Paul A H Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Humbrol Acrylic Paint Humbrol Humbrol is a brand name synonymous with scale modelling. With a long and rich history in the hobby, there won’t be many British modellers who have never prised open a tin of their enamel paint, squeezed a tube of their polystyrene cement or dipped one of their paint brushes in a tin of their thinners. Their history is intertwined with that of another iconic brand too – Airfix. Humbrol have had a range of acrylic paints available alongside their long-standing enamel paint range for some time. Now that they have moved most of their manufacturing back to the UK, it seems a good time to take a look at some of them. Humbrol have sent a box containing a sample of acrylics in 14ml plastic pots. The following colours were inside: 9 – Tan (gloss) 12 – Copper (metallic) 18 – Orange (gloss) 20 – Crimson (gloss) 38 – Lime (gloss) 52 – Baltic Blue (metallic) 67 – Tank Grey (matt) 86 – Light Olive (matt) 94 – Brown Yellow (matt) 155 – Olive Drab (matt) 191 – Chrome Silver (metallic) 237 – Desert Tan (matt) 238 – Arrow Red (gloss) 239 – British Racing Green (gloss) Humbrol acrylics are water based, which makes them easy to use indoors where the odour of enamel paints and associated thinners can be a problem. The 12ml pots are nicely designed, and it’s possible to remove the screw-top lids and access the paints without spilling the contents everywhere. Once opened, they can be brush painted or airbrushed, and can be thinned with water or isopropyl alcohol. The paint is reasonably thick though, so a minute or so invested in stirring the contents will be well spent. I’m a fairly dedicated user of acrylic paints already, although Tamiya and Mr Colour are my favoured brands. That said, Tamiya’s range is far from comprehensive and Mr Colour is hard to get hold of in the UK, so I’m always open to the possibilities offered by different brands. I tried spraying this Humbrol acrylic with my Iwata Revolution airbrush, having thinned it with Tamiya’s X-20A thinner. I’m happy to report that it sprayed very nicely indeed, with good colour density and adhesion. I applied it to one of Airfix’s resin buildings, but I hope to try it on injection moulded plastic soon. Conclusion You can’t really fault Humbrol for the range of colours that they have available, particularly if, like me, you are used to thinking in Humbrol from a youth spend gluing Airfix kits together. They appear to spray and cover well too. Of course if you have Humbrol’s excellent work station (reviewed here), then these little pots will fit perfectly into that too. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 (edited) I have used these, but to be honest wasn't impressed by their covering power. They didn't brush at all well for me, but it is possible that because I hadn't primed the surface adequately they weren't 'taking'. Also, don't thin them with IPA... They react in a strange way and turn to a jelly. Or they did for me, anyway. Any chemists out there want to comment? I might have a go with Tamiya thinners, as I got a huge bottle in Hobbycraft for a fiver... Maybe thirty times cheaper than the dinky little bottles! Mike Edited December 18, 2012 by Chaotic Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter W Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I use them all of the time thinned with xtracrylix thinners and am always pleased with how they spray. Brush painting isn't as easy but still possible if thinned a touch. I'm glad that Humbrol have brought manufacturing back to the UK and hope that they will expand their acrylic range to include some of the enamel colours that really could do with being included. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy K Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Also, don't thin them with IPA... They react in a strange way and turn to a jelly. Or they did for me, anyway. Any chemists out there want to comment? I might have a go with Tamiya thinners, as I got a huge bottle in Hobbycraft for a fiver... Maybe thirty times cheaper than the dinky little bottles! Mike Tamiya thinner is IPA with maybe a smidge of flow enhancer or summat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcclure Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I really like Humbrol acrylics (I thin with water, enhanced with W&N flow improver) and would like to support a UK brand more often than I do but it seems that they have pretty poor market coverage and every LHS stocks Revell acrylics or Humbrol enamels. I know I can get it all online but I do like going to a shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephLalor Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I don't know if there's a new formulation to go with the twist-top packaging, but my memory of the paint in the older flip-top packaging was that coverage depended on the finish type. I was quite pleased with the coverage of the matt paints, a bit less so with that of the satin paints. That said, I like Humbrol's acrylics generally and use them quite a lot. They've a good broad range, and it should be possible I imagine to mix colours that aren't provided, e.g. Grigio Azurro Chiaro from 27 and 71. Joseph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 (edited) [Deleted due to error] Edited December 23, 2012 by Chaotic Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Well, I won't perform that little test then. Thanks for the heads-up! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumphfan Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Glad to see the screw top lids. I struggle with the flip tops on the Humbrol acrylic pots I have now. Where can I get IPA from in the UK? I still have about a litre left from the stuff I got from work about 10 years ago but I think it will dissapear fast if I start spraying acrylics. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Hi Steve I bought mine from an eBay seller for a very reasonable price. Season's greetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumphfan Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Hi Steve I bought mine from an eBay seller for a very reasonable price. Season's greetings. Thanks, never thought of looking at ebay ?? I'll pop in there and have a search now....... Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Thanks, never thought of looking at ebay ?? I'll pop in there and have a search now....... Steve. Good luck, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Glad to see the screw top lids. I struggle with the flip tops on the Humbrol acrylic pots I have now. Where can I get IPA from in the UK? I still have about a litre left from the stuff I got from work about 10 years ago but I think it will dissapear fast if I start spraying acrylics. Steve. I get mine from Maplins... It's used a lot in electronics for cleaning and ( I think) de-moisturising... Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Ditto Maplins, I still have half a can I bought five years back. One thing to bear in mind is that "acrylic" doesn't mean the same universal formula as, say, enamel. Some are water based, some alcohol and lacquer based. Some can be thinned with IPA, lacquer thinners, windshield washer and water, some won't. By and large the best solution is to stick to own brand thinners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaddy Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 I get mine from Maplins... It's used a lot in electronics for cleaning and ( I think) de-moisturising... Mike There online store only shows 400 ml and 1ltr aerosol cans. Do their stores stock it in ordinary cans? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Well, they did a couple of years back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Ditto Maplins, I still have half a can I bought five years back. One thing to bear in mind is that "acrylic" doesn't mean the same universal formula as, say, enamel. Some are water based, some alcohol and lacquer based. Some can be thinned with IPA, lacquer thinners, windshield washer and water, some won't. By and large the best solution is to stick to own brand thinners. This is excellent advice. I would like to add that "acrylic" does not mean non-toxic. You should use all precautions when painting as you would with traditional hobby paints. Read the labels! The warnings are there for a reason. All paints have three basic components: pigment, vehicle, and solvent. The pigment is what gives the paint its colour, the vehicle is what bonds to the pigment and sticks to the surface, and the solvent dissolves the vehicle and makes the paint liquid in the bottle. If a paint is advertised as "water-based" or "water soluable" it simply means that the solvent can be thinned with water, or the solvent is water. Traditionally, enamel paints have a petroleum based vehicle, and when applied, the vehicle undergoes a chemical reaction and "cures." Lacquer paints typically have a cellulose based vehicle, and the solvent evaporates when the paint dries. No chemical reaction occurs. "Acrylic" refers to different kinds of vehicle, not the solvent - an acrylic vehicle is typically a form of plastic itself. There are acrylic vehicles for enamels and there are acrylic vehicles for lacquers. The many acrylic vehicles that are available do not all have the same solvent, as Jonathan pointed out. Some can be thinned with water, others require a chemical solvent. It is therefore incorrect to refer to three "types" of hobby paint - enamel, lacquer, and acrylic. However, this is a common mistake repeated in many modelling magazines, etc. and by the manufacturers on their bottles and cans! There are acrylic enamels and acrylic lacquers, distinguished by having an acrylic vehicle and how they dry - curing for enamel and evaporation for lacquer. To add some confusion, the type of solvent (thinner) used is determined by the acrylic vehicle, not by whether the paint is an enamel or lacquer. This is a simplified synopsis - there is a lot of chemistry going on with all of the different formulations of paint that are available today. Cheers, Bill PS. By the way, can't you get isopropyl alcohol in an apothecary or drug store? I use 91% (reagent grade) isopropyl for thinning Gunze Aqueous, and I buy this at the drug store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Zombie thread resurrection time. I've just opened a brand new pot of their acrylic orange 209 for a Vampire I'm doing for the Made in GB group build. I took the plastic film off and reminded myself of the horror stories that BM'ers have had with with their paints. Too thin etc etc. It can't be that bad surely? Yes it can. 90% empty, most of what was left is solid (see the lid). There was a gnat's sneeze of glutinous goop in the bottom. Useless. As a brush painter, can anyone recommend either a Revell or Citadel equivalent as they are the most readily available to me locally. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 (edited) That's not a new pot (address on the side is when humbrol were in hull) they have since replaced them with a screw top which are much improved I use them for brush painting fine Edited April 7, 2016 by PhantomBigStu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Hmm. I bought the pot about a month ago Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 (edited) Old stocks, I brought this less than 2 weeks ago, note the address, this is the new tin, being one of the new rlm range only a year or two old Edited April 7, 2016 by PhantomBigStu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now