Hey all you Finescale writers, I just wanted to stop by and say that I really enjoyed the latest issue of FSM. My favorite article was about designing your own parts. I’m in college right now studying engineering, so this sort of thing is right up my alley! I’ve even got a couple different CAD-programs to work with (Autodesk Inventor and Solidworks)!!! The scribing article is really good as well, it makes it seem less intimidating! The Acrylic guide was a nice touch, too! I’ve been getting FSM for about 2 years and this is probably my favorite issue. Thanks, guys!
I enjoyed November issue as well. By the way, I really been enjoying Mr. Aaron Skinner’s articles about updating HMMWV (October issue) to airbrushing acrylics. Keep up the good work Aaron and looking forward to read many more of your articles in near future [#toast].
Thanks for the nice comments. I’m glad you liked the HMMWV, it was a subject close to my heart.
I’m curious. How many Forum members use acrylic paints or prefer to use them over enamels?
Never used acrylics before. I kinda get the inpression that they tend to be more finicky and harder to deal with at times, along with being more pricey.
In my little bit of experiences i’ve always used enamels by Testors (MM and the basic stuff). My only complaint has been that at times the quantities in the bottles have been too little (especially on larger projects)
I use acrylics, I’ve found them to be less finicky than enamels…although they are generally more expensive.
I use Tamiya Acrylics exclusively. [:)]
Acrylics for me. I try to buy Tamiya, but if they don’t have my color I’ll do Gunze or Pollyscale.
Too bad the forum software doesn’t allow for polls.
I’m another Tamiya exclusive user, though I would probably supplement the color palette with Gunze if my LHS stocked it.
Primarily acrylics for me as well, however I’m not exclusive. I prefer an enamel or lacquer primer, I prefer an enamel base on instrument panels because of the way I paint them, and I use a good bit of Alclad in varying shades. Top coats are virtually all acrylic though.
I airbrush everything but I’m not exclusive to one brand. I frequently, if not always, have Tamiya, Model Master, and PolyScale on the same build.
I also use artist acrylic for all of my washes. Yeah, I know the rules say you can’t use an acrylic wash on acrylic top coats but rules were meant to be broken. I’ve been doing it that way for a long time and it’s the method I prefer.
A man after my own heart! The best rules are the ones that can be bent for your own purposes, and then bent back for the next fellow to follow.
Ok, now i’m curious here. I’ve stuck to MM enamels because that’s all i know. But how come y’all are exclusively (or almost exclusively) partial to acrylics? How are they better than enamels?
For me it comes down to two things: Ease of use and health.
Enamels contain harsh chemicals, and require equally harsh solvents to clean up. They smell very bad, and my wife objects to that.
Acrylics contain less dangerous chemicals and can clean up with soap and water. They still smell, but not nearly so much, and my wife approves.
I also find them easier to airbrush, and they seem to have a much longer shelf life. I have some Tamiya Acrylics that go back to 1985!
I use both acrylics and enamels… it pretty much boils down to what color I need. I’ve got quite the assortment of Tamiya acrylics. But as we all know, Tamiya only makes certain colors, and gives wacky mixing instructions for any others. My other acrylics are Model Master. I bought these because I wanted a full set of RLM colors. I have a few lacquers… all Alclad because they are the best metal paints I’ve used to date. My enamels are interior colors for US planes and exterior colors for cars and primers. I can use both well, and since I’ve got a spray booth in my basement and a respirator, I’m good to go with anything I want to spray.
Many people use acrylics because of health issues and clean up. You can clean most acrylics with windex (I myself use simple green)!!! And, they don’t fume up the house so much. Many dry quicker than their enamel counterparts, as well.
Even though this belongs in the “Painting and Airbrushing” area, I use acrylics simply because they dry to the touch so quickly. I have no problems at all in spraying a different color over the top of acrylics after about 30 minutes of drying time.
Bill, I like to break rules when the circumstances warrant them being broken. Besides they are only “Rules” because some person decided to make them rules.
In this particular instance I use acrylic washes for the exact same reason, they are dry to the touch in a few minutes. In fact, to break the rules even farther, I clean up excess wash using Windex on a Q-Tip! AND to take things one step farther, I can paint a section, shoot a couple of coats of Future on top of it (another acrylic), and do whatever washing I want all inside a few hours.
Thanks for weighing-in guys. I’m surprised at how many acrylics users there are.
For me, I like the lower odor and ease of cleanup of acrylics as a rule. But my favorite part is how quickly they dry. It allows me to get more done in the short periods I get to model. I’ve been known to apply primer, major color, and top coat in the space of a few hours (useful when working on a review model on deadline). I agree though that it comes down to what color I need. If it’s not available in arylics, that I’ll turn to solvent-based paints. I prefer Tamiya spray lacquers for car bodies. I use Alclad II for metal finishes. By and large, I stick with acrylics, using a variety of brands including Model Master Acryl, Polly Scale, Tamiya, and Gunze Sangyo. Depending on what I’m painting. I’m lucky right now that My LHS carries all 4 brands.
Thanks guys! For me, the smell doesn’t bother me at all. Guess i actually enjoy the smell of the enamels, since it reminds me of modelling days gone by (i’m weird, i know). But the overall cure time is definately a big seeing point for me, and i’m thinking maybe i should give them a shot myself!
Does anyone remember those water-based enamels from MM? I had some of those for a few years when i was a teenager, but i see they aren’t around now. Not exactly the best paint i ever used, but i really had to appreciate the clean up factor…
DesertRat,
Model Master’s acrylic enamel were pretty bad. I really loved the way they could be washed off a model with water days after painting. Their new Acryl line is a big improvement.
I do agree with you about the smell taking you back. The other day I cracked a bottle of Mr. Surfacer for something and it smelled exactly like some of the old Humbrol tins I used. Took me right back to the days in the basement building one model after another. Does that count as a flashback from sniffing too much paint?
Yes. Yes, it does.
We should probably have a forum strictly for discussing solvent abuse issues and addictive model behavior! [:P]
Isn’t “addictive model behavior” a bit of a redundancy?[;)]
I wonder if there is a 12 step program out there for “addicts” like us…[%-)][;)]