handpainting with tamiya acrylics?

Shipwreck

Here is the official word on handpainting with Tamiya acrylics.

"Tamiya acrylic paints are designed to be used with an airbrush for large
surfaces.  It is not recommended to apply a second coat by brush, as this
will lift the first coat, even with ample drying time."

This response was from Tamiya's Customer Service!

I suspect that's the "easy" answer, just like Dragon saying that the Tiger 1 hulls were intentionally warped and that the rear hull plate when added is meant to "unwarp" it.

There are many examples of people hand-painting award-winning models (one such example above) using Tamiya acrylics.

Mind you, life would be so much easier for everyone if Tamiya reverted to their original early 80's formula. Now THAT could be hand painted to perfection straight out of the bottle. No chunks, no fuss. If they did that, I would buy it by the truckload.

The current range of Tamiya acrylics can be hand painted, it takes a little preparation and a bit of patience, but it can be done. The 80's version was far better though.

Here is the official word on handpainting with Tamiya acrylics.

"Tamiya acrylic paints are designed to be used with an airbrush for large
surfaces.  It is not recommended to apply a second coat by brush, as this
will lift the first coat, even with ample drying time."

This response was from Tamiya's Customer Service!

cheers guys, sprayed the lanc, but still used some new techniques. looks cool, i'll try and post a few pics. still going to have a play with hand painting though.

espins1

I usually air brush Tamiya Acrylics, however that's not always practical.  What works best for me when brush painting them is to put the amount I need into a clean beer bottle cap then add a little bit of Tamiya thinner which contains a drying retarder.  It will help the paint go on more smoothly and will give you a little bit more time to work with the paint before it begins to thicken up and dry.

Besides thinning your paint (start around 30%) with Tamiya thinners, the other important things to remember are:

• use good quality brushes
• never use a dry brush - always moisten your brush in some clean thinner and remove the excess before dipping it in your paint - this :lubricates" your brush and helps th paint flow on and off it. If you don't pre-moisten the brush, the paint will "set up" on the brush almost immediately and you may as well be painting with a piece of sprue.
• Keep the paintbrush clean. If you are seeing signs of the paint drying on the bristles, stop and clean it before continuing.
• Allow each coat to fully cure before re-coating. If you re-coat before it's cured, you will pull up the underlying coat in big ugly lumps.

I brush painted this Char B1 bis with Tamiya Acrylics using the mixing method I explained above of adding Tamiya thinner (which includes a drying retarder).  Takes a bit of practice to get the ratio just right and it can be done. 

Even though it most definitely can be done, via thinning the paint and appllying in coats, waiting for the paint to FULLY cure between, I honestly think that it is not worth the time. When it comes to brush painting, almost every other brand goes on better, and I would suggest to you that you only airbrush Tamiya paints. use another brand for brush painting.

I usually air brush Tamiya Acrylics, however that's not always practical.  What works best for me when brush painting them is to put the amount I need into a clean beer bottle cap then add a little bit of Tamiya thinner which contains a drying retarder.  It will help the paint go on more smoothly and will give you a little bit more time to work with the paint before it begins to thicken up and dry.

cheers guys just going to airbrush it after that. think i'm going to have a play on another kit. need some vallejio paints i think.

I concur with Phil.  You can brush Tamiya acryllics.  I even use it for some of my drybrushing.

Tamiya acrylics can be brush-painted, but are best airbrushed.

The worst aspect of hand brushing with Tamiya acrylics is "roll-up", where brushing over a partially dry area pulls up the underlying paint in big ugly lumps.  Thin your paint and apply in thin layers, allowing each layer to fully cure before recoating.

Please take the time to read this thread for more details: /forums/p/119510/1197835.aspx#1197835 

If you are restricted to brush painting, you may be better off using a different brand of paint. Vallejo acrylics brush paint beautifully.

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