In This Article
Mick Hinchy flipped his Holden Commodore burnout car — a pro-built smoke machine called Clik B8 — into a deep candy-pearl copper using the Cognac Vehicle Paint Kit. It was his first full-vehicle paint job. He shot it solo, in an inflatable booth in his shop, with no second pair of hands to back-tape or chase a wet edge.
The truck went straight from the booth to SEMA, into The Burn Yard, and onto Hoonigan and Cleetus McFarland features. Below: how Mick laid the system down, how Cognac reads under a black ground coat, and the exact sequence to repeat it in your own garage.
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Download the Free PDF →Meet the Builder: Mick Hinchy
Mick Hinchy is the owner-driver of Clik B8, a Holden Commodore burnout car imported into the U.S. specifically for the competition burnout circuit. His day-one credits include media work through Picnik Media ACT and a long social presence covering Aussie burnout culture. He had never sprayed a full vehicle before this build.
The whole job ran on the Cognac Vehicle Paint Kit system: DTM Primer-Sealer (AP-7541) as the black ground coat, Cognac basecoat, HS Glamour Clear (AC-4521) cut with Alpha urethane reducer and AH-7100 activator. Mick followed the kit cheat sheet step-by-step — and the truck came out clean enough to roll straight onto a SEMA stage.
The Color: Why Cognac?
Cognac is a candy-pearl basecoat — a deep coppery copper with gold metallic pearl suspended in the binder. It reads more orange-copper than red, with the pearl flashing gold when the panel catches direct light. The binder is formulated for pigment control (no striping or mottling), strong UV resistance, and clean pearl suspension, so the color reads even across a long panel like a Commodore quarter.
Mick sprayed the Cognac kit over a black ground coat from the DTM Primer-Sealer — the foundation Cognac was designed for. The black ground coat is what delivers full coverage and lets every copper-and-gold tone read at its strongest. That is why the candy-pearl looks bottomless under sunlight — the depth and saturation are exactly what the formula was built to show.
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See Cognac in person — risk-free.
Return the painted samples for store credit toward your paint.
Shop the Cognac Sample →Every Way to Get Cognac
Whether you're painting a full vehicle, a motorcycle, a guitar, or just touching up with a spray can — Cognac is available for every project size. Each kit includes matched products sized for the job.
Cognac Vehicle Paint Kit
$749.93 USD
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Cognac Paint Basecoat
From$13.99 USD
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Cognac Spray Can
$59.99 USD
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Cognac Motorcycle Paint Kit
From$425.65 USD
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Cognac Bike Paint Kit
From$225.70 USD
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Cognac Guitar Paint Kit
From$130.72 USD
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Cognac Wheel Paint Kit
From$412.91 USD
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Cognac Brake Caliper Paint Kit
From$152.71 USD
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Cognac is a candy-pearl, so your dust coat is doing real work. After your wet base coats, slow down, back off the panel, and lay a light dust pass — that is what evens out the pearl read across a long panel like a Commodore side. Skip it and you will see the metallic stripe.
What's Inside the Vehicle Paint Kit
These are all the products included in the Cognac Full Vehicle Paint Kit. Every product is already matched and compatible — no hunting across brands, no guessing on ratios.
One-coat direct-to-metal primer that doubles as a black sealer when reduced 4:1:2. Mick used it as the ground coat to give Cognac the foundation it was designed to be sprayed over — full coverage with the candy reading at its full saturation.
Ready-to-spray candy-pearl copper basecoat. Deep coppery base with gold metallic pearl suspended in an Alpha-formulated binder with strong UV resistance and pigment control. Mix 1:1 with Alpha urethane reducer and shoot. Best over a black ground coat as shown on the painted sample.
2K high-solids clearcoat for the final two coats. Mick shot it 2:1 with AH-7100 activator for a wet, deep finish that flattens out for buffing. HS Glamour is what locks the candy-pearl in and gives Cognac the bottomless gloss it reads under sunlight.
Alpha Urethane Reducer (AR-3000 Series) —
Alpha urethane reducer matched to the temperature in your booth. Reduces the Cognac basecoat 1:1 and reduces the DTM ground coat per the cheat sheet. Pick the temperature grade that fits your shop on spray day.
HS Activator (AH-7100 Series) —
AH-7100 activator for the HS Glamour clearcoat. Comes in fast / medium / slow grades — slow is what Mick reached for so the clear could flow out across the long Commodore panels without orange peel.
The waterproof reference card that ships in every kit. QR codes on the back jump straight to step-by-step videos. Keep the Cheat Sheet taped inside the booth — that is what Mick did, and it is why a first-time painter pulled a SEMA-grade finish.
Optional Add-Ons
The vehicle paint kit has everything you need to go from prepped surface to finished paint. But depending on where your project is starting, these add-on bundles can save time and money on the prep and masking side:
Bodywork Bundle
$175.00
Body filler, abrasives, and everything for panel repair. Ideal if your project needs dent or rust repair before paint.
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Light Bodywork Bundle
From $92.99
Dolphin Glaze finishing putty and OptiGrit sanding abrasives. Perfect for filling pinholes, minor scratches, and light surface imperfections.
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Mask & Mix Bundle
$75.00
Mixing cups, strainers, masking tape, and masking paper. Everything you need for clean, precise masking and easy paint mixing.
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Linear Blocking Tools Starter Set
From $236.50
CNC-cut polycarbonate sanding blocks with lifetime warranty. Produces perfectly flat, straight panels for a professional finish.
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OptiGrit PSA Sandpaper Bundle
$64.99
Complete PSA sandpaper set in 80, 180, 220, and 320 grit. The full grit progression for blocking and prep, sized for long boards.
Shop NowThe Complete DIY Process
Step 1: Prep, sand, mask
Pull the trim, mask the glass, and block-sand the body until every panel reads flat. Mick did all of his bodywork before the booth — once the inflatable was up, no contamination was getting in. Knock the gloss off existing paint and feather every repair edge with the right grit from OptiGrit. Anything you miss here will telegraph through the basecoat.
Step 2: Black ground coat with DTM Primer-Sealer (AP-7541)
Mix the DTM Primer-Sealer as a sealer (4:1:2 ratio) and lay two medium-wet coats over the whole body. This is the ground coat the Cognac candy-pearl was designed for — it delivers full coverage and lets every copper-and-gold tone read at its strongest. Mick described it as the step that flips the truck black before the color even goes down. Let it flash before you reload the gun.
View DTM Primer-Sealer (AP-7541) TDS →
Step 3: Cognac basecoat — three wet, then a dust
Reduce the Cognac basecoat 1:1 with Alpha urethane reducer, shake it, and shoot three medium-wet coats with full flash time between each. The first coat is just for shape — the second and third are when the candy-pearl starts to read. After the third wet coat, switch to a light dust pass: more distance, faster pace, less trigger. That dust coat is what evens the pearl across long panels like the Commodore quarters.
View Candy / Pearl Carrier TDS →
Step 4: HS Glamour clearcoat (AC-4521)
Switch your tip down for clear, mix the HS Glamour 2:1 with AH-7100 activator (slow grade if your booth is warm), and lay two coats of clear with a full flash between. Two coats is enough for daily-driver gloss; three if you plan to cut and buff for show. This is the step that locks in the Cognac pearl read and turns the panel bottomless.
View HS Glamour Clear (AC-4521) TDS →
Step 5: Cut, buff, reveal
Let the clear cure, then wet-sand with the higher grits in OptiGrit (1500 → 2000 → 2500 → 3000) using a soft pad and plenty of water. Keep the disc clean — every speck of dried clear becomes a pigtail under the buffer. Buff out with cutting compound, then polish, then finishing wax. Mick pulled the finished Commodore out of the booth mirror-flat, then drove it into the SEMA burn yard.
Ready to Paint Your Own Build?
Everything Mick used — DTM primer-sealer (your black ground coat), ready-to-spray Cognac basecoat, HS Glamour clearcoat, reducer, activator, and cheat sheet — in one kit.
Build Your Cognac Kit — $749.93 USDLooking for a different color or kit size? Browse all car kits →
See It in Action
Watch Mick Hinchy's Cognac build below, plus TSS painting tutorials and explainers — swipe through.
"I am very happy with how this turned out." — Mick Hinchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Cognac is a candy-pearl. The black ground coat from DTM Primer-Sealer is the foundation the color was designed to be sprayed over — it delivers full coverage and lets every copper and gold tone read at its strongest. The painted sample on the product page is shot over black so you can see exactly what the recommended system gives you.
Yes — Mick Hinchy is proof. This was his first full-vehicle job and the truck went straight to SEMA. Stick to the Cheat Sheet ratios, give every coat its full flash, and don't skip the dust coat on the Cognac basecoat. If you can shoot a panel cleanly with primer, you can shoot this kit.
Ready-to-spray gold flake plus a tint of candy concentrate, shot over the cured Cognac basecoat, then sealed with two extra coats of HS Glamour clearcoat cut with AH-7100 activator. Wet-sand and re-clear once the flake has cured to bury the texture and bring the gloss back. Mick used the same approach on the engine bay header tanks for a body-color match.
Every Product Used in This Build
Cognac Vehicle Paint Kit
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Cognac Paint Basecoat
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DTM Primer-Sealer AP-7541 Kit | Alpha Automotive Paint
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HS Glamour Clearcoat AC-4521 Kit | Alpha Automotive Paint
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Urethane Reducer AR-3000 Series | Alpha Automotive Paint
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HS Activator AH-7100 | Alpha Automotive Paint
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Clearance & Flash Sales
Discounted kits, closeout colors, and flash deals — check back often, these move fast.
Shop Current Sales →Big thanks to Mick Hinchy (a.k.a. Clik B8) for taking on a full-vehicle Cognac repaint as his first paint job and sharing every step of the build. Follow Mick for the burnout-circuit footage and the next chapter of the Commodore on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Want to be featured? Tag @thespraysource or email sales@thespraysource.com.
