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AFV Painting & Weathering
Answers to questions about the right paint scheme or tips for the right effect.
Hosted by Darren Baker, Matthew Toms
Vallejo Paints
bilirubin
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: September 22, 2016
KitMaker: 10 posts
Armorama: 10 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 05:20 PM UTC
Hi all,

I am being tempted to try Vallejo and looking into it I was wondering what those of you using it do? I get the impression their Model Color range is good for brushing on whilst their Model Air range is good for airbrushing.

Do you:

1/ Buy Model Color and use it for brushing and then thin it for airbrush use.

2/ Buy Model Air and use it for airbrushing and then apply several thin coats for brushing on.

3/ Buy both Model Color & Model Air and have duplicate colours in your kit

Mike
RussianArmor
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Georgia, United States
Joined: February 06, 2017
KitMaker: 111 posts
Armorama: 96 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 05:31 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi all,

I am being tempted to try Vallejo and looking into it I was wondering what those of you using it do? I get the impression their Model Color range is good for brushing on whilst their Model Air range is good for airbrushing.

Do you:

1/ Buy Model Color and use it for brushing and then thin it for airbrush use.

2/ Buy Model Air and use it for airbrushing and then apply several thin coats for brushing on.

3/ Buy both Model Color & Model Air and have duplicate colours in your kit

Mike


I buy the model air (mostly 4B0) and apply in several coats. Unlike Tamiya paints, the model air doesn't like humidity and will take FOREVER to dry if it's humid.
Tojo72
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North Carolina, United States
Joined: June 06, 2006
KitMaker: 4,691 posts
Armorama: 3,509 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 05:37 PM UTC
I will recommend using Vallejo thinner and their Airbrush Flow improver also.

And no iso alcohol for thinning or cleaning airbrush
Taylortony
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United Kingdom
Joined: November 30, 2010
KitMaker: 126 posts
Armorama: 102 posts
Posted: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 - 12:49 AM UTC
I use colour and find you get a lovely finish with a hairy stick, prime first, I use a Halfords rattle can car acrylic primer, Grey and white.
bilirubin
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: September 22, 2016
KitMaker: 10 posts
Armorama: 10 posts
Posted: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 - 01:24 AM UTC
Thanks guys, interesting comments so far.

Tony: Do you use it in an airbrush or just the "hairy stick"?
wedgetail53
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: October 02, 2008
KitMaker: 658 posts
Armorama: 629 posts
Posted: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 - 04:49 AM UTC
G'day Mike

I use Model Colour with a brush and occasionally Model Air with an airbrush. As Anthony said, DO NOT use isopropyl alcohol to clean your airbrush - Vallejo turns into something resembling chewing gum and can wreck your airbrush.

Use Vallejo's own products wherever possible. They make a thinner medium for Model Colour and Thinner also for Model Air. I'm pretty sure I've seen a Vallejo airbrush cleaner, but don't quote me. What I have used very successfully with both Vallejo and Tamiya (which I use for most of my airbrushing) is Iwata Medea airbrush cleaner. To date it's the best airbrush cleaner I've found and as I'm using it in an Iwata airbrush it's a fairly safe bet that it won't attack the seals.

The comments about Vallejo Model Colour and humidity are interesting as I live in a humid climate (east coast of Oz, where currently in midwinter dry season the humidity is 71%) and I've never had any problems. That could be that my Model Colour is usually thinned with Thinner Medium.

Have fun.

Regards

Rob

Have fun
TotemWolf
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Oklahoma, United States
Joined: February 11, 2013
KitMaker: 294 posts
Armorama: 196 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 03:28 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I will recommend using Vallejo thinner and their Airbrush Flow improver also.

And no iso alcohol for thinning or cleaning airbrush

Absolutely, and by the way Tamiya X20A thinner contains alcohol.
VintageRPM
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Texas, United States
Joined: November 28, 2010
KitMaker: 300 posts
Armorama: 207 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 04:59 AM UTC
Love their paints. I use both brush and airbrush for applying them. I use their thinner in the airbrush. (Note, I have not tried the Model Air line yet.)

To clean, I first spray their own airbrush cleaner (have no idea if it is any different from the thinner) through the airbrush, then disassemble and clean with isopropal alchohol. Never had a problem with it gumming up the airbrush. My final step, which I do no matter what paint I'm cleaning out of the airbrush, is to put the parts in an ultrasonic cleaner full of distilled water for a few minutes.
d6mst0
#453
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Texas, United States
Joined: August 28, 2016
KitMaker: 1,925 posts
Armorama: 601 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 05:22 AM UTC
I use both Model Air and Model paint in the airbrush or with a brush. Both do a very nice job with coverage, even better if I use a primer first.
retiredyank
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Arkansas, United States
Joined: June 29, 2009
KitMaker: 11,610 posts
Armorama: 7,843 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 04:06 PM UTC
I use their Model Color range for both hairy stick and airbrush. I thin, with their airbrush thinner. Both work beautifully. To clean my airbrush, I soak in a uc cleaner of lacquer thinner for 5-10 minutes.
deerstalker36
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: May 16, 2010
KitMaker: 232 posts
Armorama: 218 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 05:27 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I will recommend using Vallejo thinner and their Airbrush Flow improver also.

And no iso alcohol for thinning or cleaning airbrush

Absolutely, and by the way Tamiya X20A thinner contains alcohol.


Damn, i wondered why the paints gunked up when i used Tamiya. The guy at the model shop in the city said it was ok for Vallejo
TotemWolf
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Oklahoma, United States
Joined: February 11, 2013
KitMaker: 294 posts
Armorama: 196 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 06:57 PM UTC
Lysol all purpose cleaner spray will quickly clean up both Tamiya and Vallejo paints even if they have dried on. Just rinse thoroughly with water before reuse.

I have heard of people using Windex to clean brushes and airbrushes as well, but be warned it contains ammonia which can damage your airbrush.
Taylortony
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United Kingdom
Joined: November 30, 2010
KitMaker: 126 posts
Armorama: 102 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 08:31 PM UTC
Just a hairy stick, oddly enough i bought a few iwata airbrushes and a couple of compressors years ago and have never ever used them.

I know I have posted this before, but not these images of it, this is vallejo hand painted with a hairy stick and using their rust set as wel, all over a sprayed on black Halfords rattlecan primer.







fhvn4d
#159
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Massachusetts, United States
Joined: April 07, 2008
KitMaker: 803 posts
Armorama: 564 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2017 - 10:10 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Hi all,

I am being tempted to try Vallejo and looking into it I was wondering what those of you using it do? I get the impression their Model Color range is good for brushing on whilst their Model Air range is good for airbrushing.

Do you:

1/ Buy Model Color and use it for brushing and then thin it for airbrush use.

2/ Buy Model Air and use it for airbrushing and then apply several thin coats for brushing on.

3/ Buy both Model Color & Model Air and have duplicate colours in your kit

Mike


I buy the model air (mostly 4B0) and apply in several coats. Unlike Tamiya paints, the model air doesn't like humidity and will take FOREVER to dry if it's humid.


I live in Massachusetts, on the coast and I would agree that the humidity does tend to slow the paints drying, but I also found that using a hair dryer to dry it will do a great job of sucking out that humidity in the paint that the regular air tend to leave in (70% humidity is not uncommon here)
sgtreef
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Oklahoma, United States
Joined: March 01, 2002
KitMaker: 6,043 posts
Armorama: 4,347 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 19, 2017 - 04:05 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Just a hairy stick, oddly enough i bought a few iwata airbrushes and a couple of compressors years ago and have never ever used them.

I know I have posted this before, but not these images of it, this is vallejo hand painted with a hairy stick and using their rust set as wel, all over a sprayed on black Halfords rattlecan primer.









Nice paint work there Mate.
Cheers
jon_a_its
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England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: April 29, 2004
KitMaker: 1,336 posts
Armorama: 1,137 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 19, 2017 - 11:49 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I will recommend using Vallejo thinner and their Airbrush Flow improver also.

And no iso alcohol for thinning or cleaning airbrush

Absolutely, and by the way Tamiya X20A thinner contains alcohol.


Damn, i wondered why the paints gunked up when i used Tamiya. The guy at the model shop in the city said it was ok for Vallejo


All of the above, from all the posters:

Please note:

The UK version of Windex/Windowlene don't contain ammonia & so are useless fore cleaning airbrushes or brushes.

To Quote Rob W: Iwata Medea airbrush cleaner.... Yup, my go to for cleaning and slightly thinning Model AIR.

I find that even when using the same (nominal) colour from the ModelAIR and ModelCOLOR range, the ModelCOLOR version will colour-shift a little lighter, sometimes usefull.

Their POLYURETHANE Primers (love them for their colour range) don't need thinning, spray with a higher pressure, but they JUST DON'T Take any rework or SANDING!

My preference is Badger Stynylrez from barwellbodyworks brilliant sandable primer despite the silly name
cutigerfan
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South Carolina, United States
Joined: February 21, 2010
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 85 posts
Posted: Friday, August 25, 2017 - 06:50 PM UTC
I pretty much use nothing but Vallejo paints now. I was a bit concerned initially with a new product but I have zero reservations on Vallejo now. Like others have stated in this post it is highly recommended to use Vallejo Airbrush thinner and also I use their brand of primer as well.
KellyZak
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: August 19, 2003
KitMaker: 641 posts
Armorama: 503 posts
Posted: Friday, August 25, 2017 - 09:56 PM UTC
I've been using the Model Colour for the last several years and the Model Air for almost a year. Love the paints, the MC brushes really well, sometimes I can get away with just one coat if I'm brushing. The MA is really nice as well.
For cleaning my Iwata Eclipse, I've been using a mixture of ISO 90%, windshield washer fluid and distilled water with a couple drops of glycerine, cleans the airbrush really well, and I haven't noticed any issues with the airbrush, of course after a huge spraying session, a tear-down and thorough cleaning is required.
I do have a question on the Vallejo flow improver, would it not just be fancy name for a paint thinner? (Never tried using it)
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