Tamiya Polishing Compounds and Modeling Wax

The USA has better polishing products on the market than Japan.Just at the local auto parts store.I at one time went to Japan an competed in on of their model contest and they did not stand a chance against me.I used turtle car wax and polishing compound .On the aircraft  side I used metal finish job and polished it w/ turtle car wax.1/48 F-100d .And S'Nj aluminium metal polish Sealed w/ gloss varnish.Made in the USA .Kicked but internationally.

Thanks for all the information guys, I'll report back when I decide what to do and how it went.

The Novus also looks like it would work well on aircraft canopies and also model windshields. 

I've ordered material from Japan and S. Korea a few times and only had one small issue, that was resolved rather quickly and the problem involved US Customs. The times I've ordered paint or adhesive materials, the items you'd expect to see the issue come up with, has been no problem at all. The problem I had was actually with a kit from S. Korea, for some reason Customs didnt like that the box had Korean newspaper in it so they returned it to the sender.

Wilbur, just buy them from BNA model world in Australia. That is where i get mine, and have been for a while. Buy the cheapest shipping (usually $5) and it will get here in 2-3 weeks in fine condition. Also, there prices are usally the cheapest

I've bought about 5 Tamiya products from Japan via EBay and Amazon. Everything arrived within 2 weeks, I'm in SoCal, without a problem. Never ordered from China however. Check Amazon for that stuff. Much better return and refund policy than most ebayers.

TAMIYA Polishing Compound Fine and Finish SET is on Amazon from Japan. $13 and free shipping.

Wilbur Wright

Any opinions?

Sure. Have shipped from Japan if nothing else as a way to flip an imaginary bird to the US and our mind-numbing labelling requirements.

Ummm, you asked for opinions...... <<<<meaning me

I have used products intended for use on full size cars with good results.  There are various grades of polish and rubbing compounds.  The rubbing compounds are more aggressive.  Note that polishing is a material removal technique and that wax adds to the surface, making a smoother surface.  Long, long time ago (and still available for the purist) there are still polishes which have no wax, and waxes that have no polish.  But the companies that manufacture the stuff started selling a simplified product that does both in one product.  That is the normal polish you find at auto parts stores, department stores, drug stores, etc.  To get the just plain polish and just plain wax, go to a store that specializes in car finishes, like the name-brand auto paint stores.

Another alternative is Novus #3, #2, followed by car wax if you have a hard time getting Tamiya compounds. I don't think the Tamiya is magical or better then Novus (even though it says Tamiya..) because essentially, both remove very minute amounts of paint.

Polishing compounds designed for cars can be too aggressive but Novus seems to cut slower.

I got the fine and finish tamiya compounds about 3 weeks ago off amazon. It came from Japan and took about 4 or 5 weeks but no problems at all and price was $12 for both, I also picked up the tamiya polishing cloth.