Anybody here use water-based acrylics to paint model bodies?

[Monty]

I'm aware of Tamiya's water-based line of acrylics, Testors' Acryl line, and recently the Createx line, but AFAIK, not many of you actually paint model car bodies with them. From what I've seen, Tamiya and Testors acrylics offer a decent range of colors, including some candies. Gunze-Sangyo used to have an extensive line of acrylics, but I read that they retracted them so they could push their solvent-based Mr Color line.

If you do use them, what do you like most about them?

If there's a serious downside to them, what is it?

Pics supporting either position are welcome. Please mention what paint you used.

[Dr. Cranky]

Monty, when I paint weathered vehicles, I use the Vallejo acrylics including their primers. I use Vallejo Model Air paints which already come ready for the airbrush.

But, I also use to Tamiya and Floquil acrylics on the same builds, depending on colors and results I am looking for. Here are a couple of recent examples:

[Art Anderson]

I painted this Gunze Triumph TR-2 with Tamiya Dark Green waterborne acrylic back in 1987, as a display piece for my hobby shop. The first go-round of the paint, I failed to pay attention to Tamiya's thinning instructions for their waterborne acrylics, and the paintjob literally SLID OFF THE SIDES OF THE Body!

After stripping it, I did it again, this time reading the cotton-pickin' instructions from Tamiya, and it came out great (British Racing Green back then was a HARD color to duplicate in miniature)

Art

[Eshaver]

Art, first off , that Triumph is wayyyyyyyyyyy IMPRESSIVE! B) As far as waterborne paints , I tend to use the Polly- S acrylic line . If you need a flat finish, this is the way to go . Ed Shaver

[Dr. Cranky]

Art, that is a BEAUTIFUL model. You got it just right.

[MikeMc]

I have shot Auto Air......the downside is high psi to shoot...45 -65 psi and a hairdryer to flash.

[Jared Roach]

I shot this Tamiya miata with tamiya's sky blue acrylic right through my airbrush. I used duplicolor primer and cleared it with the testors one coat laquer, which looks great to this day.

Edited February 25, 2012 by Jared Roach

[Monty]

Looks like some of you use them mostly for flat finishes, although Art's Triumph & Jared's Miata show they can produce a beautiful glossy finish.

Art, I screwed up the first time I bought a bottle of Testors Acryl paints. Had I taken the time to read the bottle, I would've noticed that they don't need to be reduced. At the time I didn't know if the "thin-as-milk" rule applied to acrylics, so ultimately what came out of my airbrush had the coverage ability of Kool-Aid.

I've used the flats & reduced them with everything from rubbing alcohol to Windex, but I've read that lacquer thinner also works well. Anybody tried that?

Edited February 25, 2012 by Monty

[sportandmiah]

Can tamiya or testors acrylics be wet sanded and polished like other paints?

[Monty]

Can tamiya or testors acrylics be wet sanded and polished like other paints?

I think Scale Auto had an article on this about a decade ago & IIRC, the author let the paints cure then wet sanded and polished them. Keep in mind that he used solid colors from each paint mfr & not metallics. I don't have direct experience, but I'd assume it's just as bad an idea to wet sand acrylic metallics as it is to wet sand enamels.