Steve Noble

I think the biggest mistakes when starting out are, paint too thick, pressure too low, spraying too far away from object, spraying dry coats instead of wet, but not too heavy. If you do all of the above with gloss paint or clear, you will get a rough surface. Gloss always needs to be applied wet in my opinion to get a good coverage and a good gloss finish. I've practised and practised over the years and found a way that works for me, but everyone is different and with such a choice of paint types available there is a lot to learn for a newbie to the hobby, so much so that it's a real minefield..

Yes, kind of. I apply the paint so it goes on wet, but not heavy. Too heavy and it will run and cause problems, too light it will be dry. It's all well and good applying mist coats to build up the colour. But too many mist coats can leave the surface dry and rough. I find if I apply wet coats from the start, but light wet coats, I still get good coverage but the paint is smoother and never dry or rough. On the final coats I do apply the paint very wet, but again not so heavy/wet that the paint runs or sags. It's a fine balance between wet and heavy, the magic moment just before it runs, but doesn't actually run, will give you the best gloss finish straight from the airbrush. Many people apply the paint just too dry and they end up with a rough surface and the dreaded orange peel texture..

If I'm using gloss paint such as Mr Color lacquer I don't do dozens of mist coats as I find the surface can be rough. I simply apply light, but wet coats of paint, it dries very fast anyhow, so there's no problem with it running or anything. I usually apply 3-4 wet coats, allow to dry, then a couple of final wet coats, a little heavier than my initial coats. Always works for me and leaves little work to do in the way of polishing. Usually a good shine/finish can be achieved straight from the airbrush.

No doubting that, I agree 100% 🙂

Beautiful build and photography, model looks stunning!!

Superb job on that, looks amazing!! 👍

The only one that interests me is the Renault 5 Maxi turbo, I've been after a kit of that forever. I can pass on the other two. I'm struggling with the Metro 6R4, I'd really like to build three. Jimmy McRae's Rothmans, Tony Ponds Computer Vision and the Belga of Marc Duez, but at £50-£60 each it may be just one I can buy. At the moment I'm swaying towards the Rothmans version, but the other two are just as nice...

Looks excellent, nice masking and a decent match with the red to the decals 👍

Quite a variation in price for the Metro kits. I've seen them at full retail £59.99 and as low as £45. Belkits have also just announced the Renault Clio Maxi, Megane Maxi and R5 Maxi Turbo..

Why not just spray another coat on from the can? Or you mean it's chipped and you want to touch it up? As above, spray some into a pot and use a fine brush for touch-up purposes..

He has said that he'll only make models of cars that he personally likes and not just one's that will be popular seller's. I admire the fact that they are turning out the kits at the rate of 1 per month, it's astounding, remember they're only a small company compared to the likes of Tamiya etc. But for me the scale, at 1/12th is just too large, I have no room for display and the cost of these 'big scale' models is too expensive to justify. I can have a fair few 1/24 or 1/20 scale kits for one of these monsters..

The Zero red would be my choice, but I've never used Vallejo primer, I'm not sure if Zero will eat into it, as it's quite a 'hot' paint? I always use Tamiya aerosol primer or Halfords primer under Zero paints with no issues.

Can't remember the last time I bought a model magazine. I stopped buying Tamiya magazine when they brought out separate magazines for military and aircraft, then persisted in filling the normal Tamiya magazine with military and aircraft articles and very few car related articles. When I wrote to them to ask why there were so few car related articles, bearing in mind they now had separate magazines for military and aircraft, I was politely told to mind my own business and they'd put whatever they wanted in their magazines because very few people are interested in model cars. That was when I stopped buying it and never bought it since...

You could use some micro-mesh, however it may destroy the satin finish and shine it up a little. It won't be gloss, obviously, but it may not be the satin finish that you sprayed originally. If it's a rough finish I would rub it down with wet and dry and respray it. With satin black you need to apply wet coats to get a smooth surface. Anything dry will leave it rough to the touch.

Looks very good. The decals went on well. I have this kit and I plan to paint the red areas. Mr Color Shine Red is a pretty good match for the decals.

To recommend an exact shade and it be the exact shade you're looking for and it's premixed in a pot on the shelf, well there's just too many variables. What are you painting with it? If it's a specific colour for a specific model then something may exist already in one of the ranges you mention...

I don't use it anymore. Last time I used it was a few years ago and I had that slow drying experience with it. Same with Gunze Aqueous which is a similar product, takes ages to dry properly. It dries, but to fully cure it takes longer. I switched to lacquer paints and clear now, which suits my needs and dries a lot quicker and a lot harder 🙂

Two days is very little drying time for X-22. I've left it a month and it's still marked when handled and left fingerprints everywhere. It is seriously soft stuff and very slow curing..

You could have painted it with gloss black and then decals and matt at the end to save a step..

Crystal clear thanks. But the original poster asked a simple question, "Can I spray Tamiya X series paints over the top of Vallejo Model Air paints?" That was the question I answered, yes, you can, I've done the same with no problems whatsoever. He was never asking about mixing them, simply spraying one over the other 😉

I think the problem is the paint (red) was too thick and not properly dry when you sprayed the clear over the top of it. It continued to dry, causing shrinkage, which resulted in the clear cracking, hence the cracks. Strip it and repaint. If you use the same paint let it dry for some extra time before clear coating it.

Enamel thinner is too strong and can mark TS spray paint. As suggested, use white spirit/turpentine which is much easier on the paint, or use a water based wash for the panel lines.

I think you're asking if you can spray Tamiya X series acrylics over Vallejo Model Air? Yes, I've done it myself on several occasions with absolutely no problems whatsoever. Also, I wouldn't class Tamiya X series paints as lacquer based. They are not the same as Vallejo, as they smell very different, but they're not lacquer in my opinion, more of an alcohol type. To me there are enamels, acrylics, lacquers and auto/car paints. That's the basic way I categorise paints. Hottest are car paints, followed by lacquers, then enamels and lastly acrylics.

Looks brilliant!! Fantastic work throughout, it was a pleasure to watch your w.i.p and see the finished model come alive!!

Tamiya X-22 is not known for it's hardness, in fact it's quite soft and takes an age to dry properly. I wouldn't risk an enamel or solvent type wash over it myself unless it was really well cured.