Model Master Enamels

One drawback with airbrushing enamels is the fumes,you want to use a respirator or good ventilation.It could be thinned and cleaned up with mineral spirits.A good way to thin while handbrushing is use seperate containers on a pallate,just wet the brush with thinner and dip it in the paint.While airbrushing it should look like skim milk,just eye-ball it.

Some clean with spirits and thin with the brand name thinner,it's a matter of preference.

I've used MM enamels since they came out in the 1980's, and didn't like them at first back in those days.  Now, we've come to terms.

I found that MM's own airbrush thinner wasn't "hot" enough to get a grip on the plastic, and had a lot of trouble with paint pull-ups after masking.  For years, then, I used Floquil's Dio-Sol, which was really "hot."  Then, Floquil seemed to change the forumla, plus it's gotten kind of pricey--so I switched to lacquer thinner for airbrushing.  I sometimes thin as much as 1/2 paint, 1/2 thinner--depending on the color, since some paints seem thicker right from the start, in the bottle, than others.

When I have to brush paint, mineral spirits seem to work fine for thinning.  I sort of do it like Tojo says, except I sometimes just use what accumulates in the bottle cap after shaking.  Other times I put it on a bottle-cap "pallette," with mineral spirits in another bottle cap.  Dip the brush in the mineral spirits, swirl it around in the paint till the consistency seems right, then brush it on.

One thing to be careful of, though, with enamals is not to go back and forth over the area.  You will get brush marks.

I think the important thing will be to do some practicing with MM, on some old kits, or some cheap kits that you might not be emotionally attached to very much.  Nevertheless, you can get good results with MM.  

Good luck.

. . .and, by the way, from your avatar, you wouldn't be from the Badger state, would you?

Thanks for the replies, guys!

CheckMateKing02, I am from the badger state! How about you?

Yes, but I'm a combination product of UW-Whitwater (Warhawks) and Concordia University-Wisconsin (Falcons).  My daughter just finished her degree in Gaming Animation at Madison Media Institute, although we don't live in Madison.

I'm curious about the hobby shops you mentioned--the one in your old residence and the one in your new residence.  There aren't too many really good brick and mortar shops around anymore.  Madison used to have one out on Odana Road that was loaded.  It's been gone for a while.

In Milwaukee, there used to be a pretty good one on 76th Street:  Happy Hobby.  I haven't been there for a while, but it was a pretty big place and well-stocked.  

www.happyhobby.com/.../hobby.htm

I see it's still there.  

"On Wisconsin!"

And currently I'm just finishing up a kit of USS Wisconsin for the "Force of Nature" Group Build.

Mike, I looked up your profile and see you are studying mechancial engineering at UW-Madison.  Good for you.  It's not an easy school to get into (which is probably why I didn't go there!).

I get most stuff via the internet these days, but (and you probably know this) there's a Hobby Horse out on East Washington by EastTowne Mall.  Another shop somewhere out on Mineral Point, I think, out the west Beltline, but I've never been there.

Have you discovered others?

School ought to be starting up again soon.

Yup, I'm definitely excited for school to be starting! My classes are all set and I've been checking out the textbooks, which cost so freakin' much!

The hobby shops around here are Madison Hobby Stop on Mineral Point Road and The Last Square. Both have a pretty decent selection, though Last Square has transitioned over the years to appeal to gamers more than modelers, so I don't find their store all that interesting anymore. Come to think of it, The Last Square is on Odana, so maybe that's what you were think of. It used to have a supply of AM goodies from Verlinden and other resin and PE companies, though all of that was sold off in a big sale a few years ago to make room for the massive amounts of gaming stuff they have. They used to also have a small military library, which was, once again, sold off to make room for gaming. Both have decent prices, though I think they take advantage of the fact that there aren't other large hobby stores like there are in Milwaukee, where prices are more competitive because of the number of large hobby stores.

The one I mentioned in Milwaukee was Greenfield News and Hobby. Now that place is modelers heaven! They have at least six major brands of paints, rows of kits, and a huge RC and railroad department, in addition to artist supplies, old-fashioned candies, and probably the best-stocked newspaper and magazine selection in Milwaukee. I will definitely miss having them two minutes away from my house!

I have a friend going to Whitewater for business this fall. He seems really happy already and has said the campus is cool. I think one of my high school teachers went to Concordia, not sure about that though. It's always nice to chat with someone familiar with the Dairy State!

Hi, Mike:  Hope your classes go well once you start in.  The price of textbooks is outrageous.  When I went to UW-W, they had a textbook library, so most books were loaned, and you returned them at the end of the semester.  Much cheaper.  I supposed they've done away with that now.

UW-W is noted for its Business College, and its College of Education.  It started out as a "normal school," which is what they called schools for teacher training a hundred years ago.  Then, it was part of a system separate from the university system; it was called "Wisconsin State University--Whitewater," until the late 1960's or early '70's.  That was also true for Platteville, LaCrosse, etc.  Finally, they merged them all together.  But I don't go back that far!

Now that you mention The Last Square, yes, I remember it.  Haven't been there for years since even back then, it was more gamer oriented.  But they did special order some little pilot figures in 1/72.

But the hobby shop that used to be on Odana Road was a little closer in, back toward WestTowne Mall.  It also had a big section of doll houses and Breyer horses.

We used to live in Sheboygan, so it was easy then to drop down to Milwaukee and make a circuit of the hobby shops there, although I don't have a specific recollection of going to Greenfield.

I hope with all your studies, they still give you some time for modeling.  You'll need a break from the stress.

I lived at home and commuted, so modeling was never a problem.  Did WWI airplanes then, and still have most of them.  I think I lost von Richthofen and Brown.

If you're in a dorm, it'll be more difficult.

This has certainly strayed from your first questions!

I use Testors enamels exclusively in my airbrush. I  find acrylics dry too fast and if I am not diligent in cleaning airbrush immediately- no answering telephone or anything- I get clogs.

I used to thin with Testors airbrush cleaner, but have a hard time getting it anymore.  So now I use hardware store mineral spirits or turpentine.  Works almost as well as Testors airbrush cleaner.  Do NOT use generic paint thinner.  They sell some crud that you don't know what it really is (it is milky in color) and it sometimes precipitates little particles that get in paint.  Hold out for a can or bottle that specifically says what it is made of (mineral spirits or turpentine).

I have had few adhesion problems. I usually prime all plastic but even when I have painted bare plastic I have not had a problem.

Hi, Mike.

Lacquer thinner seems to be pretty "hot" and have enough bite to grip the plastic.  I use it for  Testors MM, Humbrol and WEM Colourcoats--with never a problem with any of them.

Until Don mentioned it (above) I didn't know you could use turpentine to think MM.  I do use mineral spirits to thin MM and WEM when I have to touch-up with a brush.  

But I do wash the kit parts in detergent even before I take them off the sprue; and I often wipe down the kit with alcohol or Windex immediately before I paint (to get rid of those nasty, revealing forensic fingerprints).

It's great to hear that you can live at home while attending UW-Madison.  It's a big savings on dorms and meals--money which you can put into modeling!!!

Mike, I used to use MM enamels exclusively and they do spray nice with their thinner.  Also, with these paints, chances are you can find the color scheme you need without mixing.  Unfortunately, in my case  however, I've opening up one too many MM jars that had mysteriously turned into a solid blob for reasons unknown (and I had tried all the tricks).  I have now decided to stop wasting my money on their products and have switched to Tamiya Acrylics.  Truthfully I really haven't looked back. When I need an enamel application, for brush painting or drybrushing, I use Floquil railroad colors which is fantastic in this regard.   Thats my 2 cents.

Good Luck,

Joe

i have a load of MM enamel and always intend to use them but never do.