Good morning folks,
Back from Ireland last night so I’m going to get started on this DML StuG today.
I’ve built and painted a few pieces now with a grey base colour but all of them were painted with Humbrol enamel (64 iirc).
What do you guys prefer to use when painting a piece German Grey but with Tamiya XF colours? I see they have a few greys to choose from. Which works best when all the washing and weathering is complete?
Many thanks,
Ben [t$t]
Tamiya XF-63 is what you want
Not to hijack your thread, but how about one in MM acrylic?
Stephen[cwby]
Thanks chaps,
T26E4 - I’ve just been up the LHS and 63 was what the owner & I decided on, it seems ideal. The shop owner does a lot of early German builds and uses 63 for the bulk of his work.
MucMudTech - I’d like to try MM acrylics. My LHS only stocks Humbrol and Tamiya paints with some Games Workshop stuff too. What is the MM number you would recommend for the same job. I’ve got a DML 1/35 Tiger on order and perhaps I’ll try ordering MM stuff to do that piece with. It would be nice to compare it against Tamiya acrylics. Hopefully it would brush paint a little better if nothing else!
Thanks again-StuG build commences this Saturday so WIP to come!
ATVB
Ben [t$t]
Yup, XF-63 (German Grey) is what you want. When your decals are on lay down some grey-blue filters with the Windsor and Newtons and you should add some nice color to it. For your pin wash you will probably have to go with black (one of the rare times when you should use it). A grey pin wash (especially Payne’s Grey if your using W&N oils) is too light and blends without popping the detail.
Brian
Hinsky,
I’ve tried Panzer gray using Tamiya, Vallejo Model Air and just recently MM Acryl, all with an airbrush. Each has its own unique properties. Here are my opinions:
Tamiya is great for airbrushing, spraying very easily and consistently and with a dead flat finish (matte colors). Its not the best for brush painting however. Their XF-63 Panzer Gray is favored by many modellers, but not by me. The color seems a little dull and lifeless, but maybe I just need to try it again!
Vallejo Model Air yields a slightly smoother finish than Tamiya with a slight semi-gloss finish for its matte colors, but I’ve had problems with faster tip drying therefore its a little harder to use. For brush painting I use their Model Colors which are great for brush painting. I like their Model Air #71052 German Gray which is a lighter gray than Tamiya’s XF-63, but with proper filters and washes looks very good!
MM Acryl is a funny beast! I really like the #4795 Panzer Schwargrau color. Its a litte darker than XF-63, but seems to have a little more depth to the color. However I absolutely hated the way it sprays! No matter how I thinned it, what type thinner I used, or which airbrush I had terrible tip dry! Yet when all my swearing was over, the paint yielded a very nice, smooth (for acrylic) finish with a rich cool gray color! I haven’t used it for brush painting but I suspect it will paint nicely with brush.
Again, these are just my opinions based on my limited experience with those paints! I hope this helps!
I just use a rattle can of MM FS36076 Panzer Grey… I figure that if a tank is one color and there’s a spray can already, why bother with an airbrush…
Thanks guys,
Good helpful info there as always!
My LHS is ADAMANT (sic?) that rattlecan acrylic paints are banned in the UK because of some rubbish law. I’ve looked into it and it seems that it’s only Tamiya rattlecan sprays that are banned in the UK because they refuse to put a particular piece of smallprint? Perhaps someone can clarify this for me?
As a newbie who is still very much finding his feet I feel that the hefty £££’s outlay of a compressor & decent AB is a bit too soon. I started building about 6 months ago and if I’m still building in 6 months time (I will be VERY surprised if I’m not) then I will definately get one. In the meantime I’m happy to use my brushes and single action Humbrol AB with propellant cans. I’m getting good at masking off to make cammo effects and it does lay down a super basecoat for a cheapo AB too!
If I could get some other make of rattlecan acrylics ie MM (which DML recommend in their colour charts) I’d be very happy as my next three builds are more than likely going to be DML anyway and these propellant cans are a bit pricey-more expensive than a rattlecan of paint!
The only rattlecans my LHS keep are Humbrol enamels-not great as I’m limited on washes and will need to put on Klear/Future or the like and, personally, I’m not keen on using Klear again after nearly destroying my Brummbar! My fault no doubt but this stuff is made for floors, not scale models (again this is all imo so no flaming please) [;)]
Anyway, I’m off to get this DML Stug Ausf A started now so WIP at some point today!
ATVB
Ben [t$t]
Don’t limit yourself to Hobby brands… Lots of paints that are in the arts & crafts stores are really close to the colors you’re looking for… You just gotta do some comparisons to color chips when you’re there, and get past the goofy “Chick-names” of the colors… Another thing, they’re usually a third of the price of Hobby-Brands…
Hi Ben,
Just FYI, Tamiya’s spray cans aren’t acrylics, they’re “synthetic lacquers”. My understanding is that there is indeed a labelling issue which is preventing them from being imported into the UK
Hmm, interesting!
Are there any other makes of rattlecan paints (non enamel) that I can get in the UK ie MM?
Many thanks,
Ben [:)]