It is difficult for me to find good modeling supplies where I live.., so sometimes I have to get creative.

I found in an office supply store some brandless 40ml bottles of paint. The label just says that it is 100% Acrilic, and that it thins with water. Any ideas on how can I use these? They are very cheap (half a dollar per bottle) so I figure they can be a bargain if I could put them to good use.

The only problem is that there are only 5 colors available: White, Black, Blue, Yellow and Red. What type of blue, or red? don't ask... that is just what the label says. It would be hard to use this for painting specific colors, because of the color reference problem, but are there any applications where I can use these?

I was thinking maybe the white one can be used as a primer, or the black one for washes or something. Any suggestions? Would the quality of the paint give any problems? What tests should I perform on the paint?

Thanks

Miguel

Howdy madsmty,

Welcome to the site! I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay. :-)

As to your question, essentially (technically) you have all the colours you need with that assortment.
You have all the primary colours + black and white, so technically you can mix up whatever you want from there.
But I do have a another similar suggestion for you. Do you have any Hobby Lobby's or Michael's nearby? If so, you have an absolute cornucopia of colours available to you under several names.
These would be the craft paints that most PTA style hobbyist's use. Some of the names would be; FolkArt, Apple Barrel Colors, or Delta Ceramcoat to name a few. These come in a 2 fl.oz. bottle and usually cost under a dollar each, and in most cases are continually on sale for 30%-50% off!
Give them a try, the do a great job.

Tread.

Hi Miguel. Treadhead is exactly right, you have all the primary colors, and could mix your own colors. See if you can find a "color wheel. " This will help you with the color mixing.
Another suggestion is, why don't you just order your hobby supplies through mail order companies like SQUADRON and GREAT MODELS WEBSTORE. Even though I have a hobby shop 3 miles from my home, I order the majority of my model kits, hobby tool's & supplies over the internet.

- ralph

Tread: that is a great idea, it had not crossed my mind.

Now let my clarify something. I just wanted to know if I could give good use to these paints, I do own a supply of modelling paint (Testors, Tamiya), but I wanted to see if you guys had any ideas of any applications I could use for these cheap paints, or use them as a backup in case I run out of a color.

There is a Michaels in Laredo, Tx, which is a 2 hour drive from here and I do go often.

Regarding the mail order, I had a very bad experiene with the customs service of the mexican government. There was this time I was charged US$90 import tax for a network card connector dongle that costed US$20. I do trust the shipping companies (FedEx or similar) but when they cross the border they are charged the import tax and you have to pay it when it is delivered to your home, so you have no way to dispute overcharging.

It is easier to go personally than getting something send via mail.

Sorry for the rant.

Thanks for the suggestions

Keep on modeling!

Hmm...hmmm...hmmm.
Sure madsmty. You can use them for just about everything! I have used many,many different kinds of paint's. Some cheap,some (very) expensive. Fortunately (for me I suppose), money is not generally the object in my modeling endeavor's. Hence, I (hopefully) have a somewhat different(distant?) view of these things.
Without going into a long-winded diatribe, the essence of any paint is it's pigment count. Most paint's have about the same pigment count. The difference's are quite small.
Anyway (again, shortening the story), we are painting armour subject matter. In real life these things have never been painted in a professional method. WE as modeler's have almost always given armour vehicles better paint jobs than they EVER got in the field! Keep this in mind.
The other factor we have going for us as armour modeler's is the matte, or 'satin' finish. MUCH easier to replicate than a professional custom gloss coat on say.....a show car.
Believe me madsmty, embrace the commonality here.

.............gooooo to the light,...........goooooooooooo to the light!

Tread.

P.S. There's a rumour floating around about Vallejo paint's being almost 'magical' in their brush on abilities....................I did say 'rumour' right?

Miquel, welcome to the site. Are there Wal-Marts down there? They also carry the paint that treadhead is talking about. I grabbed several tubes of Plaid and Apple Barrel from my wife and I really like them. The greys, blues, browns, and greens work fine for armor and you can mix and match them. They work well in my Aztec airbrush, the thin with water, they don't smell as bad, and they dry really flat. I really like them. All this and less money too, what more could you want?

Hi there Miguel

I think you've got to resort to trial and error ... which is what I do with every new type of paint I find.

Different Acrylics are compatible with different thinners... I'd try Isopropyl (De-Natured) Alchohol and Cellulose (Laquer) Thinners (apply by airbrush only!). See how it thins before trying to airbrush it.

The white may (or may not) be suitable as a primer... Get some scrap plastic or a kit you don't care about and brush or spray some on. Let it dry and try to sand it. If it comes off in flakes, then it's not adhering well and won't provide a strong foundation for further coats.

In some paints, the pigment is too coarse to work well as a wash - you just have to try it on some scrap and see what happens...

Hope this helps

Rowan