Let me preface this by saying I normally do not airbrush acrylic paints, but was willing to try these new paints to see how they perform and possibly be converted. These took some getting used to. The six colors in the set I used were UA 519/FS 30118 RAF Dark Earth, UA 520/FS 34092, UA 521/FS 36493 Sky Grey, UA 522/FS 24110 Interior green, UA 523/FS 34087 US Olive drab, and UA 524/FS 36173 US Neutral grey. When I opened each of the 22ml bottles I noticed that the paint was a bit thick which caused some concern, but after reading the directions for thinning I felt better. The colors were well mixed even before I stirred them. The instructions suggest using Lifecolor thinner or water and as I didn’t have any Lifecolor thinner on hand, I was stuck with using water.

My test subject for the paint was an old Hobby Craft Hurricane which would allow me to use three of the six colors provided. (The cockpit was already completed) I measured out a small portion of paint into a mixing cup, and added a few drops of water until I reached a consistency of something akin to milk, 2% milk at that. I began with the lightest color, the Sky grey. The initial pass was hard to see as the plastic and the paint are about the same color. I continued making several light passes until I could see the paint going down. It is very translucent so painting required several passes. I sped up drying time by using a hair dryer set on low.

Flipping the model over it was time to add the RAF Dark Earth. I began in the same manner, light coats to establish a base and then progressively adding more color. I could not get the camouflage pattern as tight as I would have liked to as the paint wanted to splatter as it was so thin. I did the best I could though and continued. It took approximately 10 minutes to get the dark earth color laid in and dried, again using a hair dryer to speed things up. I let this set for a few minutes then moved to the dark green. This was by far the most difficult color to add. I believe it was more the painter and not the paint. I must have mixed it too thin as it took considerably more coats to cover the bare plastic than the previous colors did. Light coats, building color, repeat. I kept at this for the better part of 20 minutes until it looked right. This was a bit tedious in my eyes, then again, it might just be me as I usually paint with enamels and lacquers.

Conclusion

The colors look great and appear accurate to my references I have on hand. The thick consistency will lend itself well to brush painting. The pigments are extremely fine and the colors are opaque once sufficient coverage is achieved. Nice paints, but I would not be comfortable with airbrushing them all the time. For those who strictly use acrylics, your mileage may vary.

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