As I am very new to modelling, I am curious what brand of paint is the best for figures? I am going to paint a German MG42 Heavy Machine Gun Team and a WWII European Theater U.S. Infanrty Squad. So I am trying to find out what colors, and what type of primer etc. Thank you.
Well, if you get ten responses to this question, I’d bet $10 that you’ll get ten different answers!!!
Personally, I use Testor enamels, the little bottles that you can find anywhere models are sold and Model Master enamels also. I don’t use primer for anything(never had any issues)
If you can’t find the color you need, you can always mix colors to get close.
Fermis is correct. You are gonna receive different answers. My favorite is Humbrol enamels in the small tins. I find them to brush on velvety smooth with no brush marks. I also use the Testor’s in the small bottles. For the face and shading and washes I use artist’s oils because they take longer to dry and gives you a longer working time for blending. You just have to experiment and try several brands. Can’t go wrong with Polly S, Tamiya or Model Master paints. I’ve heard that Vallejo is excellent for brushing. For metallics I like the Alclad line, giving an excellent natural metal finish for aircraft.
Thanks guys. I went to one of my local hobby shops and he told me about Tamiya and Model Masters. I went with the Tamiya XF acrylic paint, including the colors German Gray, Brown, Metallic Grey, Flat Earth, and Flat Flesh. I also have some Testors so I just have to work with them both.
Unfortunately, Tamiya’s acrylics aren’t the best for figure painting due to their difficult brush-painting characteristics. But seeing that you’ve got them already…
- Tamiya acrylics should not be brushed straight out of the bottle. To do so will invite “roll-up” where brushing over a dry/semi-dry previously painted area will pull up the previous layer in big ugly lumps.
- You need to decant a small amount of paint onto a palette and add about 30% of Tamiya thinner (not water) and stir well…
- Pour a small amount of clean thinner into another well on your palette (or a suitable container)
- Before loading your brush with paint, moisten your brush with clean thinner (not too much, you just want it moist, not wet) Repeat this step every other time you load your brush. Do not dip a dry brush into the paint, as it will dry nearly instantly on the brush.
- Brush in short, even strokes and avoid brushing over previously painted areas. If recoating is required, allow to cure overnight before recoating.
- Use good quality brushes, either red or Kolinsky sable,.
Of the colours you have, XF-63 German Grey is more suited to vehicle camouflage and not for uniforms on figures. What you want for the uniforms is XF-65 Field Grey, which is a greenish grey colour. Tamiya’s XF-15 Flesh is far too orange for a realistic skin tone.
Wow that’s really good to know. Thanks for all of the helpful information. I will make sure to do those things.
Thanks for the help phil. I bought Field Gray and my figures look 10x better.
If you give your figures a quick shot of about any flat enamel or laquer (even clear flat. I use Dullcoat for primer if I’m using Tamiya Field Green on my Germans), they’ll take the Tamiya colors a lot easierbut that’s about where I quit using using Tamiya on them… Just the overall German uniform get the Tamiya…
I’m not a hard-core figure painter, meaning I don’t do 1/35th scale figures to the point that they look life-like photographed and enlarged to 18" tall on-screen. I follow the basic rule, and that’s paint them as they would be observed at scale distances… In other words, I paint them to be looked at with the naked eye from about a foot away, not photographed (I’ll prove that in a minute) up close enough to see nose-hair…
The closest distance to you face that your eyes will focus on a figure is about four inches. In 1/35th scale, that’s about 23 feet, so the only details that you really need to have are those that you would be able to see on real person standing 20 feet away from you.
That said, I agree that you should ignore any bottle labeled “Flesh”… I don’t know ANYONE that color… Keep in mind that GI’s are out in the sun a LOT and their skin should literally be a shade of tan or brown… My choice for basic figure face & other skin-panting is to use Testor’s Model Master Radome Tan for the basic (Caucasian) flesh-color, Testor’s Rubber for basic Negro flesh-color, and mixes of the two for other races… I shade with various types of paints, but predominately oils… Many will tell you that you MUST buy Vallejo acrylics, but I’m one of those guys that doesn’t like 'em or the 35.00 price-tag for the Flesh-paitning set I bought and don’t use… Frankly, I don’t like acrylics of any brand for faces… However, I digress…
Other than the Tamiya Field Grey though, I generally use Testor’s Model Master or regular Testor’s enamels on all the figures’ uniforms & equipment… Tamiya works OK for painting equipment (belts, boots, leggings, suspenders, ammo pouches, whatever) over flat enamels though…
Also, a basic starter set of oils (smal tubes) can be had for about 15-18-bucks in art supply stores and will last for years for the average modeler…
If you can, grab a copy of the “Bible”… Shepard Paine’s How to Build Dioramas (1st Edition is about 6.00 on Amazon, 2nd edition is better overall, but pricier) is the title, and if you only ever buy ONE modeling book, that’s the one you should have in your library… One chapter is devoted to figure painting and is especially written for the beginner…
This 1/35th 1970’s-era US Army Drill Sergeant has the basic colors done and is ready for shading & highlights. Uniform is Model Master Olive Drab and the face & hands are Radome Tan. The hair is Testor’s Flat Brown, # 1166 with a little black added, and the hat is the same, with a bit more black added, and the boots are Tamiya Flat Black. BTW, keep in mind the “four inch focus” here and that he’s two inches high…
This “Cactus Air Force” pilot’s 1/48th scale and done entirely with Testor’s enamels…
!(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/HansvonHammer/Screenshots/Models/P-39 GB/P-39001-Copy.jpg?t=1267708337)
Closer to actual size, but still too large… Actually measures here closer to 1/35th…
!(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/HansvonHammer/Screenshots/Models/P-39 GB/th_P-39001-Copy.jpg)
ANYway, after all that long-winded stuff, I only useTestor’s, Testor’s Model Master, Tamiya, and (for shading & highlighting faces & hands) oil paints for my figures, since that’s the only thing my local Hobby Lobby sells (Testor’s & oils)… I don’t buy Testor’s paint at the other hobby shop in town (just the Tamiya) because they don’'t have 40%-off coupons… Yeah, I use the coupons on PAINT too… Imagine that…
Prime with flat black or dark yellow…Humbrol for uniform and equipment and oils for flesh…
Even within a couple of clubs I belong to, there is no consensus (like fermis, I personally use Testors enamels). What I have noticed however, is that at contests the quality of paint job is high no matter which paint people use. So I have concluded that the type and brand of paint doesn’t really mean much.
I think it is a matter of convenience. I don’t like acrylics because I don’t have the discipline to clean IMMEDIATELY after airbrushing. if I answer the phone with paint in airbrush, I have had it clog up before I finished my phone conversation.
So I would say worry about other things before you worry about which paint to buy- buy whatever your hobby shop stocks the most of.
Thanks. Considering that this German MG42 Team I am painting will be my first finished model ever, I will take in all of the advice and info.
I have a vast collection of Tamiya paints and do as Phil suggests and have little problems. I do occasionally mix and match paint types on a figure if I get lazy and don’t want to mix up my own colors using Tamiya. For example:
his buffalo skin jacket is Model Master acrylic as is his red shirt. The tan of the jacket is Model Master enamel “Radom Tan”. But the face and hair are Tamiya. But that is for base coats. For shadows and highlights I use Windsor and Newton artist oils…I simply love them for figure work. Some don’t like the long dry time for artist oils, but IMHO the positives outweigh the long dry time.
Now, as for a figure painted with nothing but Tamiya (except of course the artist oil shadows/highlights that is):
Again, to reinforce what Phil said, you do need to take certain steps to ensure a good medium with Tamiya paints. But if done so then you should have no problems…
Brian
P.S. One other thing. There is one point on which I can agree with the Tamiya detractors…it SUCKS for drybrushing. Don’t even bother.