Sunset Orange without clear coat

Polishing method:

• Tamiya Compound (Coarse → Fine)
• Polishing cloth

Result:

• The clear-coated surface polishes well and achieves a higher gloss
• The bare acrylic surface starts to wear off during polishing (clearly see orange color on the polishing cloth)

Closing Notes

This part of the test log documents the spray behaviour, surface finish, and post-application characteristics of the Kaleido Acrylic paints under the current test setup.

The tests include coverage over different base conditions, compatibility with lacquer clear coat, surface durability, and response to polishing.

At this stage, these are technical observations recorded from controlled tests. A final conclusion regarding overall suitability and whether the products should be brought into DeToyz will be made later, after all parts of the evaluation are completed.

The next part of this test log will summarise the findings across both the airbrush and paint tests.

— Ah Chong