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Hi folks. I am thinking of getting a new Acrylic based varnish for my models and I am currently stuck between two. The first is Mission Models and I have seen their tutorials and they look great. The other that I have seen good reviews for is Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic varnishes. However, for the W&N Galeria Varnishes what would be the correct thinner to varnish ratio. I have read that they work with Tamiya X-20A Acrylic thinners and I have read that they should work with ultimate thinners too. Does anyone (preferably anyone who has used W&N) know the right ratio for the varnishes. Another point is that I am starting to use Tamiya Mark Fit Strong as a decal solution and I was wondering if it was safe to use Mark Fit Strong on top of either Mission Models varnish or W&N Galeria varnish. I have read that it should be safe, but I would like be sure before I try it out for real. (I could always use a test sample first.)

Hello fellow modellers (in the words of Plasmo) I have been trying for quite a while to achieve pencil-thick lines with Vallejo Model Air. Didn't manage so far. I have Harder Steenbeck and Olympos airbrushes. Always thinning with Vallejo Thinner with a couple of drops of Vallejo Flow Improver. I have thinned the paints in oh so many ratios, used all kinds of low pressure going PSI by PSI. I either get spider lines or thick atomization with chunks going all around. I am quite desperate. However, I am willing to continue my efforts as long as someone tells me that it is doable and that they achieved it themselves. I am interested only in Vallejos (and maybe MMP), not enamel- or lacquer-thinned paints (and that includes Tamiya, Mr. Hobby / Gunze). Thank you in advance.

Hi, looking to paint some RLM 65 on a FW Weihe I found a jar of Aeromaster [acrylic] French Light Blue Gray that would do the job nicely (matched against a Merrick-Kiroff chart). I would like to tint this with some white to reduce its intensity but am not sure what acrylic ranges are compatible: I have Vallejo, Tamiya, and Gunze whites to hand. Any ideas gratefully received. Cheers GrahamB

I have just finished my latest build (none since last year due to moving house) and my first Eduard build and it was great! I am by no means great at building but really enjoy it so I'm happy Painted with an airbrush with Tamiya acrylics, no weathering (as yet!) and decals/PE eduards own.

Hi All, I am very much a novice at airbrushing and learning has been a very steep curve for me. I am very pleased that I started on Tamiya Acrylics as they were/are very forgiving and meant that, for me, very little frustration with clogging and tip drying etc so that I could concentrate on technique. However, moving on, I find Tamiya's range of colours limiting, particularly when it comes to the RLM colours, so finding the Italeri Acrylic Luftwaffe set I was over the moon. After purchasing them my joy soon turned to frustration. I could not get them to airbrush nicely, constantly clogging and spitting, a real disaster! So I researched on the net and low and behold, from the little I found, I was really messing up using alcohol as a thinner (assuming it was the same as the Tamiya paint). So here is what I have learnt over what has been a number of months of pure frustration. 1. Never use alcohol to thin or clean your airbrush (if you clean it with alcohol make sure it is perfectly clean of any alcohol residue, even the smallest trace will cause your tip to block) 2. Some people say that they use windex or other window cleaner to thin the paint. I cannot say that I have had any luck with it and the tip either clogs or the paint dries on it. 3. Use distilled water to thin and clean your airbrush. As I mentioned the slightest contaminant will cause issues. (but you can use them without thinning. It looks really thick but seems to airbrush fine) 4. While not as forgiving as the alcohol based acrylics (and I would recommend absolute beginners to start with the likes of the Tamiya offerings because of this) once mastered they airbrush very nicely with next to no odour and very little aerosoling making them ideal for the home hobbyist. 5. They are not as robust as enamel or alcohol based paints so a good coat of varnish is a must before too much handling. Thanks for taking the time to read this and, of course, this is what worked for me. I hope that this can help others out there that may be struggling with these paints and cannot figure out why. Although I have never used Vallejo paints, I understand they are the same as the Italeri so the above should work equally well with them. Once again thanks for looking and any comments or tips are greatly appreciated. Shane