Hi all,
Not sure if this has been posted before ( a search on the site did not return anything related).
I am thinking of moving from Tamyia Acrylic paints to a different manufacturer for airbrushing AFV. I have my eyes on Vallejo Model Air or the AK Interactive line. I use Iwata airbrushes exclusively, an HP-C Plus for background work and a Custom Micron C for cammo and finer lines.
I am asking for help from those of you who have had exposure to either Vallejo or AK or both lines.
1. Which one do you use/prefer and why.
2. Can you provide distance to model and pressure settings?
3. Do you thin the paint or use it straight form bottle?
5. Another thing is, do you use a retarder to slow the drying time?
4. On the other hand, which primer from either of the two lines is best for AFV and/or figures? I am looking for the best/finest of them.
Thank you all in advance for your help and consideration.
Cheers!

Well I can not really speak for the ask line but as a former user of the tamiya line the vallejo is superb as I also use an iwata revolution. I use an 045 needle I use to use an 030 needle but noticed that I had to thin the model air line down just a little bit to get it through the 030. Since going back to the 45 paint flows a lot easier for me now. The vallejo gives me a great paint coverage as well as consitancy with lighter coats. The vallejo also lays down pretty well for me too. I use 15 to 20 psi to spray with and the bathroom sink for clean up. My wife has allergies and can not smell anything at all when I spray the vallejo. my own opinion the bust thing I ever did was to go to the vallejo line and I also have found that the vallejo is easier for me to get than the ak . I can order vallejo from www.scalehobbyist.com and my local hobby stores. Hope this helps

PS have also used vallejo color primer line straight from the bottle 20 psi and the model air straight from bottle 20 psi with the 045 needle I use the same airbrush for all my work so hope this helps

I use both Vallejo Model Air and AK and to me there seems to be little difference between them. There is actually more difference between colors than there are between brands. For instance, in the AK OD Modulation set, some of the colors seemed to spray better than others within the same set. For a couple of the colors in that set, some additional thinning or increasing/decreasing air pressure was needed to get a smooth coat. I've seen a little less of this within the Model Air line of colors but haven't sprayed too many of them to be honest. The regular Vallejo Model Color can also be sprayed pretty nicely but obviously requires thinning with either distilled water, Windex or Vallejo's own acrylic thinner.

Vallejo Acrylic Primers are great although many on this site have said otherwise. I've encountered no problems with them but they do require a higher pressure (25psi worked for me) and it also helps to add some retarder so that the tip is less prone to clogging. After spraying, let it cure completely for about 24 hours before any rough handling or even removing any wayward fuzzies that get into the paint. If you don't you will likely suffer the dreaded peeling that many here have lamented.

Apparently, many modelers here swear by Tamiya as the best paint for airbrushing but I've never had a chance to use them. I prefer to have my paints do double duty, ie, able to be shot through an airbrush as well as brush painted onto figures and accessories. My understanding is that Tamiya paints are not suitable for brush painting. I'd be curious to know why you would want to switch from Tamiya to Vallejo or AK if they are so good for airbrushing?

Thanks and good luck.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. As I can see from the replies, Vallejo is the way to go. I will give them a try for sure.
I was reading about AK and the fact the tier paints are "to scale", meaning the actual colour is lighter to compensate for the difference in scale from the actual prototype. This is bit intriguing. Can you guys confirm this?
Anyways, again, many thanks for your help.

@Don - I have been airbrushing Tamiya for over 14 years and they are superb indeed for airbrushing. My beef with the Tamiya is that it is way too coarse for my taste. I want to have a smoother finish on my models. Don't get me wrong, there's Tamiya is absolutely awesome, but if I can find something better, I am willing to give it a try and see where that leads me. So this is my reasoning behind leaving Tamiya behind.

I recently used Vallejo primer, my experience is that it clod up by air brush easily. I tried pressure from 30 PSI to 10 PSI. It seems that 15PSI with my Paasche Talon works but it still dry up on the tip of the needle.

Shall I move from a .38mm to a .66mm needle? That seems to be a lot...

Thomas, I think you would be fine moving to the larger tip since you are spraying the primer coat and not the model color. Increase your pressure to 20psi and spray from a bit further away than you would when building up your color layers. It will also help to add a generous blob of Vallejo's own retarder medium right into the paint cup and mix it in. This how I sprayed the primer and I had no problems. You still need to keep a q-tip soaked with airbrush cleaner handy to keep the tip clean but with the retarder you will have to do it much less often. It also helps to remove the protective air cap. Hope this is helpful.