enamels or acrylics plastic cars

[robdot]

hi, can i or should i use acrylics at all for plastic model cars? not on the bodys ,just the general parts etc?

[txdieseldog]

hi, can i or should i use acrylics at all for plastic model cars? not on the bodys ,just the general parts etc?

Robdot, I will never, ever touch acrylics again. I accidentially grabbed one for some interior work I was doing and it was the worst flowing/spreading paint I had ever seen. Some swear by it, but you won't get me to vouch for it.

Barry

[MikeMc]

Robdot, I will never, ever touch acrylics again. I accidentially grabbed one for some interior work I was doing and it was the worst flowing/spreading paint I had ever seen. Some swear by it, but you won't get me to vouch for it.

Barry

If you work acrylics properly, you will never brush paint enamels again.

You usually need to keep the brush moistened with the correct thinner....you can use alcholol but I stick with tamiyas own with tamiya acrylics. You cannot recoat them when still wet as they will glob...I prime first, then brush one coat, not going back. PUT DOWN NOW AND LET DRY!!.....NOPE DO NOT EVEN LOOK AT IT.!!

come back in 10 minutes and now check....recoat if needed and you should have a smooth job.

I shoot lacquers outside and acrylics inside...both brushed and airbrushed...thinner is your friend....

The biggest advantage acrylics have is water cleanup..and quick dry time but no smells!!

[DanielG]

Some fellows hereabouts were using some of the cooler Vallejo Game Colours and then gloss coating (have not tried it myself).

[robdot]

im just wondering , i see all these acrylic paints when im at the hobby lobby, what they for?

[scalenut]

I use createx for everything ... but I wouldn't recommended them to start out on ,, they are their own beast.

[MoparWoman Jamie]

im just wondering , i see all these acrylic paints when im at the hobby lobby, what they for?

um.. I would say for model car building.

[Erik Smith]

Most people use a variety of paints - enamels, acrylics, and lacquers. For brush painting, I prefer Tamiya acrylics. As stated above, wet your brush with thinner and allow time to dry between coats - one hour or so for Tamiya. I pour a little Tamiya thinner into a painting try and dip in before getting paint. Enamels work too, they take longer to dry - sometimes (with thick coats) they can still be soft days after painting.

[Agent G]

im just wondering , i see all these acrylic paints when im at the hobby lobby, what they for?

If you are referring to the tall round bottles they are commonly called "craft paints". They can be used for many purposes, however they too are their own "beast" LOL.

Primer is a must, and brush painting is best accomplished with multiple light coats.

They can be airbrushed with the proper thinning, I used 70 % rubbing alcohol and low pressures.

Now Tamiya paints are the bomb, especially if you use their thinner. Vallejo paints are supreme brush paints but expensive. I have not used Vallejo airbrush paints yet but hear they are swell. Model Master acrylics are, well, there. True acrylics, they are more closely related to the craft paints mentioned above. Thinned with Windex they airbrush very well.

G

[CEKPETHO BCE]

I never thin any paint when I brush it so I guess that explains why tamiya acrylics are not my friends

[Miniblock]

What is the purpose of getting the brush wet before every time to dip for paint?

Is the thinner the same as a brush cleaner they might sell? I'm not sure what they have for thinners since I haven't looked yet, but I'm going to be buying some paints soon and would like to know what to look for when I go to buy paint.

[vypurr59]

You can airbrush these paints also, BUT you must use a flow enhancer,and to allow for the flow to remain glossy, a retarder(sold separately)

I have purchased both of these in a craft store.(normally they are by the Creatix brand paints) but work with most of the other paints in the acrylic line.

[Skip]

When brushing multiple coats of acrylic paint it's nice to have a hair dryer to dry the coat, it also appears to help the paint adhere to the nooks and crannies. Just make sure to use the hair dryer on low temperature, it will help you lay down those thin washes on seats that give things an aged look. This works with the craft paints on up to Createx and Vallejo acrylics.

The other tip when it comes to acrylic paint is you get what you pay for, those really cheap craft paints don't have nearly as much pigment in them and or have more fillers than do the better branded acrylic craft paints. The cheap craft paints are great for washes where you thin the paint to almost a transparent coat, they take more coats than do the better craft paint.

Artist type acrylics (in the tube) are another great alternative they normally have the greatest amount of pigments than do craft paints. With artist paints there are two categories, Artist and Academy the Academy is the cheaper of the two and has more fillers and the pigments may not be as good as the Artist variety. Tube paints can be used for those applications where you would like a high build coat of paint, like for rubber parts, undercoating and anything else you want to appear to be thick.

Nearly all types of acrylics will need some sort of clear coat whether it be gloss or clear to bring out washes.

[Dinky]

I use Vallejo acrylics for about everything, small and big parts. I love the stuff, its much more cheaper here than Tamiya and very easy to use and to clean. Most important its dry in seconds when using the airbrush.

Yes you need to clearcoat indeed most of times but thats easy. The only bad thing from Vallejo is their glosh varnish, its hard to get a good result.