The last time I bought modelling paint was in 1987

[neilfergylee]

Good evening.  I am returning to modelling and suspect that the Stork Margarine tub hiding in my garage containing paints purchased in the early 1980s had probably had it, so it's time for me to re-stock.  I do remember buying the very first Tamiya acrylics back in 1981/2 and at the time, those of us punters in the Manchester Model Shop (happy days) were looking at them like prehistoric man looking at an iPhone.

 

I am thinking to building my base collection using Humbrol acrylics.  Logic: Humbrol is probably the easy default brand and it's supporting good old Hornby, and acrylic because it's a darned sight easier to clean than enamels.

 

Am I being silly?  I know that I shall be adding to my paint collection over time and see options with Tamiya, Vallejo etc. but am I being too doctrinaire by trying to stick with acrylics?

 

I'm really interested to learn.

 

Kind regards,

 

Neil

[Panzer Vor!!!]

Colourcoats Enamel

Sovereign Hobbies  on here sell them

Brush or spray great

Good range of colours

Top class paint

[neilfergylee]

Just now, Panzer Vor!!! said:

 

Give them a go  on here

Brush or spray great

Good range of colours

Top class paint

Thank you - I'm off to a good start!

[M1ks]

29 minutes ago, neilfergylee said:

Good evening.  I am returning to modelling and suspect that the Stork Margarine tub hiding in my garage containing paints purchased in the early 1980s had probably had it, so it's time for me to re-stock.  I do remember buying the very first Tamiya acrylics back in 1981/2 and at the time, those of us punters in the Manchester Model Shop (happy days) were looking at them like prehistoric man looking at an iPhone.

 

I am thinking to building my base collection using Humbrol acrylics.  Logic: Humbrol is probably the easy default brand and it's supporting good old Hornby, and acrylic because it's a darned sight easier to clean than enamels.

 

Am I being silly?  I know that I shall be adding to my paint collection over time and see options with Tamiya, Vallejo etc. but am I being too doctrinaire by trying to stick with acrylics?

 

I'm really interested to learn.

 

Kind regards,

 

Neil

If they're enamels, check them, you'd be surprised, I have tinlets of enamel paint older than me.
Re recommended acrylics, I wouldn't recommend any, they all have more faults than benefits.
Vallejo aren't bad though and Citadel, (Games Workshop), brush well.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

2 hours ago, neilfergylee said:

  I do remember buying the very first Tamiya acrylics back in 1981/2 and at the time, those of us punters in the Manchester Model Shop (happy days) were looking at them like prehistoric man looking at an iPhone.

I love this statement it reminds me of certain modeling discoveries. 

[Nigel Heath]

I agree with M1ks, if the lids are well sealed they should be fine. My go to paints are Mr Color lacquers or aqueous, they dry quickly and are very tough. Probably more suited to airbrushing than brush though. Vallejo are good for brushing although I have experienced adhesion problems with them and no longer use them.

[Beardie]

I am a dinosaur and find enamels the easiest for the actual painting. OK you need white spirit (odourless white spirit is available these days) but they are very friendly to airbrushes (I don't even dismantle my airbrushes after spraying just run a decent amount of thinners through to clean them), the surface they give is tough and durable, they don't need a primer and I just find them less of a hassle to work with. I have tins of Humbrol ranging from recent to thirty plus years old and, as long as air hasn't got into the tins, they are as fresh as if they were made yesterday.

[LotusArenco]

‘What’s the best paint’ and ‘Acrylics Vs enamels’ have sometimes been hot and occasionally sensitive subjects on various modelling forums. They all have their pros and cons.

 

Do yourself a favour and don’t rush out and buy a shed load of one particular paint brand.

Grab a few pots from various brands and give them a go yourself. Most of us on here have our own pet likes, and what might be the ‘best paint ever’ for me, might be hated by others.

 

For what it’s worth I’m an acrylic user. I’m not loyal to one particular brand, Vallejo, Xtracrylix (from Hannants), and Tamiya being my current paints of choice. And being a bit of a ‘paint tart’ I also use Citadel, Revell Aqua, Lifecolor, Aeromaster and Humbrol. Although I do occasionally use Tamiya, I tend to avoid the Mr Color lacquer based acrylics due to the smell (my loss, as they are exceptionally good).

Humbrol acrylics are a bit hit and miss in the quality control department. They’re certainly not the ‘Devils Dumplings’ that some make them out to be, but I seem to run into more problems with them than other brands.

 

I’m not ‘anti’ enamel, it’s just through personal preference I prefer not to use them, or only use them very occasionally. I have enamels from Humbrol (obviously!), Revell, Colourcoats and Hannants Xtracolor. Again the Humbrol are a bit hit and miss, all the others work as expected, the Revell enamels being surprisingly good.

 

Have a butcher’s through the various posts in this part of the forum, and the WIP areas, to get a feel for the problems/joys others have with various brands.

Don’t feel you need to be tied to any one particular brand. And certainly don’t take our word for it, try them yourself.

 

Mart

Edited October 1, 2017 by LotusArenco
Brainfart

[sapperastro]

First off,check those old paints. If they had been sealed properly and cleaned around the lid/bottle screws before storage, chances are they will be ready to roll after a decent stirring.

 

Now, are you a brusher or a sprayer? That will effect the best paints to use.

 

[Max Headroom]

If you you go down the acrylic route and brush paint (like me) you will be surprised at the apparent lack of opacity with some brands. They will initially look patchy and generally awful. You will need about three coats to get decent coverage. The upside though is that they dry quickly so that more than one coat could be applied per modelling session.

 

Trevor

[azureglo]

I would second @Nigel Heath on Mr Hobby/Mr Color, thinned with Mr Leveling it is truly God's Paint if you airbrush and dont mind toxic fumes that need an extractor.  The Mr Leveling thinner is a magical substance that apart from helping most acrylics and Mr Color lacquer achieve stunning results, can probably cure impotence and baldness...I also use Mr Paint but have my own voodoo take* on making those myself as they are acrylic paint pre-thinned with cellulose thinners. A newbie is Mission Mopddels, apparenly as good as Mr Color/Hobby but "non toxic".

 

On 10/1/2017 at 12:19 PM, LotusArenco said:

 

 

Do yourself a favour and don’t rush out and buy a shed load of one particular paint brand.

Grab a few pots from various brands and give them a go yourself. Most of us on here have our own pet likes, and what might be the ‘best paint ever’ for me, might be hated by others.

 

 

Sound advice, I went through Humbrol, Vallejo, Xtracolor, WEM (now Colourcoats) before settling on Gunze ...I remember selling off all my Xtracolor at a bargain price to a fellow BMer. Try everything and you'll find something that works with your set up, if you spray acrylics then have a serious read about this on this and other forums, it drove me crazy cleaning my airbrush tip every few minutes etc , mixing voodoo thinners. Then you get to metallics, again many hours of reading there, last year these were what I was using last year in terms of brands:

 

 

Nowadays, I pre-mix my paint with thinners in a bottles with lavabeads* (for instant mixing), this means I can be ready to spray in as a matter of minutes, this has completely de-stressed using an airbrush.  Don't forget about primers, search for StyNylRes or Ultimate primer on this forum and all will become clear, apparently it is God's Primer and we must all make obeisance to it ...I just spray on my models, that works too.

 

If you are  a brush painter, heed the sage advice of the mighty @dancho, a fine modeller. Oh , and you should definitely try  the new wonderful new Humbrol enamels, after all i went went through hell, why should you not share my pain... 

 

A

 

 

 

 

 

[Nigel Heath]

Quote

The Mr Leveling thinner is a magical substance that apart from helping most acrylics and Mr Color lacquer achieve stunning results, can probably cure impotence and baldness...

 

I'd be careful on what and where you rub it in.

[Nocoolname]

I returned to model making a few years back after a 25 year gap. When I ducked out of the hobby I had been using enamel from the tin, thinned with (very smelly) thinners and either painted or sprayed through a Badger 200 (using an air can). On returning to the hobby I tried acrylics, first Tamiya then Revell Aqua Colour. Although nice colours I found Tamiya to be 'almost' as much hassle as the old enamels in terms of smell and having to use their thinners. I found the Revell Aqua Colour to be far more user friendly - thin with water and no terrible odour. But they were a "pain in the airbrush", resulting in a maintenence-to-painting ratio of about 4:1. I then 'rediscovered' enamels, first in the form of Xtreme Metal and then in the form of Alclad Mil-Spec and I haven't looked back since. They stink just like enamels used to but unlike the impoverished teen in the late 80's I now have a spray booth and hurricane mask. They also spray pretty much flawlessly right out of the bottle through each of my airbrushes providing a level of coverage and consistency I could never get from the acrylics (even the so-called airbrush ready acrylics). Airbrush maintenence is a doddle. Zap a bit of odourless thinner and the brush is fine.