Question for all Modelers

[Goshawk]

Just wondering what you guys would say is the best paint and supplies to use for someone going back into modeling and has to repurchase everthing. What I guess Im asking is oil base better than water base to use getting back started, what name brands of supplies and a good airbrush to get that dosent cost a couple hundred.

* sorry I meant to put oil v's water. 36 hours with no sleep, Im surprised I can see the screen.

Edited June 1, 2005 by Goshawk

[HWR MKII]

acrylic is water based. The best paint in an book is tamiya. Mose people on here swear by it but dont let that keep you from trying other brands and types. Testors acryl is a second to tamiya in my book.

[Grayson72]

I use Tamiya and Gunze Aqueous, both are acrylics/water based. The Gunze paints are sometimes difficult to find but they are the exact paints called for in the Hasegawa instructions. Takes some of the guesswork out of building those Hase's.

[Goshawk]

Sweet I found a place here in New Orleans that carries the Tamiya line of paints and a ton of other supplys. Not to bad a price either $1.60 a bottle.

Thanks guys

[Majestic]

Jebus. I'm getting raped for Tamiya for $3.49 a bottle at my local overpriced Hobby shop.

Any online resource for cheaper out there?

[zeo-mare]

for the little tamiya bottles i get mine from Image Anime in New York, they are $2.00 per bottle if i recall

[Goshawk]

they are 10ml bottles, I am assuming that are the ones your talking about, but here it the link to the store if you guys want it,

Hometown Hobbies

[HWR MKII]

99 cents a bottle here

[Goshawk]

DUDE!! .99 a bottle!!! They gotta a link or something??

[HWR MKII]

unfortunately its the price a hobbyshop in cambridge sells them for and they dont do mail order i wish i could help.

[Goshawk]

well you cant win them all, so umm how much is S&H from canada to the lower US?? *wink wink, nudge nudge* jking

[HWR MKII]

no idea im stationed in the UK. the city of Cambridge i mentioned is the world famous one built around the centuries old university. Model building is huge here in the UK. They even have TV shows dedicated to it.

[Grayson72]

Heh, what else is there to do with weather like that but stay indoors and build models

[HWR MKII]

Actually the weather here has been wonderful and sunny. Good weather for watching B17s and P51 s flying out from the duxford air museum. It hasnt really rained at all in almost a month. Its time to get my other 2 tanks up and running. HE HE

[armentage]

Image Anime is a nice store, especially given that it's in NYC.

Their $2 Tamiya paints are the MINIS however. They are about half the amount of paint you get out of a regular $3.50 Tamiya paint bottle.

$3 for the micro-fine Gundam pens - is that a good price?

[Goshawk]

even with buying from the UK with S&H it still be cheaper here to get. Oh well I tried. Im not sure but I think I went through the area you are in on my trip up to see family in scottland.

Im gonna hit New Orleans this weekend, I hope to grab me some paints and supplys and strat on this VF-0D I got

have you guys ever used Vallejo paints before, I used them along time ago while I was big into Warhammer40k. they were great working on those models so I am hoping they havent dried up so I can use them on this VF

[HWR MKII]

Vallejo. I have heard good things but the amount of paint in the bottles is not enough for most of my projects. I know they are primarily for airbrushing but i work on such large models sometimes that the cost outweighs the quality. I have never been let down by Tamiya so ill stick with them. I have had my1/16 Tiger for more than a year now and the paint still looks just as good as the first day it was applied. That thing has been through some nasty conditions too. Ill probabl go through another gearbox and set of tracks before i have to consider repainting it.

THANK YOU TAMIYA!

[honneamise]

There seems to be a consensus to use acrylics here and I can only add some support. I´m using Tamiya and Gunze side by side for years now and I´m happy with these, much better for airbrushing than any laquer I´ve tried. Can´t comment on Vallejo but from what others told they are fine.

In addition I use Citadel paints for small details and Citadel base colours in spraycans (black/white available) as a primer. For metal areas I use Testors Metalizer or Gunze or hand paint with Citadel. For finishing I like Tamiya clear+flat base or Gunze clear flat but for a glossy paint job I find a coat of Testors Metalizer sealer works best. Guess things like Future are great but since it is not available over here (Germany) I stick to the brands I find here.

Just never mix different paint systems. I once did a 1/32 Williams Gee Bee race plane in acrylics but finished it with a Humbrol laquer coat. It was fine for about a year but then got sticky and dull and I was not able to remove any dust that gathered on it any more. Total loss . Since then I´ve never touched any non-acrylic paint again!

As for airbrushing, I´d say go for a double action even it is more expensive. I´m happy with an Iwata bootleg (made in Poland, about 50$) for over ten years now. Just consider buying an air compressor - even if it is expensive it will pay off. Will save a lot of worrying about where to get constant air pressure!

[Druna Skass]

Never used Tamiya (impossible to find around here) and I've always used Testors for my Gundams. They come out nicely most of the time when I have to mix them to get a specific color. Haven't really needed an airbrush for Gundam kits, and either used a brush or spray paint. I stay away from the lighter spray paints (Testors) like reds and blues since they were a bit runny on me a few times, haven't had problems with gloss white though.

[Goshawk]

As for airbrushing, I´d say go for a double action even it is more expensive. I´m happy with an Iwata bootleg (made in Poland, about 50$) for over ten years now.

Yea I have been looking into getting a double action, I have alway heard they were better. I went back and checked out airbrushes at the store near me and they carry a brand called Badger. Ill link the page so you can take a look

Bager Airbrushes

Edited June 2, 2005 by Goshawk

[Guppy]

Badgers are great! Mine's a badger and I've never had a problem. I thought that airbrushes would be one of those "a miser always pays twice" things, so I got a good one. You don't want to go to all that effort getting one so you can paint your kit super nice then have it destroyed by some cheap POS spitting paint all over it.

[armentage]

I use a Paasche. I had a cheapy Badger in the past, but it was total crap - left a really bad taste in my mouth. By contrast, my Paasche (cost about the same 10 years later!) is solid piece of work. Heavy and well made, it really looks like it'll last me a long time.

What does everyone think of Polly-S paints? Were they bought up by Testors? I always liked them because of in the INSANE variety of colors they came in.

I've also used Badger paints. These are INCREDIBLE. Airbrush right out of the bottle. They go on incredibly thin, stick well, and look great. I think they are primarily for cars & trains, but some of the colors look great on the more flamboyant sci-fi kits.

[HWR MKII]

PollyS were awesome in the 80s before testors bought out floquil and got the license. Now its just testors paint in PollyS bottles. The testors formula is too thin for my liking aside from small detail stuff. Want ultra flat finishes and tamiya isnt available then PollyS was where it was at. I heard Testors will be bringing the old Polly formula back since the feed back they got wasnt good.

For airbrushes i also use a double action. Its the one released by Revell/Germany. IT ROCKS. i love it and cleaning it is simple. Some people will swear by single action too. With enough experience(WMCheng) people can get finer and lighter lines out of a single action than out of a double action.

[Guppy]

I use a Paasche. I had a cheapy Badger in the past, but it was total crap - left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Then you should have pointed it at the kit, not in your mouth!