AMMO Metallic Colours Acrylic Paint Set (A.MIG-7175)

[Mike]

Metallic Colours Acrylic Paint Set (A.MIG-7175)

Ammo of Mig Jiménez

 

 

AMMO's range of paints is expanding quickly and not just with the range of colours, but also the genres that it caters for.  This set of metallic paints could quite easily be used in almost every genre from Sci-Fi through aircraft and onto vehicle modelling, so it should have a wide appeal.  The fact that they are acrylic is a plus-point too, as no-matter how got a lacquer paint is, there is always a worry about the fumes and clean-up that requires noxious and highly flammable chemicals.  While acrylics aren't totally free of odour and chemicals, they are much more conducive toward modelling within sight and smell of families.  No, I'm not insinuating you or your family smell, but paints do.  Acrylics just smell less!

 

There are twelve 17ml bottles in the pack, each with a dropper top and yellow cap that is an indicator that there is a stainless steel "stirring ball" inside to assist with mixing the paint.  This is a good thing, as AMMO paint does tend to separate out when left untended.  By now it's common knowledge that AMMO paints are pretty good, and I have a few friends that swear by them.  They go on easily, settle down and once fully dry after 24 hours they are robust enough to withstand careful handling.

 

The pack contains two trays of six paints each, so we'll break down the review into two parts.  I have roughly sprayed patches of each shade onto a half fuselage of an Eduard 190, and would first add the caveat that the test piece had already been sprayed a few times, and was prepared by adding a new coat of glossy black primer to accentuate the metallic sheen.  Any fingerprints (there is at least one), or soft detail is a result of multiple layers of paint.  I also sprayed the initial colour (Gun metal) a little bit thick, which is my fault.  I also think that the Steel and Polished Metal colours could have done with their lables being swapped, as most companies have a steel that is a darker shade than polished metal.  These are the shades from the first tray:

 

 

 

 

The second tray contains another six colours, as follows:

 

 

 

I feel that the brass and gold colours could have been thinned a little better (my fault again), but as I'm trying to show the colour, I elected not to strip the whole thing and start again.  Thinning is done either with AMMO's own thinner (A.MIG-2000) or with water.  I also find Ultimate Thinner to be good with these paints, and clean-up is easily accomplished with Ultimate Airbrush Cleaner, with some PremiAir foaming airbrush cleaner to get the more stubborn metallic particles out of the paint cup.

 

I have seen a number of modellers online that have been brush-painting this paint and obtaining excellent results, especially as highlighting colours, or for dry-brushing.  Coverage is also good with a brush, but as usual your mileage will vary depending on the quality of your brush and how well you agitate the paint.  I use a "manly paint shaker" (a re-purposed and re-badged nail-varnish shaker) to ensure proper particle dispersion, and I noticed that initially the brass, gold and copper bottles were the most reluctant to let go of the stirring ball, so shake these ones until your arm is tired, just to be on the safe side.  A general rule of thumb is that if the ball isn't moving right from the start, you need to shake it for much longer to break up any gummy residue in the bottom of the bottle and get everything mixed well enough for application.

 

 

Conclusion

It has been a goal of mine to find a replacement to my lacquer metallics for some time, and I have tried more than a few types during that period, with little success.  These shades from AMMO should come in very handy next time I actually get round to doing some modelling!

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[pbrain]

Hello Mike,

 

I would recommend you use another way to airbrush this kind of metal color. Please try to mix it with the thinner 50% vs 50% with high pressure with multiple times. I think you will see more smooth surface later on.