I have noticed that Tamiya paints do not brush well. If you dont thin them the pigment just kinda scoots around. If you do try to then them, it is either too much and the paint becomes transluscent requiring at least 50 coats, or you cant thin them enough and again you scoot the pigment around on the part. [banghead] I have used both denatured alcohol and water to thin with pretty much the same results. Anyone have a particular manner in which they get these paints to behave like a normal paint should when being brush painted? Thanks.
How about using Tamiys thinner… Or, if you think that that is to expensive, try mixing alcohol and water. Just water won’t work, and alcohol evaprates to quickly.
Be sure that you mix the paint properly, stir the paint, don’t shake!
I found the same thing, my solution. put the tamiya bottle about 8 inches further back on the bench,slightly behind the enamel I used to cover the tamiya
Odd, I’ve hand painted 3 aircraft with no problems. Flowed on nice and smooth, and covered well. Or should I say good’nuff for handwork? Whites and yellows required additional coats but I would expect that. I didn’t thin the paints at all. You do need to let them dry completely (24 hours + ) before adding another coat or colour.
All that said, I have my first AB and am busy working up the courage to paint my first kit.
[(-D] Right now vapochild, your idea makes the best sense.
Rem, I have used Tamiya thinner (I believe it is overpriced denatured alcohol [;)], I could be wrong) with more or less the same results.
Bgrigg, dive into it straight away. As far as airbrushing goes, the Tamiya paints work extremely well.
I am slowly but surely substituting poly s (which spreads like a dream using a brush, with little to no thinner, and airbrushes well also) for the Tamiya paints. I just hate to have spent the money on the paint without using it. But thanks for the recs. Maybe I’m not loading enough on the brush…hmmm? I could pour the bottle over the model than just kind of swish it around where I need it I suppose. After it has dried a little, mask the area off where I want the paint to stay, and hose the rest off with denatured alcohol[swg]
lol, hose it off![:D]
Honestly, maybe I have no “touch” but the tamiya black I bought for the Victory back end, is just awful stuff, I ended up stripping it and starting again. I’m sure it’s just a knack, but I can’t get it right, brush marks, uneven colour(yes I stired it!).
Enamel? thin spray/brush…done, nice finish, tough, looks great, yes it cooks your brain but the cigs and beer will do that anyway, so I’m safe,lol
It’s not like I drink the Humbrol stuff[yuck]
A friend gave me his old Badger 150 and suggested I get a new needle for it. Nobody in town has one, so I had to order it and it hasn’t come in yet. I have a stack of planes to paint when it arrives. I’m getting lots of practice spritzing water around! [;)]
I’ve heard great things about Poly S but sadly it’s unavailable here. Since my build table is my kitchen table I’m loathe to use anything other than acrylics so I’m limited to Model Master & Tamiya. I buy both as required, they seem to get along on plastic, though I don’t think I’ll ever try mixing them.
Arrrrh the water spray, yes anything and everything got “water” coloured when my AB arrived a few short weeks ago. You’ll very quickly get a basic feel for it, but I fear, it will be years before you can say your a master of the damn thing.lol
I use a lot of Tamiya acrylic (as well as Model Master and PolyScale) and have very good luck with them through an airbrush. I’ll be the first to admit that I can’t hand brush worth a hoot so I seldom even try anything larger than a pin head. But , it isn’t just you; Tamiya’s black is absolute junk. The first coat goes down OK but you had better get everything done the first time. If you try and paint over it, it is going to dissolve itself. I have NEVER been able to brush over Tamiya black without it dissolving so I don’t even try any more.
Maybe we should start a Tamiya paint won’t spread worth a damn with a brush support group. We could sit at our computers, IM about the feelings that we have as we lay a line, go to lay a second, barely touch the first and it lifts everything off the part. Shed a few tears…you know, let those dammed up feelings flow and whatnot. Hey, its still cool to cry as a guy, or is that pase now? [:p] hehe. Al, I shall give your rec a try, never thought to use acrylic retarder.
tears… maybe they will help the bloody stuff stay wet long enough to get down on the part? lol
I can brush, pretty well with enamels, but this acrylic stuff just bites me on the ****** every time.
i always thin my Tamiya paint before brushing. and i do use Tamiya thinner. i’ve tried alcohol with mixed results, due to alcohol evaporating too fast.
I have had good luck with paint brushing Tamiya paints as a base coat on figures before using my artist oil, but you need to spray a primer coat on so the paint will grab. I would not recommend brushing any acrylic strait onto plastic as it will not stick as well. Try using the Tamiya, testors or Automotive primer first on what ever you are painting let it set for a couple of hours, best overnight, then try brushing on the Tamiya paint. You will see the difference right away.
I’ll just echo the sentiment that the stuff just cannot be hand brushed…at all.
A while back a friend gave me a Gundam in the middle of winter. I wanted to give acrylics a try since the varsol-less cleanup appealed to me. Tamiya is what the local store carries.
Well! I could not get a decent result no matter how hard I tried or how patient I was. It just would not go on evenly. The result was unaceptable on even on a small, small area like an elbow. I ended up airbrushing the entire thing, spending I dont know how much on canned air (I dont have a compressor) so that I wouldnt feel I wasted the paint.
I’ve still got about 8 nearly full jars if anyone wants them.
I wonder what I’m doing wrong since I have had zero problems with Tamiya acrylic paints being hand brushed? The only time I’ve had trouble is when I forget to prep the paint surface by washing off the piece first.
I bought some Model Master acrylic Zinc Chromate the other day, as I’m tired of mixing my own with Tamiya. Now there is a paint that is difficult to hand brush! Very thin paint, consistant colour sure which was my goal, but thin.
HAH! I like your line of reasoning. It is not I that is gakked up because I cant get the stuff to stick. In fact, it is you, because you can. DOUBLE HAH! [swg]
Hobby1268, I habitually prime everything. So, that cant be it. Must be the devil has decanted a little bit of his essence into each and every one of my bottles. Not in sufficient quantity for their little tops to start spinning while spewing forth great gouts of paint mind you, but enough to be irritating. [}:)]
Wolf - I’ve been able to brush some Tamiya colors fine, others just don’t work for me. For acrylics I use Model Master or my favorite, Vallejo Acrylics. Both work wonderful! (I prefer the Color of Eagles by Vallejo by far though)
