best acrylic paint for brush and airbrush

[Guest]

humbrol acrylics in an airbrush

Both Revell and Humbrol are prepared for hand brushing and they can be used for airbrushing. But you have to thin them a lot.


Beauty of Vallejo Model Air is that it is specifically produced for airbrushing. The pigments are more finely ground which avoids a lot less blockages. Mig Acrylics and Lifcolor are similar.


Laurie

[Guest]

Beauty of Vallejo Model Air is that it is specifically produced for airbrushing. The pigments are more finely ground which avoids a lot less blockages. Mig Acrylics and Lifcolor are similar.


Laurie

I know we've been down this road before Laurie, but Dave wants a paint that can be used for both types of painting - whilst Model Air is specifically designed for airbrushing, he'd need to buy Model Colour for hand brushing, doubling the cost! Not everyone has deep pockets

[Guest]

Speak to john in the shop if he can get what you want he will, and I bet for a better price.

[BarryW]

Actually Patrick that is not necessarily so. I find that very few colours are both airbrushed and hairy stick brushed. Also where I use the hairy brush tend to be small bits of detail where Model Air is fine with a couple of coats and being allowed to dry between. As a result I have just half-dozen Model Colour paints and the full range of Model Air.


That said I am moving over now to using AK Interactive Air Series. These spray brilliantly unthinned, better even than Vallejo in my view, and are also marketed as being good for the hairy stick as well.


the review below confirms that they do work for both.


http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/paint/aki/paint_aki_2010.shtml

[Guest]

has anybody used tamiya or humbrol acrylics in an airbrush ?

Yup, and brushing! I really like the Tamiya paints, but have a collection of both Tamiya and Vallejo model air. They behave differently, have a different finish, and have both got their advantages and disadvantages! This is true for ALL paints, always has been! I think that we have an unfortunate habit of not persisting enough with one, and then, looking at other people's models, that are painted with different paint, and thinking that the new paint will solve their issues. One thing we can be sure about is, that there are many, many models out there that are gold-medal winners, that have ben hand painted with what many would consider inferior products. Look at Grumpa's models and Dioramas, they have so much depth and character to the finish. They really convey the filth and squalor and, most importantly, human intervention with these machines. And he does it all with brushes and hobby store acrylic paints. Sure, this approach might not work with, say, 1/144 airliners (Still reeling over that double decker airbus from a week or so back!!!), but my point is, if you stick at it, and learn to understand your chosen materials' limitations, you will gradually find your paint-jobs looking more and more what you wanted! When I started modelling a bit before Christmas, I had been told that enamels were being phased out, and it was all acrylic from now on. Had I not heard this, I'd have probably erred towards enamels, as that was what we all used as kids, and they had great coverage and a wide range of colours. So I found myself with a load of Tamiya acrylics, and was happy with them until I started reading how "difficult" they were to brush with. But I also read that plastic bottles were a good source of practice material, so I practiced! The one bit of advice I'd lay down here is, that ALL paint has a working time period, before its physical state undergoes a major change, and starts to set/cure/dry. If you can tune in to that state change, and always use a light touch, your brushed surfaces will improve very rapidly. Anything that dries quickly is going to be a major hurdle in this process - not insurmountable, but enough to keep you on your toes!


My work-flow has evolved towards Airbrush for Primer and base coats, but from there on it, its brushes all the way, switching from acrylics to oils. Keeps me happy, does a pretty good job, and will save me a fortune in the long run! Sorry to have gone on a bit, I'll get me coat...

[Ian M]

thanks guy's i am going to start my collection this week then. now i just need to find a good supplier of model colour in the uk

Look no further than the Scale-models shop. The green banner at the top of the page takes you there.


You will hard pressed to find better and faster service and at very good prices as well.


I know I push the shop as often as I can but it is with good grounds.


The owner of the shop, owns the forum and most importantly pays for it as well. So the best way we can thank him is to use the shop whenever you can.


If you place an order before he has made the run to the post office, you will be holding the parcel the next day! (99.9% of the time.) if you can't see what you need, send him a mail...


Ian M

[Guest]

I know we've been down this road before Laurie, but Dave wants a paint that can be used for both types of painting

But Patrick i thought he needed info on acrylics. o_O

Enamels Dave!

Laurie

[Guest]

either i still haven't decided on which to use yet i just need to find a cheap uk supplier i am waiting for an email reply from the scale model shop atm