Hi there

I have used a few Model Air variants and always enjoyed using them, but for me next project they do not have the right colours.

I am considering their Model Colour range but want to be able to airbrush it. Is there any reason why I should not thin some Model Colour paints? Or would I be better off using Tamiya or LifeColour paints?

As an aside, I have been experimenting with Tamiya Laquer Thinner with acrylic paint and loving the results so I would probably thin the Model Colour with this stuff.

looking forward to your thoughts.

Noel

Hello,
while it is probably easier to airbrush Tamiya acrilyc than Vallejo Model Color, it is not impossible. My experience is, if you thin Model Color with the Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner liquid rather than the white Vallejo thinner, it is possible and gives a good result. In this case it behaves similarly as Model Air, ie. likes low pressure (12-15 Psi).

Hope it helps.

Model colour with lacquer thinner = big mess of gloop.

Either use vallejo proper thinner, or distilled water.

Andy

Thanks for the replies.




Can you tell me why Model Air likes low pressure. Is there a guide anywhere to helping work out which pressures suit which paints / thinners?

Vallejo have now started to publish some tutorials which you may find useful.

Model Air Blog

regards

Stuart

While I have not tried this myself, there is a group in Japan that swears by a mixture they have come up with.

8 parts Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner with 2 parts Vallejo Thinner. Mix the 2 together and use the mixture to thin the Vallejo Model Colors.

The problems with the Model Colors is that the viscosity between the colors is not uniform, as it takes more or less pigments in the different colors to create the color....so there is no steady and fast rule of a 50/50 thinning ratio like there is with Tamiya.

Like I said, I haven't tried the above myself as of yet, but I will be, sounds like it should work.....like using Tamiya Lacquer thinner to thin their acrylic paints with....doesn't make sense, but it works.

I am not sure why Vallejo Air is sensible for pressure, but that's the way it is. At higher pressures the paint blows itself off from the surface. While, at low pressure the paint seems to be grainy first but quickly levels out, that is my experience.

Other paints are not so, for example you can spray Tamiya acrylics or Gunze Aqueous at anything between 15 and 40 Psi. I guess it comes from the composition of the paint.

Actually it is not a big problem, you just have to remember to set down the pressure on your compressor when spraying Vallejo Air.

hello mate i thin my model colour with distilled water 30 paint 70 water with realy nice results.a mix that looks like semi skimed milk seams to be the way to go hope this helps

Another vote from me for using Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner as a thinner for Vallejo Model Colour Paints, I find that Vallejos Thinner because it is white affects the colour of the thinned paint.

Paul

Paul,

The regular thinner is white when liquid, but dries clear. While it may affect the appearance of the paint when wet, the paint dries to the intended shade.