Hi,

Has anyone used arcylic retarder when airbrushing Vallejo Model Air? Does the Vallejo brand stuff work the best or is another brand preferrable?

Cheers,

Jim

I have to ask....why do you need a retarder? Vallejo air is in my opinion the best on the market, even though I realise others may not share this opinion, it can't be denied that it's good?

Vinnie

Actually, I meant to say Vallejo Model Color. I haven't used the Model Air stuff but I like the model color line, it is just that periodically I find that it does dry too quickly.

I just tried this a couple of days ago, and yes I put in two drops of Vallejo's retarder #597. I only had a small amount of paint thinned 50/50 with their thinner #524, and two drops was probably a little much, because it took longer than what I'm used to for it to dry, so use it sparingly. The Model Color is great for brushing but I still like Tamiya better if I'm airbrushing it. I need to give the Model Air a try to see what it's like.

HTH,
Mike

Hi Jim,
I have used the Vallejo brand retarder, and it worked well, however I found that a cheap bottle of retarder form the craft store worked just as well and cost a lot less. I am not sure what is available in you area, but it is worth checking out.
Regards,
Robert

Hi Vinnie,

I agree that Vallejo Air is pretty good, but I have had to thin it more and add a flattening agent to the majority of the colors. I use a Paasche and an Iwata airbrush and the Vallejo air unthinned clogged almost immidiately, also I noticed that a lot of the colors have a sheen to them. Not quite a satin but real close. I have to admit though I do like the range of colors they offer.
Regards,
Robert

Robert, you should mix Vallejo Air with their airbrush thinner.

For general work add 1 drop of thinner for every 3 drops of paint (3:1) and
for detail work you should mix 1 drop of thinner, 1 drop of color and one drop of satin/gloss varnish (1:1:1)
because varnishes are more wet then thinner and won't alter the properties of the color as water or alcohol would.