.....and it should be an easy one. Im getting ready to order all the paint I need for my first project. Ive only used Testors in the past, but Im thinking of going with Gunze-Sangyo acrylic paints to make things easier (since all the necessary paint from Gunze-Sangyo is listed on the instrustion sheet.)

Soooo......

Other than one needing airbrush thinner (Testors) and the Gunze water, whats the big difference? Is the Acrylic not the best for airbrushing and the Testors is, or the other way around, or are both just fine out of an Airbrush?

Just not sure since Ive never seen or used acrylic modeling paint before (hey, I grew up with Toys-r-us' modeling dept......poor at best .)

Thanks,
Brian

Hi Brian,

You will probably get as many answers as there are painters, as each has their own prefered medium. But the basics are such,

Enamel paints - thinner needed
Acrylic paints - water will do.

Both should works equaly well from an airbrush, but some people experience problems with the acrylic paint drying to quick i.e. in the nozzle. I have not had this problem, but then again I use Tamiya Thinner to thin my paint. It may be a bit more expensive, but the results ( to me) are better.
I use Acrylic paint almost exclusively, only using enamel for the occasional drybrush. I'm using Tamiya for the airbrush and brush, and have started using Vallejo aswel. Now that my LHS is running down his stock I'll probably switch to Vallejo completely.

Cheers
Henk

Hi Brian,

Hands-down, I am a proponent of Polly Scale for airbrushing. It sticks upon what it dries and doesn't peel off. You have plenty of colors to choose from, about 120 military and 120 railroad.

I am not a fan of Tamiya for airbrushing. I've used a few Gunze colors without complaint but Polly Scale is best, IMHO.

Here is a fer'instance:
Model Master Enamel, Tamiya and Polly Scale Test

I thin it with water, windshield washer fluid, Polly Scale Gloss, Tamiya and alcohol. Seems water is as good as any of the others.

:-) :-) See what I mean Brian...

To expand a little on my choice of paint, Tamiya dries very matt, with a very fine 'texture', like a rough surface. This is great for AFV's (which is what I built), but perhaps less so for wingythings. I have never used Polly Scale, can't get it anywhere round here, but judging by Fred's gallery you might want to try it...

Cheers
Henk

Fred, interesting link, nice to see the differences side by side. I agree with you that the 'salt' method does not work all that well with Tamiya, but I have used Maskol for the same effect with good results. And yes, Tamiya paint is suceptible (sp??) to scratching, but I tend to put my models on a shelf, not run my nails over them.. :-)

Cheers
Henk

:-) :-) :-)

You aren't as clumsy as me, either!