Dave G.

I definitely would use my touch up lvlp spray gun on a 1/8 scale model or one of these large ship models out there with 5' long hulls. I've used that on my wife's ceramics dioramas too. LVLP indicates low volume low pressure. It has a 1.0 needle installed so just short of my Paasche H with large needle. Has paint flow and air adjustment . Here is the selling point for me in large scale though, the fan cap. Course there are a couple of airbrushes out there that are fan cap capable too. I have the compressor to feed spray guns though and that is a consideration when you start thinking spray guns. But lvlp is pretty air friendly anyway, especially in the small touch up guns. Just sayin.

Hey it was 60 years ago I shot my first Testors rattle can and 45 or so since the last ( actually I had switched mostly to Pactra by then) but can still recall that soft spray pattern going down and flowing out perfectly.

I'm with the Model Master Enamel suggestion if you can find it. Basically spray it on and that's that minus dust and stuff. But it shines right out of the can, two to three coats and you're done.. Only thing, good luck finding it anymore. I know the plain Testors rattle cans were always good in black too but I haven't kept up with them enough to suggest them at this point. Seems 72 C likes it though.

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I mix my own thinner for craft paints and some other acrylics as well, it works in most acrylics and craft paints spray the best I've seen with it. DecoArt tends to reject it though, so I do something different for that brand. It's 60/40 distilled water to 91 IPA then 6-8 drops of Liquitex retarder added to every 3oz of that blend. I've tried other internet solutions for thinner but this beat them all in my almost two years of experimenting with various acrylics. I've also done 70/30 water to alcohol, this can squeak by with some alcohol sensitive acrylics like Vallejo Model Air. Craft Smart takes the least thinner. Apple Barrel next. FolkArt the most thinner. Martha Steward acrylics thin with this thinner. A brand named Color Tek which is high pigment paints thins with it eventually, the paint is thick though. Model Master acryl sprays better with this than with their own Aztek thinner fwiw. Tamiya flats spray with it but gloss hazes, goes on fine but dries with a haze, better off with lacquer thinner with Tamiya acrylic gloss. The problem now with covid around though is finding 91 ipa. I'm going to experiment eventually with denatured alcohol but I already suspect it will spray like windshield washer solvent, which works but not as well as ipa imo. You can also use the 70ipa if you find that, just adjust the water ratio accordingly. Reverse the roll lol, 60 alcohol to 40 water. Finally, while I tweak this to my liking, I have to give the basic idea /credit to Bobby Waldron professional model builder.

Pretty much all I use on interiors, floors etc. Even bodies quite a bit but clear coat required and primer too. There is a heck of a bunch of base colors to choose from and blend from there. AppleBarrel and FolkArt paints are fine. Make up the right thinner, thin the paint right and it's not tricky to spray at all even against popular belief. So thats my take.

Ya to me ca is the way to go, I prefer thick formula. Right now I'm trying some that says Gel Maximum strength. It's true that it seems strong enough, the gel is questionable, it seems more like just thick to me . I've had gel for arrow knocks and fletching vanes before that was really gel and very strong. But this stuff works, it's a bit slow to kick but holds well. It's a Crazy Glue brand here in the States, comes two small tubes in a blister pack. I prefer small tubes like that and use one completely up and not toss so much when it goes bad because I didn't go through it fast enough. Now for my ca glue finishes on Christmas ornament wood turnings, there I prefer thin and in a bigger container. Just sayin. I also use ca glue in fly tying sometimes.

People also get the Molotow refills and take the chrome from there to airbrush it. Just sayin.

Edit: triple post for some reason

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I actually used to use a FolkArt craft paint for a while and it turned out pretty decent. That was when I didn't use Metalizer paints ( lacquer based). But I've switched to Molotow and I'm just gonna hang out with that.. Years ago ( 1960's ) I used Testors enamels, you aren't missing a whole lot there from what I can remember but it's what we had back then.

I just use plain old Testors orange tube, always have. Or super glue, the gel version or at least the thick. I also like thick formula Kiss super glue ( what the ladies use on their nails). I've also always painted body parts unassembled, it just goes all the way back to my childhood in around 1960. Nice paint congrats !!

Good news ! The Tamiya should be fine, could be a slightly different tone than Classic White ( it's a whiter white).

Most of my models lately with a few exceptions have been color coated with acrylic paints, even craft paints then clear coated with either lacquer or Tamiya X-22 clear gloss or Tamiya clear colors as a more custom look. The last model painted with enamel was a year ago in MM Chrome Yellow gloss and gloss Classic Black which both went on beautiful, no need to clear coat. But ya, I'd say that's a bad bottle of paint.

There's no extra magic going on in a Badger lol. If you get a good finish and like using it is all that matters. Ya know when I shot 1/1 my main two guns were Devilbiss. Then I had two knock off guns, one of the Devilbiss and the other of a Binks. They all shot great.

IDK, it was just a suggestion I've used with other paints.

Mix the gloss and flat together for any number of different levels of gloss.

Ya, larger tips flow more paint or thicker paints. Simple enough lol !! Course there is the argument for not pulling the trigger fully back too. Sometimes it's nice when a brush has an adjustable needle stop on the back ( I have one like that and the main 1/1 gun I used years ago had one as well).. All that said, there is no model paint I know of that won't flow through a .55 nozzle assembly if properly thinned. As I've mentioned before I've shot many of them through a .25. Sometimes people like the larger needles for a couple of reasons, more spread at higher pressure and backed away from the surface for one. And/ or less thinner sometimes.

Nice ! That #1 is .55 evidently.

Well hey we each have our favorite "things", maybe the VL is going to be one of yours. Good news, glad it went well for you! Which needle did you use ?

I've set slightly warped bodies on their chassis/floor pans, hold in place on assembly and tacked them down with quick set glue, be that liquid glue or super glue/gel etc. You need to test fit first and see how pliable it is and if it will be easy to pinch in place. So essentially I did no pre correction. An 1/8" is getting to the point it might be too springy though, you just have to try it on a test fit. I hate warped bodies and the whole heat scenario . There are stresses running through the body that need to be relaxed, if you over heat it makes the plastic brittle when cooled, under heat and it does no good and in a day or two it's back where you started from.. Some guys seem to do well soaking warped parts in a pan of hot water and kind of hold it counter twisted as it cools.

Glad it's working for you !! I actually shot some clear lacquer yesterday myself. The ladies were out of the house so I grabbed the opportunity lol ( one is asthmatic, along with about every other kind of matic so I don't spray lacquer when she's around even with the booth).

Both Testors yellow enamel and Tamiya X8 acrylic go on beautifully. You just have to put a clean base under them in white primer or yellow tinted white primer.. You can also do white primer and a coat of pearl white as a base coat, that helps the yellow pop.. The Tamiya is best clear coated. Done deal. I did a Mercer in MM Chrome Yellow. I put down white primer, then sprayed black outline areas for the stripes and taped off the stripes, another coat of primer to hide the black overspray and sprayed the yellow. Came out like glass. Shot it with my 45 yo Badger 200.

You can find them used ( the kits) on Ebay, made by MPC 1/25 scale. Several iterations of box art but the same kit. oldmodelkits,com might have some too. I'll let GeeBee fill in the details since it's him you asked not me.