In This Article
This Volkswagen Beetle is a TSS owner build — sprayed by Tommy Nelson using the same Raven Superflake Vehicle Paint Kit we sell to customers every day. Raven Superflake is a Super Colorshift basecoat with large-particle flake that flips through purple, green, blue, bronze, and red as light rolls across the panels. Over the recommended black sealer, every colorshift tone reads at its strongest and the flake catches with depth no flat metallic can match.
Below, you'll see how it came together, the products used, and the steps you'd follow to chase the same finish on your own build.
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Download the Free PDF →Meet the Builder: Tommy Nelson
Tommy Nelson runs The Spray Source — owner, painter, and the hands that sprayed this VW Beetle from bare metal up. The build runs the full Alpha Automotive Paint system we ship in every kit: DTM primer-sealer, Raven Superflake basecoat, HS Glamour clearcoat, plus reducer, activator, and the cheat sheet. No corner cuts, no different products. The kit you'd buy is the kit on this car.
Tommy also documents technique on the TSS YouTube channel and the Facebook community group — the goal of every build is to show that a DIY painter with the right system can hit shop-grade results.
The Color: Why Raven Superflake?
Raven Superflake isn't a single color — it's a Super Colorshift candy with a large-particle flake (50-700 microns) that catches light and tilts the panel through purple, green, blue, bronze, and red. The shift is dramatic; the flake is huge; the depth is what separates this color from any flat metallic.
Black is the recommended ground coat for Raven Superflake because that's how the color was designed to be sprayed. Black delivers full coverage, the intended hue, and the depth and saturation the candy carrier was formulated to show — every colorshift tone reads at its strongest over the recommended undercoat. Tommy ran the kit exactly as designed, and the panels are showing what Raven Superflake was built to look like.
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See Raven Superflake in person — risk-free.
Return the painted samples for store credit toward your paint.
Shop the Raven Superflake Sample →Every Way to Get Raven Superflake
Whether you're painting a full vehicle, a motorcycle, a guitar, or just touching up with a spray can — Raven Superflake is available for every project size. Each kit includes matched products sized for the job.
Raven Superflake Vehicle Paint Kit
$714.93 USD
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Raven Superflake Paint Basecoat Midcoat
From$15.99 USD
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Raven Superflake Pearls Spray Can Midcoat
$54.99 USD
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Raven SuperFlake Motorcycle Paint Kit
From$405.65 USD
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Raven Superflake Bike Paint Kit
From$215.70 USD
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Raven SuperFlake Guitar Paint Kit
From$125.72 USD
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Raven SuperFlake Wheel Paint Kit
From$392.91 USD
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Raven SuperFlake Brake Caliper Paint Kit
From$147.71 USD
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If you want every Raven Superflake colorshift tone — purple, green, blue, bronze, red — to read its biggest, take your final basecoat passes from a slightly farther distance than usual. The metallics lay flat instead of stacking, and the candy carrier catches more angles of light. Lock it in with a wet, even clearcoat and the full color range comes alive in the sun.
What's Inside the Vehicle Paint Kit
These are all the products included in the Raven Superflake Full Vehicle Paint Kit. Every product is already matched and compatible — no hunting across brands, no guessing on ratios.
DTM Primer-Sealer (AP-7541) — Direct-to-metal primer that doubles as a wet-on-wet sealer. Mix at 4:1:2 with AH-7100 activator and urethane reducer to act as a sealer; in black, it's the ground coat Raven Superflake was designed for — delivering full coverage, true hue, and the depth and saturation this Super Colorshift was formulated to show. See the TDS for full mix and use cases.
Raven Superflake Basecoat — An Alpha Custom Color Super Colorshift basecoat with 50-700 micron flake that shifts through purple, green, blue, bronze, and red tones. The basecoat in the vehicle paint kit is ready to spray right out of the can — no mixing with reducer required.
HS Glamour Clear (AC-4521) — High-solid 2K urethane clearcoat. Mixes 2:1 with AH-7100, no reducer. Wet, glass-like finish.
Alpha Urethane Reducer (AR-3000 Series) — Temperature-matched reducer for sealer/primer. Pick speed by climate. Kit basecoat is pre-reduced.
HS Activator (AH-7100 Series) — Hardener for both primer-sealer and clearcoat. Match speed to your temperature.
TSS Cheat Sheet — Laminated guide: mix ratios, flash times, coat counts, gun settings, and troubleshooting. Included in every vehicle paint kit. Want it before you buy? Download the free PDF or order a free physical copy.
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: Strip and prep the body
Tommy Nelson took the Beetle down to bare metal so the system had a clean foundation. For your build, remove all old paint, rust, and filler down to clean steel or a sound prior coating. Block-sand body lines straight, repair dents and imperfections, then work through progressively finer abrasives until the surface is uniform and ready for primer. Take your time — every imperfection telegraphs through the candy.
Step 2: Lay the DTM primer-sealer (black ground coat)
Mix DTM Primer-Sealer (AP-7541) at 4:1:2 with AH-7100 activator and Alpha urethane reducer to use it as a wet-on-wet sealer. Spray it black for Raven Superflake — black is the ground coat this color was designed for, and it delivers the full coverage, true hue, and color depth the candy carrier was built to show. Tack the surface clean before you start, lay even passes, and let the sealer set up to the proper window before going to basecoat.
Step 3: Spray Raven Superflake basecoat
The Raven Superflake basecoat in the Raven Superflake Vehicle Paint Kit is ready to spray straight from the can — no reducer to mix. Tack again, then lay your Raven Superflake passes wet but controlled, building coverage gradually until the candy is uniform across every panel. Final basecoat passes can be slightly farther from the panel to let the metallics lay flat — that's where the purple/green/blue/bronze/red colorshift reads its biggest. Watch for stripes between passes and fix them while the basecoat is still working.
Step 4: Clear with HS Glamour
Mix HS Glamour Clear (AC-4521) 2:1 with AH-7100 — no reducer needed. Lay even, wet coats and let the clear flow out fully between passes. The 4521 is a high-solids 2K that buries the metallic surface and locks in the candy depth, so your final wet coat is what gives you the glass-like finish you see in the hero shot.
Step 5: Cut, buff, and finish
Once the clear is fully cured, cut and buff to bring out the final wet shine. Color-sand any imperfections out with a fine abrasive, then move through your buffing compounds to a finish polish. The Beetle in the photos is straight off the buffer — that mirror gloss is the payoff for not cutting corners earlier.
Ready to Paint Your Own Build?
Everything Tommy used — DTM primer-sealer (your black ground coat), ready-to-spray Raven Superflake basecoat, HS Glamour clearcoat, reducer, activator, and cheat sheet — in one kit.
Build Your Raven Superflake Kit — $714.93 USDLooking for a different color or kit size? Browse all car kits →
See It in Action
TSS painting tutorials and kit walkthroughs — the answers we get asked most.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a Super Colorshift basecoat — Alpha's combination of a candy carrier with a multi-tone colorshift binder. The candy gives it depth, the colorshift drives the panel through purple, green, blue, bronze, and red as the light angle changes. It's a 4-8 color pearl basecoat with 50-700 micron flake.
Black is the recommended ground coat for Raven Superflake because that's how the color was designed to be sprayed. Black delivers full coverage, the intended hue, and the depth and saturation the candy carrier was formulated to show — every colorshift tone reads at its strongest over black. White will give you a brighter, lighter result but you lose the rich Super Colorshift character that makes Raven Superflake this color. The vehicle paint kit includes the recommended black sealer by default.
Yes — the Raven Superflake spray can uses the same basecoat formula as the kit, so it's the right call for nicks, jamb touch-ups, and small repair work. For best color match, spray over the same black ground coat used on the original panel — that's how the candy and colorshift tones stay consistent with the surrounding paint.
Every Product Used in This Build
Raven Superflake Vehicle Paint Kit
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Raven Superflake Paint Basecoat Midcoat
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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 →This build is from inside The Spray Source — TSS owner Tommy Nelson running the same kit you'd buy off the shelf. The point: shop-grade results don't require a different system, just discipline through every step.
Stay connected with the TSS paint community: follow tutorials and color reveals on YouTube, short-form builds on TikTok and Instagram, and join the Facebook community group for tips, troubleshooting, and real customer projects.
Want to be featured? Tag @thespraysource or email sales@thespraysource.com.
