I wanted to start this post as an informative thread for those who have little-to-no experience using acrylics. Also for those who use modeling acrylics exclusively. I’ll get the discussion started with a bit of commentary on my favorite! Well I have to say that by far, my favorite modeling acrylic has to be Gunze Aqueous! Having used Tamiya, MM Acryl, and Polly Scale; Gunze thins superbly with disilled water, has all the pros that we love inherent of acrylics and has an extensive color selection. The only thing I don’t like about the Gunze line, is that…I have to special order the stuff!..AARRGGHH! I tried some for the first time about 2 years ago on a prized KC-135R I found at a local contest. I was very impressed in the way it flowed through the airbrush, as well as brush-painting. While playing around with it once, I thinned it fairly thin and sprayed the finest line I’ve ever been able to get with an acrylic with excellent adhesion. Also there was no need for proprietary thinners- distilled water was a superb altrnative. For clean-up, good ol’ Windex got my Iwata squeeky clean.
So whats your favorite, and why? What has been your experiences, and finally, what type of routine have you developed- if any with your favorite acrylic?
I second Gunze Aquas too (luckily my lhs stocks it), also I have a love affair with vallejo. Tamiya is an old standard I can rely on but that gunze is really nice.
Yeah Gunze Aquaeouieaueiouauies would be my favorite acrylic too. Me & my nephews can actually finish stuff with that paint. However, I have pulled off one miracle by finishing a model with MM Acryl. Acryl happens to be the only white paint I ever use anymore, but everything I do with Acryl is thinned with Tamiya thinner.
ditto on the Tamiya thinner, with every type of acryl except Vallejo… I have to say Vellejo is the best I have sprayed, but found a LHS with gunze recently that I am willing to try out Gunze and see how it goes…
I can only get Gunze via mailorder and I don’t like mailorder! [xx(]
I therefore use Tamiya for airbrushing, thinned with alcohol/water mix or windscreen wiper fluid (winter mix, because it contains alcohol)
I use citadel/games workshop paints for brush painting.
Same here. Nobody in this area has Gunze and I never think about it when I order things. I do like mailorder though, just never think about ordering paint.
I use Tamiya, Model Master Acryl, and Polly Scale for most of my airbrushing. For brush painting I also prefer Citadel / Games Workshop.
What is a good tape to use that will not lift up the acrlyic paint ? Have you ever had this problem, and how long should you let the acrlyic dry before putting tape on ? I am thinking of using acrlyics only I do not like enamels !
^Tamiya tape is the best. Use it after at least 3 hours drying time if you’re in a hurry.
I’ve only ever used Tamiya paints. I tried Gunze Aqueous once, and tried using water, Tamiya thinner, even lacquer thinner on it, and I still had a terrible time with it. I had to strip it off and do it all over – twice. I’ll never use Gunze again. Sorry.
I like Gunze thinned with Tamiya thinner too. They spray on smooth, and have a huge range of colours.
I use Tamiya tape to mask over it, and have never had a problem with lifting. If you let it dry overnight, you won’t have any problems. Priming helps alot too, I use Tamiya grey primer.
Pollyscale/Aeromaster for airbrushing and Vallejo for detail painting and brush painting. Vallejo brush paints like a dream, no brush strokes evident!
I too use Tamiya tape for masking, it will never lift off Pollyscale/Aeromaster and vallejo over a suitable primer.
Although I have used Gunze paints, I am not a big fan of them at all and it seems these days that Tamiya acrylics are more fragile than they used to be. Anyone find that at all?
I always prime my models using Tamiya Fine white or grey primer.
I love the dead flat finish of Tamiya paints. MM has some good colours to chose from, and flows fairly well, but Tamiya is still better IMHO. I have not tried Gunze yet, but i hear nothing but good things about it, and Vallejo as well.
Thanks for the information. I am working on the RM 1/48 F-4 E. I used enamels and did not like them. Then when I peeled the tape of the area that I painted natural metal near the exhaust my paint came off with the tape. Now I have to retape and spray again. I went and purchased a bottle of tamiya acrlyic, sprayed a test piece of plastic and was really happy with the outcome ! So I think I will switch to Tamiya acrlyic.
Hey guys, don’t remember if it’s been mentioned before or not but; last night I made a 50:50 thinner formula for my Tamiya acrylic, with great results. I combined 70% alcohol and Windex. I thinned some colors for an F-15 i’m working on and I was very impressed with how well it worked ;specifically how thourough the paint was atomized during airbrushing. I even saw a slight boost in adhesion. I am going to try another experiment with Isoprophol and a small amount of Laquer thinner to see how it performs…check back for the results!
…when AeroMaster released their acrylic line…aside from a few metal colours for brush painting from Polly S…the AeroMaster acrylics were the cat’s meow…
Gunze’s great to spray when you have access to their line…however, i’ve discovered Xtra-colour’s new acrylic line thinned with the Polly S thinner…as well as MM Acryl line thinned the same…sometimes 70/30 sometimes 60/40…both have great colour selection…good adhesion, great application and with some acrylic retarder added, the charactistic of drying too fast is all but eliminated…
either one will make a 64th" line for feathering cammo with about 8/15 psi and 70/30 mix with either paint…
still the bestest[;)]brush paint is the Polly S…
works great and last a long time…
and Windex and/or de-natured alcohol cleans like a dream…