Thursday, September 19, 2013

Sprue Cutters Union #9: When I Paint My Masterpiece

This week's Sprue Cutters Union question is:  What paints do you use?

I don't paint that much, but when I do, I prefer Mr. Color.  These Japanese synthetic lacquers are almost perfect.  Thinned with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner they spray so beautifully that even an airbrushing dunce like me can get a great finish.  They dry fast and rock hard and have a good selection of colours.  So why aren't they perfect?  They are smelly, and they are lacquers, so I'm sure they are quite toxic.

My other favorite is Tamiya's acrylics.  Not as durable as Mr. Color, a primer is almost a necessity, they spray very nicely; though not as smoothly or as easily as Mr. Color.  (Occasionally, they can be temperamental.)  Much more common on hobby shop shelves, Tamiya's one major drawback is its limited selection of military colours.  I delude myself thinking they are less toxic because they are acrylics.  Of course, I use Tamiya Lacquer Thinner to thin them, so, well, ok, maybe I should just stick to the Mr. Colors...

As for brush painting...I haven't found a paint in 2013 that is actually good for brush painting. Some claim Vallejo, which have the added benefit of being non-toxic, but they still need a primer, and I'm not quite sure I've got the hang of them yet, either by brush or in the airbrush...especially the latter.  But more experimenting is in order.

Part of being in the Union means you must include links to fellow contributor's posts within your own response. So here are a few posts from some of the other members:

Mike has many favorites.
The Eternal Wargamer is all about the Citadel acrylics.
Jay likes Vallejo Model Air and Tamiya.

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