WW11 Aircraft - What paints where ?

[Chris 1]

I'm back to modeling after 35 years and things have changed a lot in the interim. Where you used a paint for an application with no real choice now there's to much to choose from, I used to brush paint Humbrol but the world has moved on and now love the airbrush finish.

 

At the moment I'm struggling to use Acrylic as a "brush paint" on detail over pre-sprayed Acrylic and wondered if some one might advise on the most appropriate spray paints and paints for detail on WW11 aircraft, I'm  also struggling to match manufacturers paint colours to the paint noted in model instructions if I want to stray from the stated Tamiya paint to an alternative for example.

 

I was considering using an oil based paint over Acrylic but this might be a gamble on part constructed model.

 

I'm well impressed with what you guys are now achieving and I'd like to try and get close, advice and pointers would be appreciated.

 

Chris

[dromia]

I find watercolour pencils very good for cockpit and other detailing.

 

I am a confirmed enamels user find the the multitude of different paint types that come under acrylic banner not as user friendly or as effective as enamels. In fact the whole acrylic paint thing just seems like a marketing scam so as to lock people into a certain brands product range. Now with odourless white spirit enamels even have domestic respectability.

 

Sovereign enamels have the reputation as one of, if not the best colour matched paints currently available and are  a pleasure to use.

Edited May 13, 2020 by dromia

[SaminCam]

Welcome Chris, modelling is a very different world now isn't it?!? I use mostly tamiya acrylics for spraying and detail brush painting. I find the quality of the brush makes a big difference though avoid painting any large areas and end up spending lots of time carefully masking and spraying. I do prefer revel acrylic white and black (probably most useful colours anyway) and I've heard the citadel/Games workshop paints are good but haven't tried then since returning to modelling.  I use artists oils on top of a gloss coat but normally only for weathering and i then seal these with another coat of varnish. Good luck!

[Marklo]

Welcome back to the hobby Chris. I started with humbrol acrylics brush painted then moved on to mostly Tamiya then started airbrushing I also have a few AK acrylics. I find I get good Results with the Tamiya mixed 1:1 with water and the AK colours neat. Generally I prime first with dark grey ultimate primer.

 

I’ve also tried some Gunze and they spray nicely again mixed about 1:1.

 

i also have a small selection of enamels, white, silver, aluminium and a few specific camo colours, which I brush paint if I need them and a selection of rattle cans, that I started using before I went over to airbrushing.

 

That said there are a bewildering variety of options out there nowadays.

 

Ak PC10 early neat.

Tamiya mixed 50:50 and Gunze for the undersides.

The blue is AK the tan is Tamiya

Upper surfaces Tamiya, lower surfaces Humbrol.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Marklo