Types of paint to use

If you use a good primer none of the paints will melt plastic.  The choice of acrylic vs enamel is a hard one.  For ships you will be looking at flat finish paints, and there is little difference in using them.  I personally like enamels, like Testors Model Master, but the majority of my modeling friends use Acrylics.  I like enamels because I sometimes model subjects that require a gloss finish, and I find gloss easier with the enamels than with the acrylics.

Only real problem I have with acrylics is airbrushing with them.  They dry very rapidly, and sometimes I have been distracted and did not clean my airbrush for several minutes after finishing.  Acrylics must be cleaned out of an air brush immediately! If any hardens in brush it becomes a hard cleaning job.

Tony,

You might want to look at this thread:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/155770.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=1

Mike

I only use enamels, thinned with lacquer thinner--both Testors Model Master and WEM's Colourcoats.  I used to use Floquil's Dio-sol, which was pretty strong.

Spraying with an airbrush, I've never had trouble with melting plastic.  In fact, "hot" thinners cause the paint to "bite" the plastic, with less chance of pulling up the paint, especially if you mask one color in order to paint another.  

Bristle brush painting would probably be a lot different.