Mig Ammo Lucky Varnish Matt Issues

[GazB]

Hi all.

 

Has anyone encountered an issue with Mig Ammo Lucky Varnish - Matt where, when you spray, its hitting the surface with small beads of fluid instead of nice, transparent coverage? When I looked at the spray pattern against the back of the booth, is was almost whisping out of the airbrush instead of projecting as normal. This stuff had worked perfect every single time until now. I only marginally managed to get it to perform by putting in a few drops of ultimate airbrush thinner, but it usually works straight out of the bottle.

 

I shook it thoroughly before use so I'm kinda confused as to what the problem is with it. Its not freezing in the house at the moment, but is temperature a factor? Tamiya paint sprayed perfectly fine earlier and in a subsequent test. I'm pretty confused at the moment and its pain for the reason that Lucky Varnish is the only one I've used without any frosting, bar a rattle can of Vallejo matt (but that's a pain to use on the fly).

 

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

Gaz

[bmwh548]

If I remember correctly the Mig stuff is waterbased, Tamiya is solvent based so it might be less prone to temperature issues. Also the dropper style bottles aren't perfectly airtight so there is the possibility that some of the factory "solvent" has evaporated and the product isn't as normal.

[GazB]

1 hour ago, bmwh548 said:

If I remember correctly the Mig stuff is waterbased, Tamiya is solvent based so it might be less prone to temperature issues. Also the dropper style bottles aren't perfectly airtight so there is the possibility that some of the factory "solvent" has evaporated and the product isn't as normal.

I got an email back from Mig Ammo about it and they mentioned it could be a result of the airbrush not being completely clean. Now that I think about it, I used to spray it with another airbrush (one I'm using has a larger needle on it). Although, I used both for different paints and cleaned through. They also said hot temperatures might affect it, but not really cold and that it should work as before. 

 

I hadn't considered an issue with evaporation, hmm. Wonder if its just gone a bit funny. A little while ago I got some skin tone Mig Paints, and even though they have the mixing ball, they are super thick, like oil paints thick. I'll probably have to drop thinner in them at some point. Other paints from the same line work just fine, so its possible its a bad batch or something. The varnish sprayed better when I put some thinner in it, so maybe that would help.

 

Thanks anyway bmw

 

Gaz

 

 

[Kev The Modeller]

I've read there's been issues with this varnish.  

 

It's a shame but there appears to be a trend with Ammo Mig of late.  I've got most of their range all bought on the back of good results with their paint, as I've used it more over the years I'm finding it very hit and miss at time with certain colours, I've no idea why. 

 

I'm moving away from Ammo and onto Tamiya and Mr Hobby their product is just so much more consistent, I'm finding.    

[GazB]

15 hours ago, Kev The Modeller said:

I've read there's been issues with this varnish.  

 

It's a shame but there appears to be a trend with Ammo Mig of late.  I've got most of their range all bought on the back of good results with their paint, as I've used it more over the years I'm finding it very hit and miss at time with certain colours, I've no idea why. 

 

I'm moving away from Ammo and onto Tamiya and Mr Hobby their product is just so much more consistent, I'm finding.    

Damn, that's a shame, Kev.

 

I'd have to agree, though. Tamiya has been consistently good for me.

 

Gaz

[Kev The Modeller]

It's is mate, as I said I've got most of their range.  On returning to the hobby a few years ago I was attracted to their branding, true water base, price and ease of obtaining them.  I bought a few colours to paint my first model, liked the dropper bottle, based on my first experience I bought almost the entire range.  A lot of their paint is really good goes on lovely, with a 50/50 ratio, as I started to use other colours the issues started.  I could always over come them but it meant having to muck about, with ratios, pressures, application techniques etc, etc, which is frustrating.  

 

What works for most is thin using their thinner, it didn't like other thinner, it would work but I'd end up with silk finish to matt and the surface would be tacky weeks later, even using Ammo thinner I'd get the same result with some colours.  You must spray in very light coats, thinning around 75% for most of their colours, some are terrible for drying on the tip, the gloss varnish (not lucky I've not used it) was ok for AFV's but hopeless for cars etc.  What did it for me was trying to stop tip drying while trying to spray a complex cammo pattern, it was a nightmare, on advice I tried Vallejo much better.  For my next build I tried what I'd used when I stopped as a teenager Tamiya, back then their acrylic was new and I was brush painting, I got no or little tip drying, consistent thinning ratios, I just top up a new jar with X-20 or Mr Hobby leveling, matt is matt, no tacky surface, same techniques etc etc.  It's just far easier to use same for Mr Hobby their lacquer colours are superb, for cars/bikes I use Zero/Mr Hobby.

 

I even contacted Ammo, at first very helpful, but once we got past it's wasn't me or my kit they just didn't want to know and just kept saying it was me or my kit.  I could put down Vallejo, AK both true acrylics like Ammo, and Tamiya/Mr Hobby without any problems.  I pointed this out several times, they stopped replying, so I stopped buying that is a personnel thing. 

 

I'm not saying Ammo is no good far from it, it's just harder to use and inconsistent, I'm still using them but on mainly armour where surface finish isn't so important, if i get a problem I ditch the paint and go to Tamiya.  Eventually I'll waste out the Ammo, I'm not buying anymore as you say a shame.                      

[GazB]

On 11/6/2018 at 8:28 AM, Kev The Modeller said:

It's is mate, as I said I've got most of their range.  On returning to the hobby a few years ago I was attracted to their branding, true water base, price and ease of obtaining them.  I bought a few colours to paint my first model, liked the dropper bottle, based on my first experience I bought almost the entire range.  A lot of their paint is really good goes on lovely, with a 50/50 ratio, as I started to use other colours the issues started.  I could always over come them but it meant having to muck about, with ratios, pressures, application techniques etc, etc, which is frustrating.  

 

What works for most is thin using their thinner, it didn't like other thinner, it would work but I'd end up with silk finish to matt and the surface would be tacky weeks later, even using Ammo thinner I'd get the same result with some colours.  You must spray in very light coats, thinning around 75% for most of their colours, some are terrible for drying on the tip, the gloss varnish (not lucky I've not used it) was ok for AFV's but hopeless for cars etc.  What did it for me was trying to stop tip drying while trying to spray a complex cammo pattern, it was a nightmare, on advice I tried Vallejo much better.  For my next build I tried what I'd used when I stopped as a teenager Tamiya, back then their acrylic was new and I was brush painting, I got no or little tip drying, consistent thinning ratios, I just top up a new jar with X-20 or Mr Hobby leveling, matt is matt, no tacky surface, same techniques etc etc.  It's just far easier to use same for Mr Hobby their lacquer colours are superb, for cars/bikes I use Zero/Mr Hobby.

 

I even contacted Ammo, at first very helpful, but once we got past it's wasn't me or my kit they just didn't want to know and just kept saying it was me or my kit.  I could put down Vallejo, AK both true acrylics like Ammo, and Tamiya/Mr Hobby without any problems.  I pointed this out several times, they stopped replying, so I stopped buying that is a personnel thing. 

 

I'm not saying Ammo is no good far from it, it's just harder to use and inconsistent, I'm still using them but on mainly armour where surface finish isn't so important, if i get a problem I ditch the paint and go to Tamiya.  Eventually I'll waste out the Ammo, I'm not buying anymore as you say a shame.                      

Yeah it's rough when something seems so promising but seems to fall short. 

 

I was looking forward to the AK Real Colors because of their supposed accuracy, but even when I got their brand thinner, they're still so much of a faff to use. They need a ridiculous amount of thinner. I first thinned with my ultimate thinner, since they said you could use others (and water). Not true. Ultimate responded to an e-mail telling me AK had almost willingly given out false info as they had tested it.

 

I think AK has since modified some of their information, but they do so quietly. Still doesn't spray as nice as Tamiya or Mr Hobby for me. Also, the accuracy of the colours isn't exactly spot on either. Or at least the labelling. 

 

For example they have a Modern U.S. set which is also used in the NATO set. Problem is, they're using RAL coded paint, which is German and not the Federal Standard used by the U.S. as such the paints aren't accurate for the U.S. set. The CARC Tan also appears to be the greyish Desert Storm shade rather than the newer stuff.

 

Maybe some of their others are more accurate, but I'm wary. They were extremely unhelpful when I contacted them about issues I had with thinning. I tried their e-mail (three different ones) plus their YouTube account and never got any kind of real response or any apology for misleading info they gave me which resulted in making about £30 worth of paint useless (their YouTube channel initially responded and said I could use Ultimate). 

 

Even with their own thinner though, you almost seem to have to add half as much thinner again to get it spraying.

 

Just a pain. I wish Tamiya did more colours.

 

EDIT: Was test spraying some AK stuff earlier, almost full to the brim with thinner top up. Still not the best spray, but passable. But then while cleaning I thought some tissue had gotten into the airbrush. It wasn't, the AK paint had turned to a sludge layer. I spent about 15 minutes clean it all out ><. No idea what in the world happened there.

 

Gaz

Edited November 7, 2018 by GazB