Enerjet by Aerotech Initiator Build, Part 8, Nose Cone Color?

I'll be jumping around on this build. The nose cone seam has been filled so it can be painted now.

The trick is finding a color to match the red on the decal sticker sheet.

I thought at first this Ace Premium Enamel Burgundy was close.

It is close, but after setting the nose cone base close to the sticker sheet, it is a bit darker.

The red in the sticker will be even lighter when placed down on the painted white body tube.

The closest color I can come to was spraying over the burgundy with the Ace Banner Red. 

The Banner Red is a little transparent and allows some of the darker Burgundy to show through while lightening the shade. The red adjustments was done after the wrap sticker went on the upper tube and could be compared in place next to the nose cone shoulder.

Look at some finished Initiator builds online and you can see others have had some problems color matching the red on the stickers.

Enerjet by Aerotech Initiator Build, Part 7, Painting Tip

I paint models horizontally which helps prevent drips.

On the left is a 18mm engine casing pushed onto a 1/2" diameter dowel. On a smaller model, the casing is slipped into and locks in the engine mount. You can securely hold onto the dowel and spray paint the model horizontally.

TIP: The Initiator has a 2.7" diameter. I needed something larger to hold onto.

I wrapped the nose cone with a sheet of copy paper. The nose cone was wedged into the body tube.

I placed a plastic bag over my hand. I now had something to hold onto while spray painting.

This works best with a longer tapered nose cone.