Steve Noble

Aqueous is more or less the Gunze version of Tamiya X and XF series paints, so certainly more an acrylic in the common sense.. Myself, I sort of see four main paint types. 1: Enamels (Humbrol etc) 2: Acrylics (Tamiya, Gunze etc) 3: Lacquers (Mr Color, Tamiya TS aerosols etc) 4: Car paint (Zero, Gravity etc) These four types of paint are more or less what I use for all my model making needs. I use them according to what I'm painting and dependant on which one suits the job I'm doing best. I never stick to only one type of paint, as different paints have different levels of usefulness in a given situation. I find enamels hand brush very well, as do some of the acrylics. The Mr Color, Tamiya TS sprays and car paints all spray very well, are tough, polish easily and importantly dry very quickly. They suit me most for that reason alone, the dry time is very fast, so I can get more done quickly. Enamels on the other hand are slow drying, no good for when time is of the essence. But when I need to hand paint that small piece that I can't airbrush, they are the best for that purpose. I think if one limits himself to one brand/type of paint, then one limits himself as a modeller. Always experiment and use what works best for the job in hand..

B&Q Diall brush restorer...

Mr Color is the best fluorescent paint. Apply over a white primer/undercoat for best results. If you need it to be gloss, you'll have to apply clear, as it dries satin/Matt finish straight from the pot..

I wouldn't really say that Mr Color is an acrylic. It's a synthetic lacquer paint. More smelly than a traditional acrylic. I think most people seem to think of acrylics as water based, which Mr Color isn't. I've never tried to paint it with a brush, as I believe it's more of an airbrush only paint...

I'm surprised to hear that you're having difficulty with them sticking. I use a lot of model air paints that I airbrush straight onto bare plastic in many cases and they stick very well and don't come off at all. Same story when I spray them over a primer base..

For me it would be a near silent one when in operation. Able to make plenty of air so that you can spray away without fear of waiting for the air to catch up and also a storage tank on the compressor which helps with the air situation and smooth out the air flow. Also a good regulator and moisture trap are essential. On the hose side, a braided hose and quick connect fittings are a bonus.

Personally I've had little success using an airbrush for primer and prefer to use aerosols instead. However, one airbrush that proved better then most for priming was the GSI Creos Procon Boy SQ. 0.4mm tip, single action, very simple to use and clean and sprayed primer quite nicely. https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10411364

If the tape is pulling off your paint/primer etc, then it's either your preparation or your primer that's at fault. I've never had much success with modelling related primers that are airbrushed. I much prefer aerosol primer. Either Halfords, Tamiya or any Gunze/Mr Surfacer products. All three have worked well for me on all kit plastics and never pull off with tape (Tamiya) As stated already, I clean the parts and sand them with a sanding sponge/stick to prepare the surface for paint. For cleaning I use body shop panel wipe. Just wipe on and off and it evaporates to nothing leaving the surface ready for paint and contaminant free..

I've used Tamiya acrylics a lot over the years. They're not the toughest of finishes, but I've never had them rub off as easily as you describe. I usually use them on engine parts, interiors etc on car and bike kits. Never on body parts, where I use Mr Color lacquer or Zero paints. I don't think cleaning with alcohol will help adhesion as they are alcohol based paints. Also I never use a primer under them, just straight onto the bare plastic. If however you switch to Mr Color lacquer paints I can whole heartedly recommend them..

Just had another look at that Aldi compressor and it says it puts out 23 litres of air per minute. Actually this should be fine for most airbrushing. The airbrush looks similar to a Badger 150. I had one for many years before I switched to Tamiya, Iwata and Mr Hobby brushes. It was quite a decent brush, fairly reliable and did a pretty good job of spraying my models..

That Aldi one isn't so bad, but it runs out of air as it can't make it as fast as you use it. You will find yourself waiting whilst it catches up all the time with your spraying...

Always found brake fluid very poor. It strips the paint but as already stated it dries out the plastic and makes it brittle to the point where it can snap, but you already know that. Always used the isopropyl alcohol method and it's always worked very well, with no issues at all..

You may not get an exact equivelant paint match from TS to XF, X, or vice versa. But you can usually find something near. Decanting the TS works well, or just use the TS straight from the aerosol, no airbrush required. Also check out the new Tamiya LP range of lacquer paints in jars, ready to thin and spray through your airbrush, or Mr Color's paint range is excellent also...

Got to disagree with you I'm afraid. What you describe is 'solvent pop' Orange peel is caused when the paint is applied too dry and not wet enough and the paint doesn't flow out and melt together into one continuous layer. It dries before that happens. That's why Mr Color do a levelling thinner which basically contains a retarder to slow down the drying time. Other causes can be pressure related, wrong thinning, poor spraying technique, or applying excessive, heavy coats of paint. If you apply nothing but mist coats you will end up with a rough, dry and gloss less finish. You must apply wet finish coats to get a proper gloss finish. Again I stress, wet, not heavy. I used to work in the auto paint trade for nearly 10 years, so I have good knowledge of most paint applications.

It's the mist coats that give the orange peel texture as the paint goes on too dry. You can start out with mist/light coats at first to build up the colour, but you must apply a couple of wet finish coats in order for the paint to flow together and not leave an orange peel finish. That's wet by the way, not heavy, there is a difference between the two. Use white primer and sand really smooth before painting as well.