Paint Cracked After Gloss Coat???

My . Sounds to me like you didn't let the primer and subsequent coats dry long enough. You can't rush painting the model. Spray a coat, let it dry at least a few hours then spray the next coat. That's why I usually work on another model while the first is drying. 

To get more answers to your question, go to the Painting section further down the list of sections in the Forum. I'm sure you'll get lots of answers.

Hope that this helps.

Jim 

There are a number of possibilities, but the speed you are moving at sticks out.

Other possibilities include incompatibility of different paints. 

Use the time it's going to take to do it over up front in the future. I always wait a day or 2 between coats of anything. Having other models is a good plan.

Bill

Did you use Tamiya clear gloss acrylic (X-22) or a spray can?

If you used a spray can, it's a lacquer and is too "hot" to apply a wet coat directly to acrylic paints (you mention Vallejo above). You'd need to apply very light mist coats, allowing time to dry/cure between each coat, to build a barrier coat before applying your wet coat. 

OK so maybe TX-22 acrylic clear gloss with X-20A thinner in an airbrush???

I think that if you're using any spray can product, whether it be Tamiya gloss/flat clear or Testors Glosscote/Dullcote, or any other brand, you'd need to take the same approach.

starwarsdude

OK so maybe TX-22 acrylic clear gloss with X-20A thinner in an airbrush???

Lost all the text I wrote but thanks!

What mix ratio of gloss to thinner is good for airbrushing?

Certainly sounds like you are moving too fast with the paint. If you aren't willing to let the paint slow cure, build a heated drying box or use a food dehydrator to speed up the process. I put my models in a food dehydrator at 105 degrees for 4 to 5 hours after any painting. I prime then cook, base coat then cook. etc. etc. It has helped me a lot. Good Luck

It is important to give the base coat enough time to cure. I only allowed 12 hours of cure time of the base coat when I put a coat of Future over a coat of Testors' paint. The result was a disaster:

This model is a 1/12 scale Ford Gt MkII. I paid $200 for the OOP kit and about $100 on tires and PE stuff. It is important to take your time when painting.

You moved too fast. Building a kit - putting the parts together is the quick bit, but you still need to let everything cure.

always let primer and paints cure and dry for a minimum of 8 hours. Overnight or 24 hours is better.

Never use Tamiya clear coats over Vallejo. For some reason they just don't like each other. Vallejo clear gloss is just as good as is AK's gauzy coat which is crystal clear, designed for their Xtreme Metal range but works fine on other brands.

Always wise to have plastic dessert spoons to hand where you can slap paint on and protective clear coats to see how they react to each other. It is a learning process.

the lesson from this is just SLOW DOWN. This hobby is not a rush production line thing, it is a hobby which you learn new techniques, refine existing ones and produce the best you can.

take a look at my most recent builds on the aircraft forum, the Nick Ki-45, Shinden and HK's latest 1/32 Lancaster. That took 3 Months!

For my latest bench adventure, look in the armour section for Amusing Hobbies latest and first full interior kit, the Ferdinand and Strabokran 16t.

So, don't try and do everything at once. With paint, just give everything overnight or 24 hours.