i ordered an airbrush and was curious what people thought of lifecolor for airbrushing a tank. im looking to get the US Olive Drab Camouflage Acrylic Set for my sherman tank.

i have used lifecolor to brush paint before, but i never brushpainted a full tank. i typically used spray paint for it.

is the lifecolor good for airbrushing, or would i be better trying to put together a similar set using vallejo air. i read reviews where people said lifecolor was hard to thin correctly, but they were reviews from 10 years ago, and i wasnt sure if things had changed

i have no real experience with an airbrush, i tried a couple of times before and had not much luck and ended up losing the airbrush years ago during a move.


also, do i need to prime with lifecolor or vallejo model air?

Vallejo is tricky to airbrush also,good to use their thinner and flow improver.I used Lifecolor once or twice with no problems.Yes it is a good idea to prime all acrylics,I like Tamiya Extra Fine in the rattlecan.

One suggestion for your 1st airbrush project try Tamiya paints if you can,very easy learning curve.

Next to Mission model paints,my next choice is life color paints,a little on the thin side but I like that because it won't hide details.I always prime my models 1st and did with life color as well.Hope that helps.

I have tried nearly every paint on the market today and I have settled on Lifecolor as the best paint you can buy. It hand brushes and airbrushes right out of the bottle (or you can thin it 20% for airbrushing with distilled water or their thinner). When you airbrush it, it sucks down on the model in a thin skin that brings out the detail in amazing clarity. It dries quickly on the model, but does not clog the airbrush tip. Their color range is huge - 200 colors plus all their wonderful sets, and they are a water acrylic, so clean up and thinning are easy. I have bought the whole line and now, with a few exceptions, Lifecolor is all I use.
I will agree with Tony, though. Tamiya is very easy to use, you almost can't mess it up. Thin Tamiya with their lacquer thinner or blue windshield washer fluid 50/50 paint to thinner and spray away. It's very easy to learn on but the color range is limited.

I had mixed results using Lifecolor in the airbrush. I used it for awhile because I could both brush paint it (awesome for that) and airbrush it. But I find it difficult to get the paint consistency right - it seemed to require a different amount of thinner for each bottle.

I ordered a couple of AK 3rd generation because they are supposed to be both airbrushable and brushable.

I agree with others that Tamiya is a great place to start for paint to run through the airbrush - and if you do try this, do thin it with the lacquer thinner.

I don't know how hard it is to get a good mask for painting these days, but that is essential if you use an airbrush.

Regards,
Phil

i was able to find a bottle of vallejo model air and a bottle of lifecolor in my stash. i am going to test to see which i like painting with better on a junk model.

i just hope the airbrush arrives soon, my wife is starting to grief me because the paints are going to be my birthday present and i have told her which i want yet

I didn't airbrush Lifecolor (or Italeri and Vallejo too) because I tried a lot of thinners and mixing rates without any good result. Lots of clogging everytime.
Everything changed when a friend of mine suggest me to thin them with Vallejo airbrush thinner and mix an acrilic retardant.
Now I am happy with this formula
40% color (Lifecolor) or 30% (Vallejo and Italeri)
Vallejo thinner up to 100%
Acrilic retardant: two drops, not more, for each cup of airbrush.
I always mix everything in a small cup and then drop on the airbrush filtering it (ask lady for an old stocking, it work well and you can wash and reuse it). I think this operation is really important.
I usally spray at 0.9 atm
Sometimes paint clogs the airbrush but I need only a small brush with some water to clean the nozzle.
Bye

Mike,

The thing I don't like about Vallejo Model Air is that it is a latex acrylic, just like house paint. I have found it to have poor adhesion and you can peel it off your model in a thin rubber sheet. It is impossible to sand a feathered edge - the paint just rolls up in a rubber ball no matter how fine a grit you use. If you experience a sag or run while airbrushing, stop and strip the whole model to start over, because there is no way to repair it.