I am painting some small rockets for my F4U-1D with MM light gray (4765). I have stirred it, not shaken and am applying over raw plastic with brush. No matter which brush I use, the paint lays down with fine bubbles that have proven difficult/impossible to smooth down.
Any ideas what is going wrong? I have other MM colors and have not seen that happen before. [whstl]
I have had that happen too. Part of it depends on your brush. I have better luck with a natural hair vs synthetic brush. Also try lightly moistening your brush first with water before applying the paint.
I have always found that acryls have a tough time without a light primer coat. That may help. You could also add 1 drop of Future to 4-5 drops of paint as a leveling agent.
Chris
Yup - think I should have used primer but ----- [bnghead]
So I decided to try both advices. I got a new sable brush and I did put in a little Future. It was MOSTLY effective and I was able to smooth the few bubbles. And I like the slight sheen from the Future.
Thanks for the help. [:D[
BUT I also think there was something funny about that paint as it is much tinner than other MMs that I have bought. [2cnts]
I have also used a small bit of Future when airbrushing certain acrylics that thin with distilled water. It gives the paint a bit more durability. When I spray Vallejo acrylics (not their airbrush line which is already thinned), I thin it with 40% Future, 60% distilled water which I have pre-mixed, then go 3:2 paint to thinner. This gives me nice thin paint, but the Future, being basically liquid acrylic, helps the paint bind well.
Chris
From your description, it does sound like a quality control problem. About what I’d expect from that outfit. It’s kind of a shame. Testors used to be a pillar of the hobby. Now it seems they’re out to run it into the ground.[:@]
That is the same view of MM that my LHS has. Disappointing. What paints do you favor?
I too have found that some batches are thinner than others. I remember see/reading somewhere that MM was making their acrylics so it could be airbrushed straight from the bottle. Even if I get a bottle of the thin stuff, I still add MM Acrylic Thinner-it drys too quickly without it.
Well, I love Polly Scale, but it’s been discontinued—by Testors. They bought the line, changed the formulation around 2007, and dumped it in 2009. Still available from stocks, but quality has slumped. Their railroad line is still in production, but you’ll have trouble with color matching to A/N or FS standards.
Tamiya makes great paint. Some have trouble brushing it (requires special technique). Gunze Sanyo is similar but even more expensive, but is supposed to be easier to brush paint.
I’ve heard great things about Vallejo, but have only tried it in small amounts. Very fine pigment. Their Model Air line is for airbrushing, Model Color for brush painting.
MisterKit is odd stuff. Doesn’t brush well, but airbrushes nicely. Cured paint is somewhat brittle, resistant to alcohol and Windex, but attacked by mineral spirits, so it has to be coated with Future before you use an oil wash.
I’ve heard good things about Xtracrylics, but not tried them yet.
Yes, I have some Pollyscale and see that it seems to still be available through Micromark for now. It does seem MUCH better than MM, but that seems to be Testors failure.
I have Tamiyas and see that my LHS has Humbrol. Know anything about them? Getting the right color always seems to be the challenge but I am also having fun doing some creative mixing, like my version of Interior Green from a combo of Tamiya green and MM Cadmium yellow. I came realllllll close to FS 34151.
[snYea]
I’ve heard nothing good about Humbrol acrylics, and their enamel line apparently has some quality control problems. Used to be the best enamel you could buy for any money. Sigh.
For brush painting (which I seldom do), I like Vallejo. It’s expensive but brushes nicely.
Ross noted that Tamiya is difficult to brush paint for many, myself included, but both Tamiya and Gunze are my favorites to airbrush. They spray nicely and clean up easily. They are durable and between the two you can usually find the color you need.
Just my [2cnts]
[dto:]
I switched to Vallejo for brush painting about 4 years ago. I still paint more 28mm figurines than I do models by far, and Vallejo is the easiet acrylic paint I have worked with. The color range is superb, and the bottles with built in droppers make getting my mixed colors a snap. Few drops of this, few drops of that, voila!
They also have a full range of addatives such as thinner, metalizer, slow-dry, and varnishes in matte, satin, and gloss, transparents, flourescents…
Wow, I sound like a Vallejo salesperson, but I do love their line!
Good Luck!
Chris
Bob - agreed! The light gray I have is like water and covers poorly, while the Cadmium Yellow is thicker than pea soup with the peas, and dries almost instantly. What a difference!
How many different thinners does one need? I have Polly Scale and Tamiya. Tried the Polly Scale with MM and seemed OK? [:^)]
Quality control issues for Model Masters is an understatement. [2cnts]
I have two for acrylics: distilled water and 90% isopropyl alcohol.
Tamiya, Gunze: 90% isopropyl with retarder.
Polly Scale, Vallejo, MisterKit: distilled water.
I don’t use Model Mucker ACK!ryl, period. I have enough frustration in my life, thank you.
For the very few enamels I still use: odorless mineral spirits.
What retarder do you use and where do you get it?
Any artist’s acrylic retarder will do. I happen to have bought Golden, one bottle will last a lifetime. Any artist’s supply store, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc. will have one or more brands. Retarders slow the onset of curing, but once curing starts, they accelerate it.
A flow aid is a slightly different additive, intended not so much as a retarder as a short term viscosity reducer. They generally have little or no effect on curing.
Flow Aid.
Sounds like something most middle aged and up men might be interested in…
Don’t mind me, my mind is being quirky today! [proplr]
Hey! I resemble that comment! [;)]