Model Master paints and laquer thinner

There is no high tech substitute for practice and skill.

"Lacquer thinner" as I've said ad nauseam, does not have a set composition. It varies from pure alcohol to an esoteric mix of solvents, many of them so hot that they dissolve styrene, with some alcohol. Lacquer thinner is not necessarily compatible with any polymerizing paint (that's why it's calle lacquer thinner, not paint thinner.) It may look like it works, but your mileage may vary.

Not worth the risk, to either your health or your model. Not necessary, either. With practice, using an appropriate thinner, even MM acrylics can produce beautiful finishes.

I use 1 part paint to 1 part lacquer thinner using MM enamels.  Works fine with flat paints, and dries to the touch in seconds.  Some people have also used odorless mineral spirits as well.

I use the Klean Strip lacquer thinner (available at just about any hardware store) for both thinning and cleaning.  I find that the lacquer thinner gives a more reliable result than airbrush thinner, and I can buy it in quart or gallon.  But as always, experiment first.

I just wondered if there was a good reason to do this as I had heard it mentioned in some circles. I have always used the MM enamels with its proprioty thinner as my choice and if I had any issues, it was usually traced back to some other problem such as prep, airbrush settings, improper mix, old paint, etc. You know, the big nut behind the airbrush is usually to blame. Most of my use of acrylics has been limited to model RR scenery projects, and the couple of times I attempted to use them for an aircraft project, it ended in disaster. I'm just too used the properties of the MM enamels to learn new ways. I guess I really don't have a good reason to experiment with this-no offence to those who do use it.

Thanks all!