AK Real colours

[colin]

Looks like AK real colours are back, now in 17ml plastic dropper bottles, Military and Civil colours lacquer based

[TheKinksFan]

This should maybe be in the Paint section. I have three bottles of the 'new format'. The paint is much thinner, so I suspect there's actually less paint than in the old 10ml jars. They have also discontinued many colours. 

[JFM148]

1 hour ago, TheKinksFan said:

This should maybe be in the Paint section. I have three bottles of the 'new format'. The paint is much thinner, so I suspect there's actually less paint than in the old 10ml jars. They have also discontinued many colours. 

Yes, I suspect the same...🤔

[colin]

2 hours ago, TheKinksFan said:

This should maybe be in the Paint section. I have three bottles of the 'new format'. The paint is much thinner, so I suspect there's actually less paint than in the old 10ml jars. They have also discontinued many colours. 

So are they ready thinned for airbrushing, or do they need thinning down. 

[RichG]

8 hours ago, colin said:

So are they ready thinned for airbrushing, or do they need thinning down. 

AK say the paint must be thinned to flow well in the airbrush. Mixing ratios will depend on the application, for base coats they suggest approximate 30/70 to 35/65 paint/thinner ratio. For camouflage patches/lines etc.approximate ratio of 15/85 to 25/75 paint/thinner.

 

More information here

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT5cPnqEP_0&t=42s 

 

Real Colors Lacquer Based Paint

 

 

Rich

[colin]

Thanks, never found the originals as thick as say Gunze paints, if they need thinning they can't be that thin then. Have ordered a few bottles as I really liked the original ones, even though their colour match was a bit hit and miss sometimes. Thin all my lacquer paints with MLT, will try them out when they arrive

[TheKinksFan]

22 hours ago, JFM148 said:

Yes, I suspect the same...🤔

For me it's no big deal as I build only 1/72 which don't require a lot of paint, but for 1/48 or 1/32 builders Tamiya or Mr Color might be more affordable option. I think Real Colors neutral gray 43 is better than others, as it is not bluish,that's one colour I will keep on using from AK. 

[TheKinksFan]

13 hours ago, colin said:

Thanks, never found the originals as thick as say Gunze paints, if they need thinning they can't be that thin then. Have ordered a few bottles as I really liked the original ones, even though their colour match was a bit hit and miss sometimes. Thin all my lacquer paints with MLT, will try them out when they arrive

Mr Color is sometimes almost like paste like, the RC never that thick, but some colours are not great for counting drops. The new is that thin that the drops form nicely. I have sprayed just one color so far, yellow propeller tips, 50% paint, 50% MLT. 50% thinner for the old stuff wouldn't have been enough. So at least we can save some precious MLT. 

[Chuck1945]

My biggest hang up with AK Real Colors is availability - while there are US sellers, the colors are sold by sets, not individual units. If I want to try out their take on RLM 76 for example, I have to buy one their multi color Luftwaffe sets. 

[JFM148]

On 14/06/2024 at 15:15, TheKinksFan said:

For me it's no big deal as I build only 1/72 which don't require a lot of paint, but for 1/48 or 1/32 builders Tamiya or Mr Color might be more affordable option. I think Real Colors neutral gray 43 is better than others, as it is not bluish,that's one colour I will keep on using from AK. 

I'm a Vallejo/Mr Color/Tamiya/Revell color guy.  I think is a good value for the money.  Vallejo and Revell paints are really good for brush painting.  Mr Color/Tamiya are great for Airbrush painting. I've heard very good comments on AK paints, but the issue is basically (as Mr. Paint) paint quantity.

[colin]

Well I ordered a few of the new plastic bottled ones.

Test sprayed their Nato black thinned with MLT, my case 50/50, their not thinned ready to spray from the bottle which is a good thing. They sprayed no different to the originals and covered really well, even tested sprayed on a piece of none primed sprue and they held up to the masking tape test, they dry to a satin finish. 

 

 

 

 

[TheKinksFan]

On 21/06/2024 at 11:16, colin said:

Test sprayed their Nato black thinned with MLT, my case 50/50, their not thinned ready to spray from the bottle which is a good thing. They sprayed no different to the originals and covered really well, even tested sprayed on a piece of none primed sprue and they held up to the masking tape test, they dry to a satin finish. 

If you have the old Nato black in a jar, did you compare if the colours match? 

[colin]

1 hour ago, TheKinksFan said:

If you have the old Nato black in a jar, did you compare if the colours match? 

No, I'm not too bothered with my builds to worry about things like that, close is close enough for me. It's only going in my display cabinet at the end of the day 👍

[TheKinksFan]

A major drawback about these new Real Colors plastic dropper bottles is that they are exactly the same bottles as 3rd Gen. That means that some bottles will have split nozzles. I have now 12 new bottles, one of them has a split nozzle. In the past I have had several 3rd Gen bottles with the same problem, majority were German WW1 Luftstreitkräfte colour. I was refunded, but then when I ordered the same colours again, the new ones were the same. So it seems that the problem is related to some batches of plastic. Quite disappointing. Overall I prefer glass, be it jars or bottles (first MRP glass bottles had great caps), although dropper bottles are convenient to use.

[Corky]

For the new AK real colors are thay offering new zozzles that won't split. what a pain!