hello everyone

im new here so first off - hi!
if its ok i thought id ask (in your opinions) which is the best paints to use for armour kits? i currently use mainly humbrol enamels, but am open to anything better. My main preference in ww2 armour kits, tanks, trucks, afvs, half tracks, mobile artillery etc.

I usually base coat with the main colour first, then add all the other detail as i go, using enamels. Is it better to use acrylics?

hope thats not too much

kitbasher

I prefer Testors' Model Master enamels myself. They have a wide color range and thin out well for airbrushing with lacquer thinner.

Like Gino, I too, reduce oil-based enamels with lacquer thinner and use that combination exclusively for base coats. The lacquer thinner cuts the enamel exceptionally well and helps the paint adhere to palstic. Water-based paint is useful for accents such as, for example, the rubber portion of roadwheels. Water-based paint should be reduced with a small amount of Glass Plus(amonia will also work)which encourages the acrylic paint to level-out without brush strokes. Simple and effective.

Cody

Welcome along Kitbasher
I like to be different - so I use Tamiya Acrylics - because they airbrush well when thinned. I drybrush with Humbrol enamels 'cos they do the job and also because I don't get on too well with oil based artist's oils. Tamiya's acrylics also come in small rattle cans so you can put the base coat on without using the airbrush if you want.

hello you three :-)

thanks for the input - i do try to basecoat as well as i can but i find that acrylics are better to use, and seem to be of better quality than some enamel paints. I think id like to get the technique right for painting on the colour right too. I mean i dont paint that badly, its just i think a better paint can help too. if you know what i mean. even lol



kitbasher

I'm partial to Testor's Model Master line as well, though I thin mine with Dio-Sol from Floquil. I also use Humbrol when they're the best match available. I pick the paint by color more than brand, so if the best match is in Humbrol, I'll use it.

I've recently experimented with acrylics for base coats, but couldn't get them to stay on the plastic. A shame, too, as the Vallejo color line is fantastic. They work fine when I use them on figures (hand-painting), and they airbrush really smoothly, but there's no adherance to the surface of the model itself.

Randy

I prefer Model Master Acryl, Poly Scale, and Tamiya acrylics. MM has a wide variety of colors, but lately I've been having trouble with their paints being too thinned down from the factory. Poly S doesn't only make railroad colors, if you can find them - they have over 30 very unique military colors that nobody else makes. Tamiya acrylics are very cheap and spray good, but when I try to brush them on, they come out gloss instead of flat. It's your choise on which brand to choose, there are much more possibilities.

Also, acrylics are non toxic, that's why I use them. It is much easier and faster to clean the airbrush afrer acrylics than after enamels.

For airbrushing I am a fan of Tamiya's acrylics. I have always had the best luck with them. For washes I use Windsor and Newton oils, and for drybrushing I use Creative Workshop's paints(these are the paints designed for the game Warhammer). I usually use Bleached Bone. I have found these to go on very evenly, are quite forgiving, and are easy to build up slowly.

I had that problem with Tamiya acrylics a couple of years ago, either they've reformulated recently, or I've been lucky. I tried washing the sprues - that seemed to help. I do like to use an undercoat when possible from an acrylic rattle can - maybe that's solving the problem...

hello people

great input thanks guys - i know what you mean with regards to acrylics not taking - i have very few if any problems with acrylics on figures but when it comes to kits its a different matter - is it possible to combine oil based paints with acrylics (would i be right in saying that a coat of Klear solves that?) i do find that games workshop acrylics are very good for painting with, both mixing colours, drybrushing and weathering. Im not fussed about brand as such either - its just i think that if theres a better quality of paint around, id go with that. But is it possible to complete a kit with acrylics, or is it best to mix paint types depending on the stage of painting you're doing?

kitbasher

me too :-)

For what it's worth I usually overspray with an acrylic basecoat - often a Tamiya rattle can - try it the quality is pretty good. Then I spray Kleer over to protect the basecoat. I drybrush with enamels to do wear and tear and do washes of very thinned Tamiya acrylics.
Next I overcoat with Kleer again and decal, painting over the decals with several spot coats of Kleer. I coat again with a mix of kleer and tamiya flatbase to make the kleer nice and matt then do the final drybrushing for mud, surface rust etc. So it is the norm to mix all sorts of different paints. You need to experiment to decide what works for you.
I've spent about twenty five pounds in the last couple of months on Citadel paints, they are superb, very fine grained and thin well with water. I also undercoat with Chaos black if I think the acrylic basecoat won't adhere well too.
HTH

thanks for the info - i know what you mean regards citadel paints, they do coat well -
ive used them for many years on other models. i knew about the Kleer idea but wasnt too sure about the 'application' . its getting the paints right per application to make the panit job look right and feel right, without losing the detail.

kitbasher

I as foundation like using Humbrol enamels. As basic colour acrylic paints Tamiya. For wash I use oil-colors Windsor & Newton only. For drybrushing often Humbrol enamels.

I forgot writing that my favourite varnishes matt and gloss are Humbrol.

ive been to my local modelshop today about tamiya acrylics and he says that he doesnt stock them because they are too expensive?

is there any other acrylic manufacturers or is it a toss between humbrol and testors etc?

kitbasher

model master and poly scale

Humbrols are a good all round paint. They can be used for everything. Acrylics on the other hand .. have their benifits but you will still need the humbrols to do some work with. Model master is pretty similar to humbrol, but I think they take a lot longer to dry, so I never bought anymore after the first few bottles. I still use them sometimes for washes.
I changed over to tamiya acrylics about a year ago for airbrushing only. mainly for ease of cleanup and safety. But all washes, filters and drybrushing is made with humbrols and/ or oils.
I buy cheap hobby primer from the car accessory shop. Great coverage, dries very quick and if sprayed properly, doesnt hide any detail.

Hi. I like to use Gunze Sangyo water based paints (from Japan). They have a very large selection, but they are also quite expensive about $4.00 cdn for 10 ml. (MM 14.5 ml. run around $2.00) They have a very heavy pigment so very thin coats can be used leaving more detail showing.

I suggest you to give a try to both acrilycs and enamels and see which of these you get more comfortable with. I have to say that I use both of them depending on the "mood" of the moment. Often if I have to get a very precise colour matching I rely more on enamels...
Ciao

Thankyou everyone

Its humbrols for the time being when it comes to enamels, for me anyway, but im still not sure about acrylics - perhaps its a case of better the devil you know than the devil you dont? , and as you say its all in the detail and that means using the best paints for the job, which i guess is down to personal preference atleast in some cases.

kitbasher :-)