Tamiya paint

[Bortig the Viking]

Can someone tell me why do tamiya paints have a strong odour.

[stillp]

They're alcohol based acrylics. Nowhere near as smelly as lacqurs!
Pete

[Guest]

Can someone tell me why do tamiya paints have a strong odour.

If you ask me specifically, then I say no, they don’t. If you were to ask anyone else who might come near any of my Tamiya paints, then they would say the paints do smell

Yes, they have a smell, not as bad as enamels but more than some other brands. Buy a bottle and smell for yourself?

[Bortig the Viking]

I did, wow they smell to me, much prefer Vallejo, I suppose they have different mixture, anyone care to explain.

[Gary MacKenzie]

Tamiya Acrylics safety sheet attached
Vallejo contains 1,3-bis (hydroxymethyl)-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione.

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Mark....I’ve done this one before
Paint consists of pigment (the colour part), binder (the part that holds the pigment in place, and solvent (the bit that keeps the other two parts mobile during application). Pigment is pretty much universal across all paint. It’s binder and solvent that vary, and as solvent is volatile, evaporating off to allow the binder to works it’s polymeric magic, that is the part that gives each paint the smell we associate with them. In the case of Vallejo and Tamiya one uses an aqueous solvent (Vallejo) and one an organic solvent (Tamiya). Water based (aqueous) solvents are far less pungent than organic solvents such as alcohol and lacquer, hence the difference. These properties have other differences though. In my opinion, Tamiya paint behaves in a much superior way in an airbrush to water based Acrylic such as Vallejo, mostly due to the decreased surface tension of organic solvents over water....

[BarryW]

It is the trade off. Either you opt for non-smelly, family friendly paint like Vallejo that has issues, or a smelly solvent based paint that sprays beautifully, dries to a hard finish quickly and clings like a limpet to the plastic.

I would suggest that if you cannot have a exterior venting spray booth use Vallejo MA but if you can vent outside use Tamiya or better still MRP.

[Guest]

I'm learning so much so quickly here.

Seems like I backed the wrong horse by starting out with Vallejo. I read elsewhere that they were easy to spray so figured they'd be good for a novice modeller like me. I'm really not keen on how they've dried though, they have that slightly soft rubbery texture that we got with first generation automotive waterborne paints.

I may have a dabble with Tamiya or MRP if they are superior. I'm working in a garden shed so venting outside would be a doddle.

[Tim Marlow]

Tamiya and Mr Color levelling thinner sprays like liquid silk....the thinner is cellulose though so you need ventilation or masks....not tried MRP, but others (Dave Ward is one I think) have reported that they are very good.
Keep the Vallejo, they are great for detail and figure painting using a normal brush....I use the model air black a lot as it comes pretty much ready to go when I’m blacklining small figures....

[AlanG]

Whilst Tamiya is a great paint to spray i would like to add one simple fact. They have a really rubbish range of RLM colours. Which their colours were as good as Hannants Xtracrylix. If they were i would be a total Tamiya convert. Instead i find i mix and match between Xtracrylix, Vallejo Model Air and Tamiya.

[Guest]

Thanks Tim

I only bought a few Vallejo colours, just to see me through my first model, so no great loss if I don't use them much in the future.

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Alan
Mr colour paint seems identical to Tamiya in use, that should increase your colour choice exponentially....

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Andy
I’m sure you’ll use them In the future, I have around a hundred now.....best acrylics for brushing in my opinion.

[stillp]

I'm really not keen on how they've dried though, they have that slightly soft rubbery texture that we got with first generation automotive waterborne paints.

Don't try to get a good build as you would with automotive paint Andy. Very thin coats are needed, allowed to dry before the next coat goes on. That's one of the things I struggle with, after using cellulose on 1:1 cars.

Pete

[Guest]

I'd love to stick to automotive paints Pete as at least I know where I am with those :smiling5:

In fact a few of the guys I've worked with are into modifying die cast and hot wheels cars and they bring them in to work for paint jobs. Not much call for cammo colours in my line though and I doubt a Spitfire would look good in pearl blue.....