Just paints you use

[tecdes]

We have lots of "which paint should I use".

Which "Paint is the best".

I have now used Vallejo for about 18 months (not a lot of people know that). Just suits me.

But apart from a poor start with Humbrol I have not a clue about the advantages & disadvantages (sure none are perfect). Some must be better for doing this or that & vice versa.

So what are your opinions & facts about other paints you use. Not just "I like this paint it is the best" but the reasons for your obssesion with your paint. Also which ofrm of model making you use it for as this must have a bearing.

Laurie

 

[CDW]

I paint in acrylics 99% of the time (only use oil for faces of figures if the details worth it) i mostly build armour.

I paint with a brush for 99.9% of the time (used cans once or twice and a cheap airbrush just to cover a large area with a wash)

I use revels flat black because it's perfect for tyres and for thinning to give a dull dirty black wash, i also use this to darken mixes of colours i need and gives a nice flat finish which is a bonus.

The other colours i use are citadels range from the 90's, i have a whole load of them still after buying a massive bulk load for D&D figure painting, these are mixed with artists acrylics (cheap stuff from the pound shop) to give the colours i require.

Citadel colours are really stable and mix well with other acrylics brands, they don't "go off" in their tubs and even if thickened up by having a badly fitted lid they can be briught back to life with a drop of water.

They adhere to the plastic of the model very well, i have no real need to use primer at all, i'll just give the bits a shake in the grit jar to give a good key for the paint.

On my scratch built crab boat i used brush on radiator enamel at this was cheap and gave a nice satin finish , it also covered the slight flaws in the balsa that the hulls made of.

For the prometheus i had to use a spray primer ... basically just because it was grey and a matt finish ..(and cheap)

 

[phalinmegob]

i use revell aqua colours and bought every colour in the range largley at first because it was the only one my lms stocked at the time apart from tamiya and i thought i was getter more paint in the pot for the money,which is still true.they thin brilliantly using tamiya thinners which i find is better than thier own aqua thinners or the recommended water. however for some reason i cannot thin their metallics for airbrushing, it turns gloopy so for this i use the tamiya metallics and also have a few citadel colours from games workshop.tamiya also dries faster which is good for me as i am very impatient but is useless with a brush(in my case). my lms now stocks humbrol but i have had no reason to switch. i would like to try vallejo paints based on most peoples recomendations and like the dropper bottles and may at some point try a few before starting to switch as i have the clear varnish which seems quite nice. never even touched a pot of enamel paint and see no reason why i would need to and use cheap oil paints fron "the works" for some certain weathering effects. primer at the moment is provided by poundland and works just fine but stinks but a quid a can you cant really complain.

 

[Ian M]

I have a draw full of Humbrol as it was those which I cut my teeth, so to speak. They where what there was. So when I started up again I carried on with those and bought more.

Then my LMS started to get an "alternative"; Molak which is an Italian brand. The sales pitch was they are the same colour and quality as Humbrol and have the same properties. Erm NOT. Tried a few, and was disappointed with the results. They went down poorly, Gloos paints where to transparent and the coverage was IMHO not good at all. I told him this and had to admit that there where not exactly as good as he had been told....

So I stopped buying them and started to buy Vallejo model colour. Never looked back. A good pigmentation, spray well when correctly thinned and a vast range of colours. They brush paint brilliantly as well.

For Metal colours I use both Humbrol Metal cote. Mostly for steel, polished alu and gunmetal. A quick rub with a soft cloth when dry and they look the part.

Then I disscovered that Alclad II metallic lacquers was not some deep mysterious form of alchemy that many would have you believe. Through this, I found that their primer range was rather good as well, if rather smelly.

I also use Xtracrylix as they have the colours I need for RAF and RN aircraft.

I use White Ensign enamels as well as they have the colours matched to the RAF and Royal Navy. They also have them for the army as well but I have had some nasty shocks at their versions of some Army colours.

Ian M

 

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I mainly use acrylics, I carry a full range of the Tamiya ones, I've started using the Citadel ones now for gun barrels and washes on figures as I used to use these for fantasy painting years ago. If I'm working on a car model then I will now use Alclad metals after trying them for a small part I cant fault them at all. The primers are very good for BMF's even if like already said a little smelly

On a side note for tyres I use Tamiyas Nato Black, its more off black than just flat black, look at any real tyres and you will see they are not completly black, unless they are factory new, well in my opinion anyways.

One more side note, if you want a very fast and efficent service use the shop here, I placed an order at midnight on thurs and it was on my door step for Sat morning ! I was so impressed with this I ordered all my top up colours the same day !

Adrian

 

[AlanG]

I love using Tamiya acrylic paints. I find them very easy to mix and spray. Also I like the finish they give. Only thing I dislike are their colour selections for Luftwaffe colours. For said aircraft I tend to stick to either xtracrylixs or Vallejo

 

[stona]

Primarily White Ensign Colourcoats. Fantastic paints but I have to agree with !an about some of their colours. Also Humbrol enamels. They've had quality issues over recent years but generally I find them good.

I also use Xtracrylix and Vallejo from the "other side of the fence".

They are all good in their own ways,I favour the enamels,particularly White Ensign,because they give me the best finish when sprayed.

For metal finishes it's Alclad II. It's virtually idiot proof,very useful when in my hands,and gives a fairly resilient finish which can be masked etc.

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

Primarily White Ensign Colourcoats. Fantastic paints but I have to agree with Ian about some of their colours. Also Humbrol enamels. They've had quality issues over recent years but generally I find them good.

I also use Xtracrylix and Vallejo from the "other side of the fence".

They are all good in their own ways,I favour the enamels,particularly White Ensign,because they give me the best finish when sprayed.

For metal finishes it's Alclad II. It's virtually idiot proof,very useful when in my hands,and gives a fairly resilient finish which can be masked etc.

Cheers

Steve

 

[treyzx10r]

I mainly use Model master and testors. I can use them with base coat reducer which I have on hand for painting full scale vehicles and that helps keep costs down. I also like the range of colors that Model Master has . I buy testors for base coats(Silver base for aircraft) and interiors as they are super cheap. I do like using Tamiya ts-30 rattle can for some silver bases as well.For clear coats I use an automative urethane thinned down alot ,this provides a super tough finish that can be weathered over and abused without damaging the pigment underneath. For dull I go with Testors dull cote its reliable and predictable and again cheap.

 

[m1ks]

I started with humbrol many years ago with the first Lancaster i built with my dad because that's all there was.

After a long long lay off and a couple of moves i picked up a 48th hurricane from Ebay and after unsteadily digging through boxes in the shed failed to find my old stash of enamels and brushes so i started afresh with humbrol, mainly because they were the only paint in my local store,(for local store read, toy shop, and being a tiny village we're lucky to have a decent toy shop with a good range of humbrol).

I've since picked up and tried a few others and like any paints they have positive and negative points.

Humbrol + unbeatable for civilian vehicles and gloss work, brush and spray well, take a lot of thinning so a tinlet goes a long way, massive range of colours, -takes an age to cure.

Tamiya + decent range of colours (now), glass jars easy to see the actual paint colour, perfect for military matte finishes, spray beautifully thinned with own brand or IPA, dry lightning fast, NATO black perfect for tyres, (and the underside of blue thunder) , - tricky to brush well, gloss finishes inconsistent, semi gloss more so, temp dependent, can flash off too quickly if sprayed in too warm a temp.

Citadel + best acrylic Metallics yet, fine metalflake, brush well, spray ok with tamiya thinner, - silly names but ok when you know which is which, gloops and clogs with IPA and water thinning not good.

Vallejo + in my very limited experience, none, - didn't thin well, didn't brush well, eyedropper bottles, some love but how do you return excess decanted paint? I was sorely unimpressed especially after reading all the rave reviews. Glad i had only bought one bottle to try.

Alclad ll + most realistic NMF to date, high shine ones superb, not as hard to use as some think, - need an airbrush that will tolerate cellulose/lacquer based paint and cellulose thinner for cleaning and so a decent mask and good ventilation.

I have a pot of Mr colour but not yet tried.

That's my findings so far and i mix and match to suit a project, priming is done with humbrol, either grey, black, white or yellow depending on the intended top coat.

 

[Buttonman]

Used Airfix Enamels then as a got into modelling more seriously Humbrol, revell mostly Enamals. Then was given a set of vallejo model airs and i was hooked .

It covers with or without an airbrush, but with an air brush you can thin it right down and hardly use any paint at all, I usually use little sample pots to save the thinned paints.

i still use Enamals for dry brushing. oil paints to add weathering .

Martin

 

[ian lanc]

I 'once' tried vallejo water based paints and found they didn't cover well so it was back to Humbrol fenamel or me!

 

[GazB]

I don't really have a favourite brand now, they all have their strengths & weaknesses, here's what I use & why.

Vallejo Model air - Great range of colours & very durable (particularly when used with primer) - good to airbrush with & ok to brush paint with if thinned even further & painted in thin coats

Tamiya Acrylic - In my opinion produces the best looking finish of all the acrylics when airbrushed, although the finish is fragile, and it's difficult to brush paint with.

Mr Hobby/Mr Color Acrylic - I don't think the finish is quite as good as Tamiya's - But there is a better choice of colours and you can brush with it. (their flat black is a thing of beauty)

Citadel paints - Without a doubt the best brushing paint I have come across. Superb for figure painting.

Revell Acrylic - Good brush painting paints and they produce decent results when thinned & airbrushed too.

Vallejo Varnishes - can't find any better

Up to yet I have only used Vallejo primers - but i'm thinking of giving rattle cans a go because I find the Vallejo primers slightly grainy.

 

[BarryW]

I started with Humbrol, both enamel and acrylic, it was all that was available when I was a child. When I returned to modelling I bought some Vallejo to try out after struggling to use the airbrush with Humbrol and, wow, what a revelation. Never looked back.

I now use both Vallejo Model Air and Model Colour.

Model Colour brush paint superbly, slightly thinned and when properly thinned airbrush well too.

Model Air are great in an airbrush and do not need thinning, though often I do pop in a drop of thinner.

I particularly love the eyedropper bottle which makes them so easy to use.

I am not a fan of their metallics though. The Model Air metallics are a lot better than the Model Colour but even so I now use Gunze metallics, mostly the buffable ones. I just wish these were in an eydropper bottle as it would make them a lot easier to use.

I always use Vallejo thinners and primers too.

 

[tecdes]

That is interesting as I had not realised that so many used so many different paints.

Stuck to Vallejo in the 1.5 years after ditching Humbrol.

Think for a starter it is an easy to use & forgiving paint. Also easy to use especially Model Air being made specially for airbrushing. Also backed up by an incredible range of speciality stuff transparent paints weathering mediums. Also the vast range of colours which is increasing all the time. 10 last June.

Easy to dispense into an airbrush cup. Easy to mix using the dropper. MK1 it is easy to pour back. Just flip the top nozzle dropper with a push of the thumb & you can pour back paint. But as it is so easy to fill the cup I rarely have any to pour back. I just add paint to the cup when it is near empty.

Great replies & will be trying some of those paints mentioned.

Has been mentioned that model shops supply mostly only Humbrol. The three shops in Jersey all do Humbrol enamel. I have asked why they did not stock Acrylics. They all looked blank & one at least had not realised acrylic paint was available. Told him how much easier it is for youngsters & he just said well I have a stand of Humbrol Enamel. Told him then he is losing business as I am sure most are now using acrylics.

Laurie

 

[BarryW]

How can someone run a model shop and not know about what is available. Do they not take an interest in the hobby and look at sites like this? amazing.

 

[tecdes]

Agree Barry remarkable. One runs a toy shop with a dept for models. One runs a luggage & you name it shop plus models. One runs just a model shop mainly trains & was the one who did not know about acrylics.

Hoping to start a club here in Jersey after Christmas & that may shake them up a bit as they will be invited. As sponsors ha ha.

Laurie

 

[phalinmegob]

i am dying to ask this question and will probably be laughed at noe but it is bugging me......vallejo paints do their standard paint and the model air which is pre thinned for use in an airbrush, does it not make sense to buy the normal one and then thin it yourself so as to get twice as much for the same price or are the model air pots significantly larger.

 

[tecdes]

Seems Andrew that the pigments in model air are ground finer than model paints.

While good I find model does not give the same finish as model air. If you weigh model I bet it weighs 4 times that of model air. Even after thinning Model well it does not have the same smooth & depth coverage as Model Air. Nice for hand brushing though. Also found that the few Revell Acrylics I have hand brush very well.

Laurie

Laurie

 

[BarryW]

I think that's right Laurie. Air definitely gives the best airbrush finish compared to thinned Model, that said Model is acceptable and has airbrushed well in my experience properly thinned with Vallejo thinners.

For me the convenience is an added factor that makes the big difference.