How to achieve FS colors with Tamiya acrylics

[Stalker6Recon]

Hello everyone, I am very new here to this site, and a former modeler with a very long time gap to my last build. I live in the Philippines, so finding supplies is a huge pain in the rear end. I have one seller that I have found that has basic stuff, and some of the XF paints by Tamiya, really nothing else in acrylics, so I have been stuck with their paint so far. I don't believe they sell match FS paint, and I was wondering if they are matched, or if I will have to do my own mixing based on some chart that I have yet to find? Does Tamiya have FS colors in their XF line of paint? If so, do they label them as FS, or do you just have to find the conversion when building a NON Tamiya aircraft? I have several kits from other makers, like Hasegawa and Hobby Boss, and I would like to get the correct colors for all these, using the Tamiya paint available to me. The guy that sells the paints, is located far from me, and I have to get the paint shipped, which is another hassle. Is there better, ready made FS acrylics, and if so, which brands do you favor? What are the primary colors that you MUST have all the time? I will be doing kits for all 5 branches of service, before I move into other era/nation kits, so my focus will be modern US aircraft for the foreseeable future, and I need to get the paint right before I can even consider building them. I have a bunch of XF colors already, and will make a list of them, before I order more paints to fill in the gaps. I am on a fixed income, so I need to try to get the most out of every dollar I spend.

 

Also, I have tried to search for FS information on this site, but have had no real luck, just gives me posts to individual projects and nothing really about FS and Tamiya paints. Any help would be hugely appreciated.

 

Sincerely, Anthony "stalker6recon".

[PhantomBigStu]

Your find most brands aren't matches for Fs colours just close approximations, which Tamiya unfortunatly don't do most colours, however there are plenty of others brands out there that do, not being from your part of the world I don't know what ones you can get.

Edited October 24, 2017 by PhantomBigStu

[1903flight]

Have you tried this site:

 

http://www.paint4models.com/

 

You will need flash enable on your browser, but once you are in, you can enter the FS number (tip - I normally drop off the 3 number indicating the finish type (Matt, 'Satin' or Gloss) when I search).  You can select which paint supplier you want to see the results for - ensure that you have FS595 ticked.  If there is a match for the selected company, then it should appear.

 

Should be a good staring point.

 

you can also search the other way around - enter the the code of the paint, e.g XF24 and the FS number will be shown in the results - 36118. 

[Stalker6Recon]

Thanks for the fast response guys, I did find that "paint4models", and I am right now going thru a chart to see which paints in my stash already match up with FS colors, not that many unfortunately. Most of the Tamiya FS colors are spray type. The buyer that I found in HK has vellajo paints, so I am looking at charts to find out which ones have FS matches. It is pretty frustrating really, most of the FS colors are available, but from a lot of different sources. I would think that one of these bigger companies would just focus on an entire FS line, I am sure that they would be very successful if they did so. Is there a copyright infringement if the call their color FS? With all the military models out there, it seems like an obvious thing to do.

 

I guess I should open all of my kits, and get a list of the paints required, then see what I have, and what I need. This is time consuming, and a pain in the bottom. If I had a store that I could just stop by and grab what I need, it would not be such a big thing, but since all my paints must be shipped, I have to do a lot more work ahead of time, before I can even begin a project.

 

Oh well, I will crack open the kits that I am doing, and get back with your on the proper/close Tamiya color that I can use.

 

Just to let you know a bit of what I have in my stash, I am going to do two versions of the F-15, 2 versions for the F-18 Super Hornet, AH-64 Long Bow, MH-6 with resin upgrade, AH-60L, A-10 from HobbyBoss (olive drab) I might change that too a Grey color scheme, if I can find decals to match. I have the V-22 on order, and I am looking at the F-16 fighting falcon, F-22 and F-35.

 

Here is a good question to ask. What are the "must have in your stock" colors that you never ever allow yourself to run out of? That would be a smart move as well, having all those primary colors that you use on every aircraft, no matter what maker/model that you are building. I remember that older planes has "zinc oxide yellow" in their wheel wells, is that still true, and does that apply to newer aircraft?

 

Thanks again guys, you are really a big help to me. Sincerely, Anthony "stalker6recon"

[AntPhillips]

Take a look at the link below, it has lots of mixes for FS and other colours using the Tamiya paint range:

 

http://ipmsrealcote.pro-forums.org/t832-tamiya-mixes-for-some-fs-colors-full-up-to-date-list-in-english 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Ant (short for Anthony too)

[Giorgio N]

I'd suggesy trying to find a supplier with Gunze paints, these cover all the main FS colours used on US types. Don't know about the Philippines but Gunze paints seem to be reletively easy to find in Asia.

 Gunze paints are similar to Tamiya in use but IMHO they are of a better quality.

If you prefer enamels, then maybe some shop stocks the Testors Model Master line, they also have all the main FS colours needed and they are very good.

Vallejo paints are great, but their FS matches are IMHO not great and I prefer to try them rather than trusting what they say on the bottle. The Italeri paint, if you can find them, are better from this point of view, they don't have all the FS paints but have more than Tamiya. Quality wise they are the same as Vallejo, mainly because Vallejo makes them for Italeri...

[NealParkes]

This really useful chart from IPMS Stockholm may help you.

 

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/stuff_eng_colorcharts_fs.htm

[k5054nz]

Neal's posted the link I was going to suggest. It's my FS bible and I have a printed copy at The Bench, along with various brand conversion charts.

 

The mix list Ant shared is very useful too (I've only started trying mixes recently).

[Stalker6Recon]

Thanks for the fast response guys, I have bookmarked both of those pages. At the moment, they look like sandscript to me, but I am sure that I can figure it out.

 

I did find a paint in a store in Manila, called "Life Color", and they are FS shades in acrylic, I bought a couple of bottle while I was there, but did not know if they were actually colors I will need. They are "light ghost grey" and "medium ghost grey", which if memory serves, is one of the most used colors for Navy/Marine aircraft. Have any of you heard of this brand? It seems to be pretty thin already, and looks like it will spray very well out of the bottle, but I don't want to start spraying a kit until I know that this stuff will work, and I am not sure what the best way to test it would be, I don't have any spare kits to shoot, just for giggles. Any advice?

 

Also, this just popped in my head. I bought a Paasch (sp) airbrush on amazon. Then I bought a compressor/airbrush kit as well. The kit came with a simple compressor that I have seen a thousand times, all look the same, only a different brand plate is attached. The kit included 3 airbrushes as well, two double action and one single action. Here is the kicker, the paasch (arguably the better of the airbrushes) appears to use a propriety size hose couple that does not fit the compressor, and the hoses that match the three airbrushes do not match the size of the paasch airbrush. Is there a quick fix for this? A coupler that I can replace on the airbrush to fit the standard hose in the kit, so I am able to use any/all of the airbrushes without having to change the couple size when ever I want to switch out brushes? 

 

I know that I am probably a pain in the bottom, but you guys have probably forgotten more advice, than I will ever be able to learn. I yield to your expertise, and only hope to come close to the kids you guys produce.

 

Thanks again to all, for all the help. Sincerely, Anthony "stalker6recon". My screen name was my radio call-sign in the army, they have such clever names, scary too. I just could not let it go.

 

***EDIT***

 

Hey guys, I just found a link back to our website with a detailed review/overview of LifeColor, the proper way to write it. It looks REALLY GOOD and appears to have more FS colors than any other brand of paint that I have seen so far. I found a seller online with seemingly decent prices, if they will ship to the Philippines, that is another question. The website that carries the paints, is "BNA model world". I will be emailing them, to see if they ship to the Philippines. If you guys have any experience with these paints, please let me know.

 

One other question I forget to ask above, is what are the pressure ranges I should be shooting Tamiya with? I thought it was 20psi, but then I have heard others say 12psi. Little bit confused on that regard. Thanks again. My research is taking me ALL over the place, but that is ok, more information is ALWAYS better than not enough.

Edited October 27, 2017 by Stalker6Recon

[Giorgio N]

Lifecolor is an Italian paint brand, they were among the first to offer water soluble acrylic paints for the modelling community and while their initial efforts were not really the best, the company has grown and their paints are now very good, while the range they offer is amazing. I met a company rep a few weeks ago at a show and said they are going to increase the range even farther, also moving into pigments and other products.

I use these paints very often, partly because I can easily find them locally and partly because of the wide range. Let's start saying that most Lifecolor paints carry an FS code, not all matches are accurate though. Generally the paints meant for US modern aircraft are quite good, apart from FS 36231 that is IMHO a tad dark. Their RAF colours on the other hand are not all that good in terms of accuracy. Best way to know is ask here. The two ghost greys are quite good and I love their FS 36440.

These paints used to be very good for brushpainting, latest ones seem to be thinned a bit more than in the past, so it takes more coats to get a good finish. At the same time they are now almost perfect to throw in an airbrush directly... well, almost, I'd still thin them a bit more for this use. Adding a couple of drops of retardant for acrylics in the mix is IMHO recommended, these paints can dry on the tip of the airbrush while spraying, so clogging the nozzle. I always have with me a wet brush to clean the needle while spraying if needed (not sure if airbrush professionals like the method but works for me)

 

The question "what is the best pressure" is one I personally struggle to answer to.. the real answer is that it depends, as depends on a number of things, for example how thin is the paint you're spraying. With the kind of mix I use, I generally spray at around 14 psi, if I get the mix a bit too thin i drop toward 12 but if the mix is a bit too dense I up to 16-18. I always prepare my own mix, with a few exceptions (Vallejo Air and certain metallics), I'd never use Tamiya straight into the airbrush

 

Adaptors for all standard aibrush hose sizes are available in pretty much every guise, I'd check the web for a local dealer and ask them. Your problem is common and an adaptor will solve this: my H&S brush for example has a different thread from the one coming on the compressor hose, I simply bought the right adaptor and I'm leaving this on the airbrush all the time. Cost for this kind of adaptors is in the few £/€/$, so nothing to worry about

[Stalker6Recon]

12 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

Lifecolor is an Italian paint brand, they were among the first to offer water soluble acrylic paints for the modelling community and while their initial efforts were not really the best, the company has grown and their paints are now very good, while the range they offer is amazing. I met a company rep a few weeks ago at a show and said they are going to increase the range even farther, also moving into pigments and other products.

I use these paints very often, partly because I can easily find them locally and partly because of the wide range. Let's start saying that most Lifecolor paints carry an FS code, not all matches are accurate though. Generally the paints meant for US modern aircraft are quite good, apart from FS 36231 that is IMHO a tad dark. Their RAF colours on the other hand are not all that good in terms of accuracy. Best way to know is ask here. The two ghost greys are quite good and I love their FS 36440.

These paints used to be very good for brushpainting, latest ones seem to be thinned a bit more than in the past, so it takes more coats to get a good finish. At the same time they are now almost perfect to throw in an airbrush directly... well, almost, I'd still thin them a bit more for this use. Adding a couple of drops of retardant for acrylics in the mix is IMHO recommended, these paints can dry on the tip of the airbrush while spraying, so clogging the nozzle. I always have with me a wet brush to clean the needle while spraying if needed (not sure if airbrush professionals like the method but works for me)

 

The question "what is the best pressure" is one I personally struggle to answer to.. the real answer is that it depends, as depends on a number of things, for example how thin is the paint you're spraying. With the kind of mix I use, I generally spray at around 14 psi, if I get the mix a bit too thin i drop toward 12 but if the mix is a bit too dense I up to 16-18. I always prepare my own mix, with a few exceptions (Vallejo Air and certain metallics), I'd never use Tamiya straight into the airbrush

 

Adaptors for all standard aibrush hose sizes are available in pretty much every guise, I'd check the web for a local dealer and ask them. Your problem is common and an adaptor will solve this: my H&S brush for example has a different thread from the one coming on the compressor hose, I simply bought the right adaptor and I'm leaving this on the airbrush all the time. Cost for this kind of adaptors is in the few £/€/$, so nothing to worry about

Wow, what an awesome reply, lots of very good information. I did read about somewhere about LifeColor not being so good, but that was more than a decade ago, when I searched more about it, I have found much more positive reviews as the time gets closer to present, which is a good thing. I found one dealer in the Philippines that carries their products, but not in the numbers I would like to see. I had bought 5 bottles the last time I was in their store, more than a year ago. I finally opened one of the bottles to see if they were still ok after such a long time sitting in a box. They were very thin, but the color/pigment at the bottom, but appears to have mixed fully again, which is a good thing. The paint does seem really thin, and it sounds like that is how they are making their paints, at a near "airbrush" ready paint. That is guess is good or bad, depending on your situation. For me, I would rather thin paint, which will extend the life of one of the tiny bottles they come in. I made my own bed, and must sleep in it. I choose to live in the Philippines, and have to make due with what they have. Looking through one of the FS charts that includes LifeColor paints, they seem to have the largest selection of FS paints than any other company I have seen. I am also frustrated by Tamiya paints, which apparently someone has linked one paint color as multiple FS colors at the same time. Not sure how that works, seems weird to me. I have probably 30 bottles of Tamiya paint, also bought from that same store where I got the LifeColor.

 

I just made a list of my kits, and now I will go thru them all, to get as many of the FS numbers as I can find, so I can then find out where to order them online. My other issue is with a few of my kits, having been opened or just so old, the decals are so yellow, probably brittle as well, absolutely useless. So now I am trying to hunt down some decal replacements for the kits that I have. This is another bump in the road before I can start building. Once I get the colors I need for the AH/MH-6 Little bird, and the UH-60L Blackhawk, I am going to start there, doing both as SOAR aircraft, all black, will make things a LOT easier on me, while getting back into the hobby. I of course have a picture in my head, of how I want these kits to look, and only hope that I can get close to that vision.

 

There are so many people on here, with so much skill, I am very envious of their work. I have never used weathering products before, and will be attempting these washes for the first time as well. I ordered a Hasegawa F-18F in 1/48 scale from Japan. They shipped it with very little protection, and a lot of parts broke from their trees, including the canopy. I sent them pictures of how I received it, and they sent a replacement kit. Now I have 2 kits of the same aircraft, not exactly what I wanted, but I won't complain. I am hoping to convert one of the aircraft into either the E model, or the G model, if I can find the right parts/decals. I don't think I will have the same "that is not the right intake/gear/tyre/color" standards as some people have, and I will be happy if the kit looks good, but I do care about accuracy when I know something it NOT the way it should be.

 

I also bought the Hasegawa F-15E, but everything I have read about this kit, is that it does NOT make an F-15E at all, and was apparently based on a mock-up of an F-15C before the E program was approved. I was very disappointed to find out it was not a real E model kit, and I have to work extra hard to figure out which kit it will build, and need to find the right decals for that as well. I guess I kind of dug myself into a bit of a hole, when I started buying these things impulse from a store that I only visit, once a year. I am sure that others have run into this kit, and either built it as designed by Hasegawa, or became upset about the unrealistic kit, and converted it to the proper model it represents. I will do some research when this kit is table ready.

 

I emailed that store, and they gave me a list of the FS colors they have from LifeColor, and I will probably be snapping them up, even though the price is way higher than it would be if I was back home. I know, my fault for living here. The import taxes are ridiculous, and even at the high prices I will pay, they still have a very low profit margin for the retailer, so I can't blame them for the high prices. I only started buying on ebay recently, and so far, I have not lost any kits or tools that I have purchased via ebay, and I will continue to buy that way for now.

 

I did find a dealer in Hong Kong, that sells Tamiya paints in the larger 23ml bottle, for less than what I pay locally for the small 10ml bottle. I was shocked at how low the prices are, and he has thousands of positive reviews, so I can only guess that the products are real. I even started a post about his store, cause the prices seem so good, other might want to order from him as well. I wonder if I should just stock up on the Tamiya paints from the guy in Hong Kong, based on the unbelievable prices, and just learn how to mix them to the FS colors I can't find in LifeColor?

 

I know that was a lot of information to chew on, but I really would love to get more feedback, especially about the Tamiya paints available at such great prices, whether I should stock up on them, while I can? Thanks again for so much input, and if I may, I would like to pick your brain again before I begin actually building my first kit.

 

Thanks again, sincerely, Anthony "stalker6recon" D'Agostino

[Stalker6Recon]

Ok guys, here is a "buy" list from the dealer I found that has very good prices. These are the items in my cart. Remember, I am starting from scratch. If you have the time, can you look over my list and tell me if any of these items should be removed, or if I am missing anything. I don't want to get hit by a bunch of shipping charges, so I am trying to get as much as I can in one bulk order.

 

		Mr.Hobby MS232 Mr. Mark Setter	US $2.30		US $2.30
×		Tamiya 87132 Panel Line Accent Color - Brown	US $2.80		US $2.80
×		Tamiya 87131 Panel Line Accent Color - Black	US $2.80		US $2.80
×		Tamiya 87133 Panel Line Accent Color - Gray	US $2.80		US $2.80
×		Tamiya 87140 Panel Line Accent Color Dark Brown 40ml	US $2.80		US $2.80
×		Tamiya 87176 Decal Adhesive	US $2.30		US $2.30
×		Tamiya 87086 Weathering Stick - Sand	US $2.30		US $2.30
×		Tamiya 87102 Mark Fit Finishing Materials Series 40ml	US $2.00		US $6.00
×		Tamiya 74094 Photo-Etched Craft Saw	US $5.50		US $5.50
×		Tamiya 89204 MP-04 Black Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89205 MP-5 Yellow Paint Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89207 MP-07 Silver Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89208 MP-08 Gold Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89209 MP-9 Flu.Red Paint Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89002 X-2 White Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89011 X-11 Chrome Silver Enamel Paint Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89007 X-7 Red Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89012 Marker X-12 Gold Paint Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89301 XF-1 Flat Black Paint Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 89001 Marker X-1 Enamel Black Paint Marker	US $2.00		US $2.00
×		Tamiya 87095 Putty White Tube for Plastic Models	US $2.30		US $4.60
×		Tamiya 87139 Model Paints & Finishes CA Cement (Stong) Net 3g	US $3.20		US $6.40
×		Tamiya 87035 Masking Tape 18mm	US $1.90		US $3.80
×		Tamiya 87038 Extra Thin Cement 40ml For Plastic Model Kits	US $2.80		US $5.60
×		Tamiya 87114 Paint Retarder (Acrylic) 40ml	US $2.30		US $2.30
×		Tamiya 87135 Mark Fit (Strong)	US $1.90		US $1.90
×		Tamiya 25163 1/48 v-22 oaprey with jp marking	US $34             Thanks in advance for you help on this list. Sincerely, Anthony "stalker6recon"

[Phantome]

Having extensive experience with nearly every paint brand in acrylic I will say only this: NO brand has 100% accurate colors. None.

 

It's a matter of trial and error, and yes, it's expensive to buy tins that end up being of no use.

 

Because of its spray qualities I use Gunze for nearly all US/RAF aircraft unless the color is unavailable (RAF Ocean Grey), or completely off (FS 36118). I use Tamiya for generic colors or in the rare case that it matches a real one as I think their coverage is the best (Tamiya white and yellow are godsends). I also use them for clears including Tamiya smoke for post-shading. Vallejo for interiors and sometimes for tanks as they have a good range and brush well, which is needed for touch-ups. Finally, Akan for Russian colors which are notably absent from other ranges.

 

I may start using Lifecolor as they are the only ones that do French colors. I have not had good experience with their lighter colors though, finding them an absolute pain to cover nicely, but their darker ones were less problematic.

 

 

Edited November 3, 2017 by Phantome

[Stalker6Recon]

38 minutes ago, Phantome said:

Having extensive experience with nearly every paint brand in acrylic I will say only this: NO brand has 100% accurate colors. None.

 

It's a matter of trial and error, and yes, it's expensive to buy tins that end up being of no use.

 

Because of its spray qualities I use Gunze for nearly all US/RAF aircraft unless the color is unavailable (RAF Ocean Grey), or completely off (FS 36118). I use Tamiya for generic colors or in the rare case that it matches a real one as I think their coverage is the best (Tamiya white and yellow are godsends). I also use them for clears including Tamiya smoke for post-shading. Vallejo for interiors and sometimes for tanks as they have a good range and brush well, which is needed for touch-ups. Finally, Akan for Russian colors which are notably absent from other ranges.

 

I may start using Lifecolor as they are the only ones that do French colors. I have not had good experience with their lighter colors though, finding them an absolute pain to cover nicely, but their darker ones were less problematic.

 

 

My issue is just availability  of any paints in the Philippines. I did send a message directly to LifeColor, and they have been exceptional in their reply to me, asking me to gather a list of colors I need, and offering me some form of discount as yet disclosed, but I was grateful for the offer. I have written down all the kits I have currently, and the ones I have on order/shipping at the moment, so I can try to figure out what colors I will actually need. As a new/old modeler, I will need to rely on getting FS colors for now, until I can become comfortable with mixing my own color to achieve the proper FS shade, which can't be easy. There are lots of problems I foresee, such as my monitor may not be tuned to show colors in their actual hue. How to know that the color I am looking at in a picture, is actually correct in the first place? This is why I desire pre-made FS. They may not be accurate, but I am not going to be extraordinarily picky about this, the models are for my pleasure only, and won't be sold/shown beyond the pictures I post here.

 

With all that said, does this list seem like a good start to having the tools/colors one needs for military modeling? Is there anything in the list that I can ditch, and is there any items that are "must haves" which I did not put into my cart?

 

Thanks for the feedback, I really do appreciate all the help you guys are giving me, more of a "moral support" as much as it is advice. Sincerely, Anthony "stalker6recon"

[Giorgio N]

Checking yout list made me realise that even if I've been enjoying the hobby for some 30+years, I've never bought some of the articles in your cart...

It's all useful stuff, just be aware that some will see much more use than others. Markers for example are really useful in only a few situations. I often use a red one for the edges of wheel wells doors on US Navy types, sometime I use a black one for a few bits and a silver one for the edges on the wheels on some types. I've also used a white one a few times, but that's it. I would recommend to only use  paint based markers, ink based ones are not as good and their inks can actually go through overlying paint, with some bad effects.I don't know however how Tamiya ones behave.

 

 

 

[Stalker6Recon]

On 11/4/2017 at 12:50 AM, Giorgio N said:

Checking yout list made me realise that even if I've been enjoying the hobby for some 30+years, I've never bought some of the articles in your cart...

It's all useful stuff, just be aware that some will see much more use than others. Markers for example are really useful in only a few situations. I often use a red one for the edges of wheel wells doors on US Navy types, sometime I use a black one for a few bits and a silver one for the edges on the wheels on some types. I've also used a white one a few times, but that's it. I would recommend to only use  paint based markers, ink based ones are not as good and their inks can actually go through overlying paint, with some bad effects.I don't know however how Tamiya ones behave.

 

 

 

Thanks for that feedback. I was specifically looking at the red marker because I read on one of the posts here, how they used that to line the bay doors, same as you. Seemed like a pretty smart thing to do. As you said, it is not clear how well the Tamiya markers fare either. Bit off topic, when I moved to the Philippines, I brought with me (not sure why) a sharpie marker that I had already owned for more than a few years. I guess I figured that they would hard to find here. Anyway, today, TEN YEARS since I moved here, that marker remains in my kitchen drawer and still works perfectly. I hope that the Tamiya markers are the same. I will probably eliminate a few of the markers that I may never use, but I will keep the red/black and maybe silver.

 

I have never done weathering of any kind before, and when I saw all these different panel line accent colors, I went a bit nuts. Are those something you actually need or save time, or is it just as easy to thin out your regular paints to create the desired effects?

 

Again, thanks for letting me pick your brain, you have probably forgotten more skills in modeling than I will be able to learn with the rest of my life ahead of me......Anthony

[Phantome]

I'm a relatively experienced modeller and never felt the need to use markers. Perhaps a red one makes sense for some gear door linings (basically only USN birds) but that's it, seems like half your budget is being blown on markers which is a bit overkill. I really don't understand what you'll be using them for.

 

Not sure why you also need so many panel line colors. A dark grey is suitable for 90% of all aircraft (and perhaps a black for interiors). You will rarely need browns for aircraft.

 

Paint retarder is not 100% necessary unless you're airbrushing really small details freestyle (like mottling on Luftwaffe aircraft in 1/72 scale), nor are the photo-etch saws unless you already know what you're going to use them for. Same with decal adhesive. What's the point if you're going to be building new kits? You have an Italeri kit in your cart and Italian decals are among the best in the business.

Edited November 4, 2017 by Phantome

[Stalker6Recon]

5 hours ago, Phantome said:

I'm a relatively experienced modeller and never felt the need to use markers. Perhaps a red one makes sense for some gear door linings (basically only USN birds) but that's it, seems like half your budget is being blown on markers which is a bit overkill. I really don't understand what you'll be using them for.

 

Not sure why you also need so many panel line colors. A dark grey is suitable for 90% of all aircraft (and perhaps a black for interiors). You will rarely need browns for aircraft.

 

Paint retarder is not 100% necessary unless you're airbrushing really small details freestyle (like mottling on Luftwaffe aircraft in 1/72 scale), nor are the photo-etch saws unless you already know what you're going to use them for. Same with decal adhesive. What's the point if you're going to be building new kits? You have an Italeri kit in your cart and Italian decals are among the best in the business.

Thanks for the advice, and after having the good feedback, I am definitely cut down on the markers. As I had said previously, I have been out of the game for more than 20 years, a lot has changed. I already have several resin parts either on hand, or on the way, which is why I wanted to buy the saw kit. Plus, I need something that I can control while doing panel lines. These are techniques I have never done before, the tools have changed so much, and everything that I have looked at, I double check on Amazon to read the feedback. This saw set has very good ratings from a lot of people. Once thing I have learned in my years, always use the right tool for the job.

 

I will also cut the number of panel line accents. Really for two reason, one as you stated, and the other, I have watched enough videos to see that you can use very thin paint to achieve the same results. I will revamp my cart and try again. What do you guys think about these prices? They seem very low for the items when compared to Amazon US. Which is what I base them on. The are 2/3s or even half the price that I have found on Amazon.com.

 

The other items you mention, are the decal adhesive, which I was buying based on my previous experience of having the film show and/or silvering. Some of the kits I have bought, have bad decals, old, yellow, can't use them. Others have bad ratings, as either too thick, or too brittle. I have been buying aftermarket decals to get more of what I want as far as designs go. I already have a decal setter in my stash, and from the reviews of the adhesive, it seemed like a good fit. I think I will keep that one, just be safe than sorry. At such a good price, I can't see a real reason not to include that in my list. I was planning to buy Tamiya paints from this site as well, when I figured out what I needed.

 

Any advice on the "weathering sticks"? I do plan to do armor after I finish my current stash of aircraft, and figured while I was making the purchase, I would pick those up as well. They are not available in the Philippines, even if they are, they will be more than double the price, if I am lucky. Usually the prices here are double, triple what they are elsewhere. It sucks, but the Philippines is very protective of their own manufacturers, and even if there is not competition, they still over tax imports at nearly 100%, which creates the extremely high prices.

 

Thanks again guys, you are going to help me put more money into kits and less into materials, which is always what you want in the end.

[Harold55]

I realize this is an old post but thought I would add something for the next browser.  I have found the website Scalemates.com to be extremely useful.  They have a database of most every kit and most often they have the instructions you can download.  Tamiya for example has numerous US aircraft in they range in various scales and they have paint references to their colors.  Some are mix ratios but they work great.  Some other manufacturers also have Tamiya references in their instructions and other brands of paint also.  It works as a pretty good reference.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Harold55