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Tamiya Acrylic Paints

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Tamiya Acrylic Paints
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 6:24 AM
Hi,

For those of you that use Tamiya Acrylics I was wondering if you always have to mix paints to create certain colours. For example, Tamiya's light grey isn't exactly like the light grey according to the Federal Standard.
Does Tamiya have different names for these colours, or is it that they just produce basic colours that each individual can mix together?

Thanks

Farhan
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 4:58 PM
never buy a paint according to its name. Many companies make a light grey but it is either called something else or it is different in shade.
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Newport News VA
Posted by Buddho on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 5:49 PM
I agree with Robertomoe....I usually mix mine to get the required results.

Regards, Dan

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Lower Alabama
Posted by saltydog on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 6:35 PM
i have tamiya flat blue, red, yellow, green, brown, black, white, and a color wheel. i normally find plenty of pictures of the model im assembling online so i make a "slide show" in "my pictures" and just compare my mixed color to the photos. works well for me.
Chris The Origins of Murphy's Law: "In the begginning there was nothing, and it exploded."!!! _________ chris
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 8:22 PM
I think I will do that saltydog. I'll just get a few of the basic ones and make the colours I need.

Thanks again
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: CT - USA
Posted by thevinman on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 8:39 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by saltydog

i have tamiya flat blue, red, yellow, green, brown, black, white, and a color wheel. i normally find plenty of pictures of the model im assembling online so i make a "slide show" in "my pictures" and just compare my mixed color to the photos. works well for me.

How does a color wheel work and where would on procure one? Dunce [D)]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 8:47 PM
Any decent arts-supply store should stock colourwheels or colour fans, most of them come with a short description on how to use them too.

Here is a link to some quick online explanation:

http://www.mauigateway.com/~donjusko/colorwheel.htm
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Lower Alabama
Posted by saltydog on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 9:00 PM
oh, i use tamiya thinner as well. a 250ml jug can thin enough paint to justify the meager extra cost. some people use 90% isopropyl alchohol but tamiya thinner is the way to go if you ask me. cool link madmodelfactory! i saved it to my favorites. i find it a tad difficult to mix brown for some reason, so thats the only reason i purchased flat brown.Wink [;)]
Chris The Origins of Murphy's Law: "In the begginning there was nothing, and it exploded."!!! _________ chris
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 22, 2004 2:28 PM
I have just used Tamiya acrilics for the first time. I have yet to airbrush the paint, but using it with a normal brush I found it did not cover a smoothly as enamil paint. I don't get this less toxic stuff. I find that the paint, and thinnners in particular is far more toxic than enamils. Not looking forward to spraying and cleaning my airbrush. Am I going wrong here somewhere?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 23, 2004 7:40 AM
Mooro, you can pretty much forget trying to brush paint Tamiya Acrylics, stick to your enamels for that. As far as spraying them, they work very well. At first try thinning with Tamiya thinner at 50/50 and about 15 to 20 PSI pressure and then experiment from there to find you own preferences, but those guidelines should get you off to a good start. As far as cleaning your airbrush, just use some Windex and water to clean up. Beats using Turps and thinners I reckon. For small details, I like using the Citadel paints, they work really well with a paintbrush, clean up with water and are non-toxic. Hope this helps you mate.

Cheers...Snowy.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 23, 2004 10:16 AM
Why is it a bad idea to brush paint them? I've tried before and it didn't work out too well but I thought it was because the colours were red, yellow and white and read that most people have problems with those particular colours.

Farhan
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Hayward, CA
Posted by MikeV on Friday, January 23, 2004 10:35 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by thinstix

Why is it a bad idea to brush paint them? I've tried before and it didn't work out too well but I thought it was because the colours were red, yellow and white and read that most people have problems with those particular colours.


They are formulated too thin for reliable paint brush work is why they are not recommending them.

Mike

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 23, 2004 2:16 PM
Is that true for all acrylic paints or just Tamiya's? Would applying a primer be a good idea?

Thanks again

Farhan
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 23, 2004 11:25 PM
Tamiya and Gunze got similar characteristics. They are hard to brush. You can't brush a second layer on while the first layer hasn't cured yet. The second layer will just lift the first layer off. Most other acrylic paints brush very well, in fact they brush better than some of the enamels. Model Master and Polly Scale are great for brushing.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Hayward, CA
Posted by MikeV on Friday, January 23, 2004 11:29 PM
The only paints I have used for brush painting are the Poly Scale ones and they work excellent if you put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid in them to ease the surface tension.

Mike

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Friday, January 23, 2004 11:34 PM
It's not always the case for me. I use Tamiya Acrylics for both airbrush and handbrush. When handbrushing you need to stir the paint well because acrylics tend to suffer from pigment segregation during storage. You just need to practice until you get the correct consistency of the paint.

If you are getting a very thin and transparent coat of paint then it is either that your paint needs stirring or it has gone bad.

Good luck.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 23, 2004 11:36 PM
How long should I stir them for?

Farhan
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 23, 2004 11:53 PM
I ended my last message a little short, basically I've brushed some paints on before and they worked well. Though with the white, red and yellow, it doesn't stick to well and it's too thin or sticks to the brush. So how long do I stir it for? A minute, two?

Thanks again
Farhan
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Saturday, January 24, 2004 12:29 AM
Actually until you get the correct consistency. Stir and check by brushing on an old plastic or surface.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 24, 2004 3:25 PM
I think that tamiya colors, at least certain ones, are made to go with the Japanese military standards. I personaly have IJN light grey and it does not match FS light gray.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 26, 2004 3:29 AM
The Tamiya paint numbering system seems to have its lineage from the old Pactra enamel paint line. The colors are very close to what Pactra had with some minor differences. Tamiya used to recommend Pactra paints before they introduced the Tamiya paints.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 26, 2004 3:31 AM
My technique for brush painting with Tamiya acrylic is to lay the paint on very wet with a broad paint brush. Then use the paint brush to spread the paint for coverage but once stop brushing once the parts are covered and just let the paint level out. The problem with the Tamiya paint is that when you start brushing over a section that is starting to dry then you start lifting it.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 26, 2004 9:07 AM
Personally I haven't really had that many problems with the Tamiya paints and brushing them. I have to weather a little bit harder but never anything major as far as looking bad. But I haven't had that much luck with the Spray paint. The problem I have with them is that they come out with to much of a shine. Makes your models look like they came straight off the factory showroom floor. But again weathering can normally take care of that. Now that I have been reading these post tho I think I may start using the model master paints. Maybe I wont have to weather as much.

Wait is there such a thing as to much weathering a tank?

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