I've been using Krylon, because I've heard good things. But one of the stores where I go has a ton of great colors in other brands (Rust-Oleum and Valspar, especially), but almost no Krylon.
Obviously I want to stick to one brand of paint per rocket, and I'm happy to try other brands. Do you have a favorite brand of spray paint? Are there any brands that you really don't like?
New Krylon has a very spotty reputation... some folks swear by it, some folks swear at it. I've used it and it's "okay", but I've actually had better luck with stuff like Walmart Colorplace, at 99 cents a can... hard to beat, and I can get VERY good finishes out of it...
I've read a LOT of horror stories about people following the directions on the cans RELIGIOUSLY, and even giving MORE time for the paint to cure before doing follow-up color coats for two-tone paint jobs and stuff, and STILL having it "alligator up" (wrinkle the underlying paint when the next color coat is applied) or otherwise ruin the finish. I've not had that happen, but then I don't use any more Krylon than I have to. Krylon USED to be the 'go-to' brand for painting rockets, years ago when it was a "recoat anytime LACQUER formulation, but those days are LONG gone thanks to your EPA. The new Krylon is an alkyd enamel, has been for years, and IMHO a rather crappy one at that. The only thing I've regularly used it for is the "Bauhaus Gold" color, which is a very close match to space shuttle External Tank foam insulation, for rockets like the Dr. Zooch shuttle, and the Dr. Zooch SLS. Otherwise, I really don't have any use for a paint that is unreliable and can go wonky, especially when there are other brands out there... Krylon is cheap unreliable paint in a fancy can with a fancy "twist flat-fan" nozzle on it, which is actually a BAD thing-- those nozzles can pop out and HOSE your rocket with paint, ruining the application, and they regularly spit and sputter and leak, and generally do a REALLY LOUSY job at atomizing the paint. Fancy-schmancy nozzles that do a poor imitation of an auto spray-paint gun can't make up for lousy paint... in fact they make the job a lot harder... the best applications come from good-old regular cheap "button nozzles" like on Walmart Colorplace paint, with its "ordinary" cone-spray pattern with excellent atomization... You can still get the OLD Krylon "five ball" lacquer formulation, but ONLY from industrial supply chains like Grainger's, etc... it's not available in common 'consumer' outlets...
Valspar was a very popular brand, and I've had good luck with it until the last year or two... they "cheapened up" the formulation, seems like the paint takes FOREVER to dry and never really gets hard when it does dry... they went to cheaper paint, but installed a fancy "twist-lock" cap on the can that does a LOUSY job at atomizing the paint and making a good, even spray pattern. Basically it's a nozzle *I* wouldn't put on an air freshener can, let alone a spray paint can... For awhile you could get the Valspar paints at Tractor Supply Company with a 'regular' spray nozzle, but then I guess they renegotiated, and TSC has since switched brands... cest les vis...
Rustoleum is a good brand, but beware-- they have several different formulations like the 2X plastic paint and stuff like that... some are better than others. I've had decent luck with Rustoleum and I appreciate that they haven't succumbed to the stupid "fad nozzle" crap that the other brands have embraced.
One of the best brands now is Dupli-Color, though you have to go to an Auto Supply to get it. Good paint, but beware-- they make BOTH enamel AND lacquer formulations... you can apply an enamel over a lacquer, but NOT a lacquer over an enamel!!! It will alligator up and ruin the paint very quickly if you apply a lacquer over an enamel 95% of the time. Be SURE you get either lacquer paints and primers or enamel paints and primers, and that they MATCH, because the cans look alike and usually reside right beside each other on the shelves!! It's a good quality paint in a variety of colors, and excellent primers.
For basic white/black finishes (common on scale rockets, especially NASA rockets) I like Walmart Colorplace primers and paints... they're cheap, work great, and I've had FANTASTIC results from them... only problem is they don't make many colors, just a few basic colors... I typically use WM CP primer, either red or gray, and then Rusto or Duplicolor paint over it for the color coats... Colorplace primers disappeared from the shelves for most of a year about a year or so ago, and so for awhile I switched to Rusto "wet sandable" primers, and had excellent luck.
DO NOT let anybody sell you "primer and paint in one" crap... that's for lawn furniture and junk like that, NOT to get a great finish on a rocket. If you just want to shoot a color on it, they're fine... if you want a GOOD looking, excellent quality finish, you MUST apply and sand a PROPER primer coat(s) to get the proper surface prep to get a good finish...
That's been my experience... Good luck! OL JR