I’m looking for some advice on the above paints please. These are the aqueous paints. What is the correct thinner to use with these? I have found some called Mr Hobby Mr Color but I’m not sure if these are for use with the aqueous paints or the Mr Color lacquer based paints.
Also, does anyone out there use the Mr Hobby aqueous paints? What is the quality like?
I normally used Tamiya acrylics but have heard the GSI Mr Hobby paints are very good so I’m considering trying them (on a Fine Molds 1/72 Star Wars Millenium Falcon kit).
Don’t use the “Mr Color” thinner with the Aqueous Hobby Color paints - it’s not compatible. Mr Color thinner is used with Mr Color paints (also by Gunze) which are lacquer based. Don’t be confused by the numbers on the jars - these are simply the volume in the jar (eg. 110 250 400 ml) If you want to stick to Gunze’s own thinner, use the Aqueous Hobby Color Thinner (wow - that’s a real mouthful).
If you are already using Tamiya acrylics, Tamiya’s thinner will work fine with Gunze’s Aqueous Hobby Color paints. Going further, Isopropyl alcohol and denatured alcohol will also work.
Quality-wise they’re comparable to Tamiya paints - they airbrush very nicely, but are a little finnicky to brush paint (just like Tamiya, skinning over quickly and “rolling up”). They are a little thinner in the bottle than Tamiya acrylics, and can be airbrushed straight out of the bottle, but work better with a little thinner. Most of the “flat” colours in the Gunze range are actually low semi-gloss and dry to an eggshell finish.
It’s quite hard to get hold of these products in the UK, apparently the Mr Color paints can no longer be imported here by law. For some reason however I can only find the thinner for the lacquer based paints here!
I’m starting to think it might be easier to stick with Tamiya!
Phil hit the nail on the head, so I’ll just back up his comments. I Gunze has become my paint of choice for airbrushing. They offer a wide range of color, last long, are durable and spray absolutely beautifully.
I’ve had success thinning with isopropyl alcohol (91%), windex and Tamiya thinner.
Tamiya paints are equally as nice, but they don’t offer the color range.
Hi mbuk,
I got my Gunze Aqueous from MDC in the UK. I asked them to add the thinner to my order as I couldnt find the Aqueous thinner on the website, they sent me the mr color thinner, I was a bit suspect as I’m no expert but gave it ago and its worked just fine for me with my new Airbrush. I was under the impression that mr color thinner will work with both mr color and the Aqueous range but the Aqueous thinner will only work with the Aqueous paints. Give MDC a call, they were very helpful.
cheers…
I was looking at the MDC website too and couldn’t see the aqueous thinner on their.
I have read on the forums that some people have experienced problems using the Mr Color thinner with the aqueous paints and vice versa, and some have also said it works fine.
I guess I’ll take your advice and give MDC a call!
The paints themselves are really nice to use, Im thinning at about 1-1 most the time and jst trying out different pressures etc. I’ve also used mr color thinner with Tamiya smoke and a couple of other Tamiya colours. Off topic this but I know you asked about compressors, I got mine online (£80), looks just like the TC-20 (think thats it) thats been mentioned on here a few times, working great for me.
Cheers…
Once you start airbrushing, you’ll realize what you;ve been missing. Take good care of your airbrush and keep it clean between usage and over time you will learn to use it very well, and will love the results. I’ll look for some of your pictures in the future!