Vallejo Model Air vs Tamiya

[Erik]

Greetings everyone - I’m getting back to building after taking several years off and I’m putting together a shopping list of paints.  I’m debating going with Vallejo Model Air and buying a new airbrush, in the past I used Model Masters rattle can lacquer.  Does anyone here have experience with the Vallejo paints?  I realize you need the model air for the airbrush.  I’m also looking at Tamiya lacquers  in rattle cans.  Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

[64Comet404]

I like using the Vallejo paints for airbrushing interiors and for detail painting, but for painting bodies or anything glossy, the Tamiya rattlecans are the way to go. You can also thin the regular Vallejo paints for airbrushing. Here are some pics of a model I built using Vallejo paints (Model Air red for the body and running gear, thinned Model Colors yellow for the wheels).

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by 64Comet404
posted before adding pictures

[dmthamade]

Have used Model Air, find it needs a primer or it would scratch away easily, not stick to bare plastic. Use your go to primer, find Vallejo primers don't stick too well, though. Can't say enough good about Tamiya spraybombs, they work. Best over a primer though have sprayed over bare plastic OK. Metallics need a primer especially if filler or work was done.

Don

[DiscoRover007]

Vallejo model air paints are the superior choice for anything with interiors, semi gloss paints and certain metallic paints. Tamiya TS paints are the way to go for bodies and their flat aluminum other metallic colors are great for simulating the grain of metal casting.

[Erik]

Thanks for the info everyone.  I'm going to try a couple of kits using the Vallejo Model Air, I'm planning the builds with a flat finish for a weathered daily driver.  I also be using their primer.  I'll see how it goes.

[dmthamade]

Be careful with their primer. Have had bad luck with paint and primer pulling up with masking tape. Especially true with their metal colors and primer. Priming with any other primer the paint works great. I've even used Tamiya XF-19 as a primer for their paints, worked fine.

Don

[Dave G.]

Badger Stynylrez is a superior poly acrylic primer to Vallejo. Right off the bat it has a shorter recoat window, is more sandable and it sticks better. It's nearly as good as a solvent based primer with 0 stink factor. If you're going to buy an acrylic primer I suggest you buy it rather than Vallejo. It's the only primer I use anymore ( for about two years now). Vallejo primer needs 24 hour dry time if you end up going with that fwiw.

 

[Dave G.]

On 9/2/2019 at 10:16 AM, 64Comet404 said:

I like using the Vallejo paints for airbrushing interiors and for detail painting, but for painting bodies or anything glossy, the Tamiya rattlecans are the way to go. You can also thin the regular Vallejo paints for airbrushing. Here are some pics of a model I built using Vallejo paints (Model Air red for the body and running gear, thinned Model Colors yellow for the wheels).

 

 

64 that tractor is awesome !

[64Comet404]

58 minutes ago, Dave G. said:

64 that tractor is awesome !

Thanks for the compliments Dave!

I also agree with you about the Vallejo primer, but have found it needs a lot longer. I once tried to do some priming over a surface painted with masking fluid. When I went to remove the mask (5 days later), the primer stripped off in sheets.

[dmthamade]

On 9/6/2019 at 8:29 PM, 64Comet404 said:

Thanks for the compliments Dave!

I also agree with you about the Vallejo primer, but have found it needs a lot longer. I once tried to do some priming over a surface painted with masking fluid. When I went to remove the mask (5 days later), the primer stripped off in sheets.

Yup!! Did a P-38 in NMF using their specific primer and paint with sufficient drying time. Masked to paint different panels and the pant came off in sheets. Had to start over. At least stripping the paint was easy, used green masking tape.

Have used their normal primer with mixed results. Prime with anything else and the paint is great!!

Don

[Dave G.]

9 hours ago, dmthamade said:

Yup!! Did a P-38 in NMF using their specific primer and paint with sufficient drying time. Masked to paint different panels and the pant came off in sheets. Had to start over. At least stripping the paint was easy, used green masking tape.

Have used their normal primer with mixed results. Prime with anything else and the paint is great!!

Don

On 9/6/2019 at 8:29 PM, 64Comet404 said:

Thanks for the compliments Dave!

I also agree with you about the Vallejo primer, but have found it needs a lot longer. I once tried to do some priming over a surface painted with masking fluid. When I went to remove the mask (5 days later), the primer stripped off in sheets.

Wow, never had anything like that happen with Stynylrez fwiw.

[robertw]

The original posting asked about Tamiya spray lacquers. I love them and have every one of their spray colors in my paint rack. The paint comes out of the can smoothly with just the right amount of pressure and dries in minutes. Their clear coat whether gloss, semi or matte works just as well and is easily polished. Using a short length of the bendy straw they can be epoxied around the spray tip and the paint can be  decanted in any amount you want, then airbrushed. Their AS line of military spray paints is not quite as popular but work just as well. From the moment I first used it their Tamiya Fine White Primer  became my  go to choice for that first paint coat. I do use a respirator when spraying Tamiya since it does have a strong smell.

I can't comment on the Vallejo paint line that is certainly popular among aircraft modellers because I'm old school, started with enamels and hopefully have enough stockpiled to last me the rest of my modelling life. My first experiments a decade or so back with acrylics were not very sucessfully and while I've used Tamiya acrylics for interiors  I'm still not completely comfortable with them.