Hey,

I finally got round to painting my FAA hellcat mk.II with the all over dark sea blue, MM-1717, which i had to order from the other side of the country. And after appling my standard primer coat (everything I do is handbrushed) I applied the paint onto the one wing and after putting 3 coats of it on, you can still see the primer thru the paint.

I stirred for ages, i tried dipping the brush in that thick stuff at the bottom of an unstirred pot but there is no thick stuff there.

any ideas, suggestions ?cause it costs me the same price as the paint to post it. its driving me mad, as almost all constru. is done.

I actually have the same problem and I wrote a post about it, now if I could just find it... My solution to this problem was to either buy another brand of paint or wait until the thinner separates from the paint inside the bottle and drain the thinner.

My sad little solution was to always keep a toothpick in the little bottle and stir often. I then pull up the toothpick far enough to touch the brush to the bottom of it to get the good stuff and then paint with it. Granted, it still takes about two coats, but it works for me.

Are todays paints formulated with airbrushers in mind??. The Model Master paint in this topic, and today I had similar problems with a zinc-chromate acrylic and Humbrol 155 O/drab enamel - they are so thin that three coats of Zinc Chromate haven't covered the 'orrible olive' plastic of my 1/48 Liberator! The Olive Drab enamel is almost transparent, even over a Zinc Chromate undercoat, on the canopy framing.
Paints didn't used to be like that - the old Humbrol would cover anything in one coat!

Hi Dave ... its funny how you should mention Humbrol OD 155 being too thin. I have that tin also, but the opposite problem ... I have to thin some each time I use it. I guess Humbrols process is just not up to scratch!
About model master ... I have two small bottles from them..... tyre black and rust .... and both are crap. They are thin, but take a few days to dry. They can still be sticky after 2 or 3 days. Nice colours, but I only use them if I know there is no hurry!

ive never had a problem with the model masters paint. I usualy stir it up first to get the stuff on the bottom loose, and then i shake the heck out of it for about three or more min. and it usualy comes out just fine.

Hey,

I ended up mixng some humbrol blue and grey paints to get a reasonable colour, not 100% accurate but it saves me an arm and a leg. Plus it only needs 2 coats and does'nt clog the details.

Strange I also have some old humbrols that are too thick and some are to thin. Most model masters paints I have to dig up the good stuff from the bottom

Someone mentioned to me that I should leave it open for a while so the thinner stuff evapourates?

thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Erik

Bren, are you using MM Acryl paints? I have found that the lighter colors in that range are very translucent. They are also thinned slightly to be used directly thru Aztec airbrushes with no thinner. I had to paint Yellow on the tips of rotors and it took 6 coats to cover the light grey plastic to my satisfaction. I usually prime with white or light grey now when using lighter MM Acryl colors. I have never had problems with MM enamles other then very very light colors (white being the worst). I have begun to use Vallejo paints now as well, and I find they are very good for coverage. You just have to be aware there are two types of this paint, airbrush ready and for brushing. If you have a supplier near by I would try them.

I use enamels Scott.

thanks,

erik

I too have found that certain Model Master colors have been a little thin. I also handbrush everything and use primarily acrylics because of the ease of clean-up and lack of smell (two small children in the house).

From my experience, significant stirring AND shaking is required to get better coverage. Even then, two coats are required with some colors. I've also found that the longer the bottle is open, the better coverage is. It's even better once you get closer to the bottom of the bottle.

I have to wonder if turning the paint bottle over prior to using it might help. For example, if you know you need Sea Blue for painting tomorrow, turn it over today. I haven't tried it myself, but I was contemplating it.

First a Q are you airbrushing or brushing??
There are a couple ways that you can try that
will help.... first you can add one or two drops
of black to your base color this changes the
pigment ratio and really not change your base
color.... Or add a very small amount of talc too
your mix .... the talic can change your paint
if your using a gloss to a semi gloss and
will not effect your decals or products like
mircosol.....

when in doubt use brute force

Hi Erik,
I think if its close to the colour it should do fine...after all, the elements can make paint change a shade or two anyway.

Good luck with it...
Cheers
Peter