Wow, really? I can honestly say I’ve never heard of that with Tamiya glosses, and I’ve used them several times on an auto model. Could it have been some funky primer you used or some other factor, like not using their brand thinner? It might also have been dependent on how thickly you sprayed the top coats? Usually if you ask this question in an Auto modeler’s forum, you get the same responses about enamels that I had. Tamiya acrylics generally dry hard within hours, if not minutes, due to the “lacquer” part of their blend.
Hmm, it was thinned with Tamiya X-20A acrylic thinner, on bare plastic with no primer. There’s two possibilities that I can think of.
1: The paint may have been laid on a little heavy. As you may be aware, X-7 Red can be a little translucent and needs a few coats to get good colour depth.
2: I may have been premature in applying a clear coat (again, Tamiya X-22 clear, thinned with X-20A), sealing it all in, and perhaps creating the “skin” I mentioned.
I have since found that Tamiya’s gloss paints seem to work a lot better when thinned with Tamiya lacquer thinner. It slows the drying time, giving even the edge of the spray pattern time to level, giving a good, glassy gloss sheen.
Typically, with alcohol or X-20A, the feathered edge of the spray pattern tends to lay down a rough edge due to the speed at which it dries, often causing a poor or uneven gloss.
Enamel paint is a solvent-based paint that creates a hard, durable, and glossy finish. It takes longer to dry, but once cured, it is resistant to wear and handling. Enamel is often used for a smooth, high-gloss finish on models, especially when a robust and polished appearance is desired.
That may be true of gloss enamels, but there are also matte enamel paints. Model Master had matte paints in its line, for example, as does Testor.
And as far as gloss finishes go, Tamiya’s X acrylics are gloss paints and the finish is as durable as the petroleum-based enamels like Testor. The XF acrylics are the matte versions of those X colors.
To further confuse people, the old Pactra brand had water-soluable acrylic enamel paints in its catalog, both gloss colors, and matte colors in its Military Colors line.
OK this is a necrothread, which matters becauseeverything up to the last two posts has been superseded by new terms, new products and new manufacturers.
Bill
OK this is a necrothread, which matters becauseeverything up to the last two posts has been superseded by new terms, new products and new manufacturers.
Bill