My latest project of the minute is a Fujimi F-4K British Phantom “Yellow Tails” and the color call out for the main color is a RAF Extra Dark Sea Grey BS381C/640. I have a bottle left over from the MM II line of paints in a Dark Sea Grey which I assumed is the equivalent. I started spraying some of the parts with this paint but my airbrush soon clogged! I ran the rest of the bottle through a filter and even though I mixed and stired thoroughly, I found the paint to be full of lumps, many as small as grains of sand! More than enough to clog things up! No more of this paint!
I headed to the hobby store and I now see there are many new lines of paint available so the heck with Testors! What I selected is AK Interactive line of paint in an acrylic lacquer? in this color I could not find a specific thinner to use with the paint. When I asked one of the employees there and I was told, “Oh, just use what ever you usually use.” Thanks Buddy!
One recomendation I found online said to use the Mr. Color thinner. I did a test spray of this paint mix and found it seemed to spray well. However, I am wondering if this is best to use with this paint?
Ya, we are all in the same boat. I like Mr color paints with their leveling thinner or MRP paints straight from the bottle. Tamiya are still solid 50:50 with isopropyl alcohol.
According to the info at this link I will provide, lacquer thinner is fine for thinning AK acrylic lacquers. So are several other forms of thinner to include water ( I’d go with the LT personally). These paints are in the new formulation we see coming out as hybrid acrylic lacquers. So here is the link : https://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/real-colors-acrylic-lacquer-paints
I walked into my local Hobby Town and found the Testors MM paints to be almost bare. I have several bottles of MM paint still at home and will use them as I can. But, I have been using more and more acrylic paints and I’m really starting to like them. The big plus with acrylics is not having the wife complain about the smell that MM enamel gives off.
Thanks guys! Much better answers than I got from the LHS guy. I didn’t get much of a chance to look at what else was available as it was very busy that day! I was surprised because they were actually having RC car races in there. Considering the restrictions we have been under for so long, I was very uncomfortable in there.
Mostly using MRP paints now. Those are acrylic lacquers that shoot beautifully right out of the bottle. Cure time is less than an hour. Great selection of specific military colors for a bunch of different countries and time periods.
Yes Mission Models is good too but unless you use primer it scratches very easily. I found out by accident on a build but luckily the scratches added to the weathering process and looked good.
Mr. Thinner is fantastic and works great with both Tamiya and Ak paints.
Revell paints have shown up at my LHS, both the acrylics and the “email” (as the container is labeled) or enamal to others. They tell me more products are coming soon as well!
The Revell enamel paints are good to use. I’ve had a few that I’ve obtained during trips to Europe and have really liked how they worked. But I’ve never tried their acrylics. I’m curious to see how those will work.
My last gloss dark sea blue Testors Model Master enamel bottle went bad so I ordered some MCW enamel FS 15042. Read good reviews and are suppossed to be like the discontinued MM enamels.
Whoa, Nelly… the only problem why you’re getting sandy grain-like sediments settling at the bottom of your bottle is it’s been sitting for a really long time… I mean a reeeeeeaaaaally long time.
I had a couple of Pollyscale brand paint colors that had what you describe. Had to toss them. Buy a fresh bottle of the Dark Grey and I can guarantee you will not have the sandy grits or lumps.
Actually, they are different colors, hence the different names. Humbrol makes both colors if you have access to the Humbrol paint line. Extra Dark Sea Grey BSC381C/640 is Humbrol 123, Dark Sea Grey BSC381C/638 is Humbrol 164.
I like AK Real Color High Compatibility thinner…it doesn’t have a strong oder. I usually thin 3-4:1 thinner to AK Real Color paints. If you like to “roll your own” colors, Tamiya is a great choice in paints as well.
I have used Mr Color Leveling Thinner with AK…wear the mask and open that window…but you’ll experience effortless spraying.
I did shoot the entire body of the Phantom with the AK paint, and though it went on well, I do find it has a bit of trouble with adhesion and the paint would lift when I was masking unless I was absolutely carful about “de-stickying” the Tamiya tape on my wrist before aplying. I did use the entire bottle to paint but I always tend to mix way too much and waste a lot. I think the old MM had better coverage but no point in ctying any more about that. I just used the regular Mr. Thinner and I need to get some of the leveling type, but it was not in stock ay my LHS.
