Hi, a few months ago I bought a few paint bottles from Tamiya. I have around 20 bottles of acrylic paint. A few weeks after, I met a guy who was a fan of the miniature games called Flames of War. He suggested me to use instead some kind of water based paint from the company Citadel.
I don’t want to buy two types of paint but I would like to know which one is better for painting scale models. Soon, I will also start painting structures for a model railroad that I want to create and I also want to finish painting my Flames of War figurines.
So, is it better to go with acrylic or with water based paint?
Thanks for your help!
Acrylics are water based. The two types of paint most model builders use are acrylic and enamel. Over time you will almost assuredly accumulate different types and brands of paint even if it isn’t your intent to…that is if you stay in the hobby. As far as what paint is best to use that can depend on whether you want to brush it on or if you want to apply it with an airbrush. Tamiya acrylics are good for airbrushing but not that great for brushing by hand. I’ve never used Citadel so I can’t say much about them. Acrylics are normally not that good for applying with a brush because they dry fast. I have found that I have more success brushing Tamiya acrylics if I frequently dip my brush in water. The best acrylic paints for brushing by hand that I have found are Vallejo. A lot of guys prefer enamels for brushing because they dry slower. Some even prefer them for airbrushing. A lot of it is personal preferrence. You’ll have to try some different brands and types of paint to see what works best for you. Testors is probably the most popular paint in most cases and they make acrylic, enamel, and lacquer paints. Like I said, you may just have to try different ones to see which you like best. And you can ask around on here to see what different people like.
I didn’t know that. Thanks for the info. The guys that suggested me the Citadel paint was always putting his brush in his mouth to be sure that the hair becomes straight all the time. I am not sure it is acrylic paint but he told me he uses a lot of water every time he paints. He adds a lot of layers.
I hope the brush doesn’t have paint on it when he puts it in his mouth. An easier and more sanitary way to keep the bristles straight after the brush has been cleaned is to dip it in water and form the bristles with your fingers, leaving them damp of course. If he is using water when he paints then he is using acrylics. Water and enamels aren’t going to work together too well.
Here is what I saw on Citadel webpage.
The collection is comprised of 12ml pots of paints. They’re non-toxic, water-based acrylic paints designed for use on plastic, metal, and resin Citadel miniatures.
I’ve heard of some guys using Citadel paints for painting their models. You certainly don’t have to restrict their use to only Citadel miniatures. Just about any paint you can think of can be used on a model. In some cases you might have to apply a coat of primer before you apply the paint, though. Some paints such as lacquer can use strong solvents so it’s best to apply them over a primer coat so they don’t attack the plastic. I even met a guy years ago that painted model cars with finger nail polish. You can imagine the cool looking cars he came up with.
Ok so maybe I could have a try with Citadel paint also. If you. So I presume that those two paints should be ok if I build structures for a model railroad?
Oh yeah. I think all those RR structures are made of the same plastic that model planes and cars and everything else is. At least the structures I’ve seen are.
I agree mostly with what Jim said. Paint is mostly a matter of personal preference. I have seen wonderful models painted with many different brands of paint. And there isn’t a single experienced modeller out there that exclusively owns a single brand of paint.
To be technical, not all acrylic paints are water based (most are), and not all water based paints are acrylic (most hobby paints are). Tamiya’s acrylic paints contain water and alcohols, which is why they carry a flammability warning and lack a “non-toxic” label.
The word ‘acrylic’ refers to the makeup of the binder, not the solvent or pigment. Watercolors and gouaches are water-based paints, but they use a non-acrylic binder, usually gum arabic. And you won’t find them at your local hobby shop.
Chris
Chris, I learn something new every day. I guess, like you said about MOST acrylics being water based, I just assumed that ALL acrylics were water based. Every acrylic paint I’ve ever used, even the brands not manufactured for models, was water based. Oh well, I’m a bit wiser today than I was yesterday.
Thanks Chris for your explanation.
The main thing to consider is will you be hand brushing or airbrushing? Tamiya paints suck for brush painting, especially large areas.
I am going to hand brush only.
If all I were ever doing was hand brushing I think I’d probably own virtually no other paints besides MM enamels.
If you want to use acrylic go with Vallejo if you can find them.
Like I said, I don’t want to have paints from several company. I already have about 20 bottles of Tamiya acrylic paint.
Unfortunately those Tamiya bottles are useless because you are hand brushing. Citadel paints(Games Workshop), Vallejo, Lifecolor are all water based paints that hand brush beautifully. Humbrol Enamels also brush on very well. All these paints mentioned brush way better than MM enamels in my experience. Good luck.
If you’ve made up your mind about using the Tamiya paints for hand brushing then the only advice I can give you is to keep your brush dampened with water as you paint. That will keep the paint from drying out too quickly. Otherwise, as it dries…and it dries fast…it will roll up on you and look like crap. Also, and this is very important, make sure you use the right size brush for the job. If you’re going to paint the body of an airplane, for example, you don’t want to use a tiny brush. Use one large enough to give adequate paint coverage with as few strokes as possible. Using fewer strokes gives a better finish and in this case would make it easier to cover the model before the paint dries on you. Neither Nathan or I are saying you can’t use Tamiya for hand brushing. We’re just giving the best advice we can based on past experience. Either way you do it, it will take practice to get the finish you want.