Two Stage Paint?

[Go4fun]

I'm having my first attempt at two stage paint with the base coat/ top coat system. I thought the top coat was usually just a cleat coat but my base coat looks much darker than desired. Is this normal?
Should I do any kind of sanding between the base coat and the top coat?

[Hobbes]

A gloss topcoat can make the paint look darker.

[Go4fun]

So it will get darker Hobbes? So much for having a "professional" mix the matching color!

[Hobbes]

If the base coat feels rough, you should sand it. I've had this a few times when airbrushing, I did something wrong (too much distance, too little paint) and the paint would dry before landing on the model. Sanding that down lightened the color a bit.

If the base coat is matt, the top coat will make it look different: you're going from matt to gloss, and the difference in reflection changes the color. 

[JayBee]

Yes, a well known problem. This is why most of the Xtracolour paints are gloss so that when you apply the top coat varnish there is no great change in colour value.

[kitnut617]

A problem I encountered when I clear glossed my Spitfire floatplane before decaling, which was done slate grey and DSG using matt colours. The slate grey turn quite green ---

[jcf]

On a model or your car?

If the latter, paint mixed to factory code is going to be darker than the years old oxidized
paint on the car.

[Go4fun]

On a model or your car?

If the latter, paint mixed to factory code is going to be darker than the years old oxidized
paint on the car.

Both actually. I found a model of Bobby Allison's #12 Miller High Life 1992 Buick Regal. I'm building it up as a street car as soon as I find a front wheel drive GM product kit in the same scale.