In This Article
Every so often a customer build lands in our feed and stops the scroll cold. Joshua Loiacano's Hyundai Genesis Coupe is one of them — a slammed, carbon-clad show car wearing Tidal Wave basecoat, a colorshifting candy pearl that swings from deep teal to bright blue as the light moves across the panels. A carbon fiber vented hood, full mesh grille, GT-style rear wing, and deep-dish mesh-spoke wheels give it the stance; the Tidal Wave paint is what makes people walk over to ask what color it is. Below we break down the exact kit and the same DIY process you would use to lay this candy on your own build.
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Download the Free PDF →Meet the Builder: Joshua Loiacano
Joshua Loiacano did not cut corners on this Genesis Coupe. The mod list reads like a spec sheet — carbon fiber vented hood, carbon front lip, full mesh front grille, GT-style rear wing, and coilovers dropping it onto deep-dish mesh-spoke wheels. A build this clean needs paint that carries it, which is why he ran the full Tidal Wave vehicle paint kit over a DTM primer-sealer (AP-7541) black ground coat, sealed with HS Glamour clearcoat (AC-4521). Joshua sprayed it as a system — basecoat, reducer, activator, and clear all matched — so the colorshift reads the same across every panel from the hood to the rear quarters.
The Color: Why Tidal Wave?
Tidal Wave is one of Alpha’s colorshifting candy pearls — it shows candy hues of blue, teal, green, purple, and red depending on how the light hits it. On Joshua Loiacano’s coupe you can watch it move: deep teal in the shade, bright ocean blue in direct sun, with green and purple edges rolling through the body lines. It is a 2-3 colorshift candy pearl, but it is built to be user-friendly to spray, with pigment control in the binder that keeps it from striping or mottling.
Alpha recommends Tidal Wave basecoat over a black sealer, and that is exactly how it is laid here. The DTM primer-sealer (AP-7541) black ground coat gives the candy the foundation it was designed for — full coverage and the depth and saturation the colorshift was built to show. Over black, every tone in Tidal Wave reads at its strongest, which is why the speedshape samples and this Genesis Coupe both pop the way they do.
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Shop the Tidal Wave Sample →Every Way to Get Tidal Wave
Whether you're painting a full vehicle, a motorcycle, a guitar, or just touching up with a spray can — Tidal Wave is available for every project size. Each kit includes matched products sized for the job.
Tidal Wave Vehicle Paint Kit
$714.93 USD
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Tidal Wave Paint Basecoat
From$17.50 USD
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Tidal Wave Spray Can
$59.99 USD
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Tidal Wave Motorcycle Paint Kit
From$425.65 USD
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Tidal Wave Bike Paint Kit
From$225.70 USD
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Tidal Wave Guitar Paint Kit
From$130.72 USD
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Tidal Wave Wheel Paint Kit
From$412.91 USD
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Tidal Wave Brake Caliper Paint Kit
From$152.71 USD
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Tidal Wave is a colorshift candy, so your gun technique matters more than your color match — keep your overlap and gun distance dead consistent on every pass, because uneven basecoat film is what makes a colorshift look blotchy. Lay it over a fully cured black ground coat and let each coat flash before the next, and the shift will stay even from panel to panel.
What's Inside the Vehicle Paint Kit
These are all the products included in the Tidal Wave Full Vehicle Paint Kit. Every product is already matched and compatible — no hunting across brands, no guessing on ratios.
DTM Primer-Sealer (AP-7541) — The black ground coat this build starts on. DTM primer-sealer is a direct-to-metal sealer that gives Tidal Wave the uniform black foundation the colorshift was designed for, so the candy reads at full depth across every panel.
Tidal Wave Basecoat — The color itself — a 2-3 colorshift candy pearl that moves through blue, teal, green, purple, and red. Tidal Wave basecoat mixes 1:1 with reducer and is built to spray user-friendly, with pigment control that keeps the shift even.
HS Glamour Clear (AC-4521) — The clarity that lets the candy breathe. HS Glamour clearcoat lays down crystal-clear and high-gloss, locking in the colorshift and giving the wet, deep look you see on Joshua’s panels.
Alpha Urethane Reducer (AR-3000 Series) — Thins the basecoat to spray. Alpha urethane reducer mixes 1:1 with Tidal Wave — match the reducer speed to your shop temperature for clean flow-out.
HS Activator (AH-7100 Series) — The hardener for the clear. HS Activator (AH-7100) kicks the HS Glamour clear so it cures hard, glossy, and durable.
TSS Cheat Sheet — Your at-a-glance mixing and process reference. The TSS cheat sheet keeps ratios and steps in front of you at the bench so you are not guessing mid-spray.
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 and Bodywork
Candy shows everything underneath it, so this stage decides how the finish reads. Get the panels straight and the surface uniform — block any bodywork flat, knock down the old finish, and work through your grits with OptiGrit abrasives until the whole car carries the same even scratch. Clean and degrease before you shoot a drop of primer. On a slammed show build like Joshua Loiacano’s Genesis Coupe, the carbon hood and mesh grille come off or get masked so every painted panel gets identical prep.
Step 2: DTM Primer-Sealer — the Black Ground Coat
Tidal Wave is designed to go over black, so the foundation here is DTM primer-sealer (AP-7541) in black. It is a direct-to-metal sealer that gives you a uniform black base across every panel — the exact foundation the colorshift was built on, so the candy hits full depth. Lay it evenly, let it flash, and you have the clean canvas the color needs.
Step 3: Tidal Wave Basecoat
Now the color. Tidal Wave basecoat mixes 1:1 with Alpha urethane reducer — match the reducer speed to your booth temperature. Because it is a colorshift candy pearl, consistency is everything: keep your overlap and gun distance identical on every pass so the film builds even across the body. Build your coats until the blue-teal-green shift reads full and uniform, letting each one flash before the next. This is where Joshua’s panels get that panel-to-panel match. Prefer a can for touch-ups or small parts? The same color is available as a Tidal Wave spray can.
Step 4: HS Glamour Clearcoat
Clear is what turns basecoat into a show finish. HS Glamour clearcoat (AC-4521) mixes with HS Activator (AH-7100) and lays down crystal-clear and high-gloss over the candy. This is the depth and wet look you see reflecting off the hood in every shot of the build. Lay your clear wet and even and let the colorshift do the rest.
Step 5: Cure, Reassemble, and Reveal
Let the clear cure fully before you reassemble the carbon and re-hang panels. Once it is hard, reinstall the vented hood, grille, and wing, drop it back on the wheels, and you have what you see here. Keep the leftover Tidal Wave and a TSS cheat sheet on the shelf for future touch-ups. Everything you need to repeat this is in the Tidal Wave vehicle paint kit.
Ready to Paint Your Own Build?
Everything Joshua used — DTM primer-sealer (your black ground coat), ready-to-spray Tidal Wave basecoat, HS Glamour clearcoat, reducer, activator, and cheat sheet — in one kit.
Build Your Tidal Wave 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
Both — it is a 2-3 colorshift candy pearl. Tidal Wave shows candy hues of blue, teal, green, purple, and red, and which tones you see depends on the light and your viewing angle. It is built with pigment control in the binder so it stays even and does not stripe, which makes it far more forgiving to spray than a traditional multi-step candy.
That is how the color was designed to be sprayed. Alpha recommends Tidal Wave over a DTM primer-sealer (AP-7541) black sealer for full coverage — over black, every tone in the colorshift reads at its deepest and most saturated. It is the foundation the candy was built on, which is exactly what you see on this speedshape-matched Genesis Coupe.
Yes. Keep some of your mixed Tidal Wave basecoat from the vehicle paint kit, or grab the Tidal Wave spray can for small areas. Because it is a colorshift, blend the repair over the same black ground coat and feather your HS Glamour clear so the shift lines up.
Every Product Used in This Build
Tidal Wave Vehicle Paint Kit
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Tidal Wave 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 →Huge thanks to Joshua Loiacano for letting us feature this Genesis Coupe — one of the cleanest Tidal Wave builds we have seen. Follow Joshua on Facebook to watch what he does with it next.
Want to be featured? Tag @thespraysource or email sales@thespraysource.com.
