General question. About Paints and other things I have seen you all talk about

[davyou5]

Hello all,

I am sorry, I don't mean to be too bothersome to anyone, but since I started out here, I did have a few questions in mind, and maybe the general discussion is not the place for them but I thought I would ask, and let you all share your great knowledge with me.

Paints.

Okay I have seen many here on this forum speak of getting certain paints here, So tell me what is Tamiya, and give me input here, is it a better paint? or is it just a preference to some?

I have heard others here speak about Testors new paint? Could anyone shed some light about that? I bought a Testors paint set that was good for Exterior Lights (IE, Taillights) and interior (IE, Seats, dash etc). Before I threw the Testarossa out, I thought these were great! I wanted a paint that would match the Taillight colors and match the Interior; which it did. Um anyway.

Also mentioned here allot was styrene? Did I spell that right?, go ahead and tell me about this to. If all else I will just look at some tutitorials here on this site if I find I need to get some "How to" infromation.

Thank you.

[Mr. Moparman]

Welcome to the board! You will find there are a lot of great people here that will help you. Yes, most everything here is styrene plastic or Resin. Paints. I have never used Tamyia paint but I plan on in the future. The "new" Testors paints are the Testors One Coat Lacquer System which was just put on the shelfs a couple of months ago.

[peter31a]

David:

Tamiya is a Japanese company. Not only do they make great model kits but they make great acrylics for brush painting and a fine line of plastic friendly spray laquers that usually lay down real nice.

As mentioned by Master modeller the new Testor's one coat system is also a very good product that is easy to use.

[robertw]

David,

While you've had a couple of good replies to your questions I'd like to add a few additional comments.

As mentioned Tamiya paint comes in two forms, bottle based acrylic (water based but I'd recommend using the Tamiya brand thinner, it comes in large plastic bottles) and spray cans of a synthetic lacquer. I've used these cans a lot either spraying directly from the can or decanting the paint and spraying it through my airbrush. This lacquer is excellent for a car modeller since it sprays well, goes on smooth, dries quickly and can be polished to remove orange peel. When painting with this it is best to be using a respirator, doing it outdoors or using a spray booth as the fumes can be a little potent. The new Testors spray cans are also a synthetic lacquer and are called One Coat. This line has some very nice metallics but personally I still prefer the Tamiya line. Both the Tamiya & the One Coat line have very nice clear coats that will add that extra shine to their paints. Many modelers also use duplicolor automotive paints that can be found at most auto supply stores. Your question didn't refer to primers. Some modellers swear by them others don't use them, I'm in the former group. My favorite is Fine White by Tamiya and I use it on nearly every part I paint. The commonly used ones are Krylon, Tamiya & duplicolor. They should always be used under Lacquer paints to protect the plastic.

As was mentioned the small square bottles of paint are by Testors and are enamels, they also make Model Master paints. The square bottle paint is probably been around longer then any hobby paint (it was around when I started in this hobby in the late '50s) As mentioned it dries slowly and is a softer paint. I'll use it for detail work but never as a body finish. Enamels can be air brushed. I'll use lacquer thinner to thin my enamel paints as it helps speed up the drying slightly.

If you ever need to remove a coat of paint from a model, and we've all been there, most of us use Castrol Super Clean (what we refer to as the purple pond),Easy Off oven cleaner or brake fluid. Others may have their own favorites.

A key thing to remember about learning to paint or using a new brand is to practice before using it on your body. I'll usually have an old body or two around that I can practice on until I feel comfortable.

I hope I haven't bored you too much with this long winded explanation but paint is the most important attribute of a nice model.

robw

[davyou5]

Hello all,

Thank you for sharing your insight and your knowledge with me, I found it most informative and it does not matter if your responses are big or small, I was not dulled by anything here, I wanted to know something and you have responded to my questions accordingly, I thank you all for that.

It's correct, this is a very friendly forum, I am also on many different forum's, this site and one other, are the best, and very positive forum's I have been on. As said before though I don't want to be bothersome, I just wanted to get up to speed on what everyone is talking about, and learn a thing or two along the way. And thank you for welcoming me. I hope to learn more as I go along.

It's sad here in good old Casper Wyoming, I moved back here about a couple of years ago, only to find that allot of the Hobby places have ether moved out of town, or closed down completely, and Walmart's out here have taken model kits off of the shelves, so all I have is the Hobby Lobby, and there's not so much of a great selection but there are some things there, Testor's is the only paint that I have seen there, I am thinking that I would like to try Tamiya paints, I will look for a site online that has them and order some when I get the chance. I am expecting to see my Miami Vice Ferrari Testarossa from Monogram very soon in the mail, uhh, yes I do order kits from Ebay too. Anyway I do have left over Testors paint that I will be using, still I am temped to order some Tamiya spray paint. I wanted to spray paint the Body of the Testarossa a better sheen of white than the molded plastic look. Though I have never used Primer, I have knowm those who do, I will seriously think about using Tamiya Primer too. As far as the brushes go when I got he first Testarossa kit I did buy some fine point brushes from the Hobby Lobby though I cannot tell if they are of good quality, but I know they do work for those small hard to paint area's.

Now that I am thinking about it, I did run into two things on the first Testarossa kit spray painting it. The can Spit or spurt, and Orange peels, though I understand that these are not 100% avoidable, is there a better way to prevent these?

Thanks again guys I am on my way to learning here .

[davyou5]

I thank you all for your suggestions I will store every bit of that info for when I start up my Project tommorow:). Thanks again:).

[Gregg]

David, welcome to the forum.

As you can see, you can find a lot of good and quick answers here on the forum.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, no matter what it is.

We all love to share our hobby, and don't let the lack of local hobby shops get you down.

We also have eModelCars online FREE auction web site for your model car needs.

It may be small, but it's free, and a lot of the guys here use it.

Plus, I know the owner

For anything imported, check out my friend Kevin's store, Strada Sports Online

Kevin has almost everything you could possibly want or need online.

Hobby Link Japan also carries a million or so imported (to us) kits, parts, and goodies, but the shipping is expensive unless you can get a whole bunch of stuff and spread the cost out over all of them.

Good luck, and enjoy your new home here at MCM!

[sjordan2]

In addition to Mark's fine tutorials, here are some more on a variety of car modeling subjects:

http://www.italianhorses.net/tutorials/tutorials.htm

[Junkman]

As was mentioned the small square bottles of paint are by Testors and are enamels, they also make Model Master paints. The square bottle paint is probably been around longer then any hobby paint (it was around when I started in this hobby in the late '50s)

Over here this would be Humbrol enamels, which makes paints since 1919 and started catering to the plastic model builders somewhen in the 50s. Their legendary 14ml tins are still available. Interestingly, George Shaw uses them exclusivly for his paintings on canvas.

Actually, this brings me to the question I wanted to ask: Is nay one using enamels anymore over there?

[Junkman]

I was thinking about this the other day...it's been at least 10 years since I've bought a bottle of enamel paint. I'll use enamel spray cans (like, say, matte black) but that's it.

I even use gloss enamel paint on bodies, especially for classics. The gloss is definitely more vintage than with laquers. And the risk of crazing the plastic is nil, nada, zilch, nemo, rien, nix. Can use them on annuals without risking bugger off. Same with enamel clear.

[charlie8575]

Welcome aboard, David.

Christian- I still use enamels for a lot of things, especially considering they're less expensive and I'm working on a very, very limited budget. I find I like enamels for a lot of things, like detailing, spraying and general use.

On to the main topic.

There are plenty of good products out there for paints, putties, glues and tools.

For paints, I use Testors enamels and lacquers, Humbrol enamels, which can be a bit hard to get Stateside, but is really excellent paint. Enamels airbrush nicely when thinned with non-penetrating lacquer thinner, they also dry a lot faster when thinned with lacquer thinner. To help enamels dry, I like to hit them with a hair dryer on low about a foot back. Too much closer or hotter and you might have a puddle.

I also have used Tamyia, Testors Model Master Acryl and Testors lacquers. All have proven very satisfactory when used properly.

Primer: I use Plasti-Kote usually, a couple of people have told me to try the Rust-Oleum primer at the auto parts stores. Dupli-Color is usually a little too hot a lot of people have been finding.

I also like automotive paints for finishes. Dupli-Color or Plasti-Kote both work well. You can also use the airbrush-mixed paints from MCW or Scale Finishes. I haven't used Scale Finishes, but have used MCW and found them very good products.

For paint removal, I used to use Super Clean and its equivalents, but I've found the last bottle...lacking. Right now, I'm using Whestley's Bleche-Wite whitewall cleaner, it's slow, but works well.

For removing unwanted plating, I use bleach in small plastic jar with a plastic screw-on lid; this is important because bleach will corrode metal. The leftover clear lacquer undercoat makes a good primer for painting I've found. If you need to remove it for any reason, Super Clean or Bleche-Wite will do the job.

Glue- much to the vexation and confusion of many, I still love Testors tube cement for so many things. I like it for big assemblies, and things that I need to fiddle with. I use Testors liquid cement for small assemblies that I want fused quickly and superglue for when I need to glue painted parts together.

For clear parts, use canopy cement or Aleen's Tacky Craft glue (or whatever it's called.)

Putties: I just have a tube of Squadron at the moment, but Bondo Spot Putty (one-part red product in a tube) has recently come very highly recommended to me.

Tools: good tools last longer and are cheaper in the long run. I use Xuron nippers, X-Acto and Excel modeling knives and related accessories and the Tamyia paintstand.

Airbrush: I have a Testors Aztek A320, which works well. I'd suggest picking up a compressor too. Testors has an inexpensive starter compressor for about $70. Far from the greatest in the world, but still quite usable for light-duty use.

Charlie Larkin

[Junkman]

Charlie, your models sure don't look like you are on a budget.

[charlie8575]

Charlie, your models sure don't look like you are on a budget.

You're far too kind, Chritian. Just lots of patience and stuff I've collected over the years since I was a little kid. I also always treat myself to something anytime some work comes in. In-between, I try to at least pick up a little paint and such just to keep things moving.

Charlie Larkin

[DRG]

Wow, I learned a lot from that one myself.

[davyou5]

Hello all,

Hey People thanks for the tips. I am on my way to learning a whole lot more .

Edited September 26, 2010 by davyou5