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What's your favourite enamel brand to airbrush?

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  • Member since
    August 2004
  • From: UK
What's your favourite enamel brand to airbrush?
Posted by four-star on Monday, October 22, 2012 6:09 AM

Having recently started airbrushing I've already had some dramatically different results with different paint manufacturers, so I was just wondering what people's favourite enamel brands to airbrush with were?  Interested to see if there's a trend or a certain brand that regularly comes out on top.

So far I've used Humbrol and Revell enamels, with Revell being the winner by far.  Am thinking of trying the Model Master enamels at some point as many seem to mention them as being good.

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Cameron, Texas
Posted by Texgunner on Monday, October 22, 2012 6:32 AM

I airbrush Humbrol and MM enamels.  I haven't noticed too much difference between the two to be honest.

Gary


"All you mugs need to get busy building, and post pics!"

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Rothesay, NB Canada
Posted by VanceCrozier on Monday, October 22, 2012 8:00 AM

I'll ditto Texgunner - I'm slowly switching to acrylics, but I have had great luck with both Humbrol and ModelMaster enamels.

On the bench: Airfix 1/72 Wildcat; Airfix 1/72 Vampire T11; Airfix 1/72 Fouga Magister

  • Member since
    February 2011
  • From: Monterey Bay,CA-Fort Bragg, NC
Posted by randypandy831 on Monday, October 22, 2012 2:46 PM

model master enamels. easy to find and they have every color of the rainbow. WW2 all the way to FS codes.

tamiya 1/48 P-47D $25 + shipping

tamiya 1/48 mosquito $20+ shipping

hobby boss 1/48 F-105G. wings and fuselage cut from sprue. $40+ shipping. 

  • Member since
    March 2010
  • From: Winamac,Indiana 46996-1525
Posted by ACESES5 on Monday, October 22, 2012 4:59 PM

Tamyia and Model Master Poly S when I can find it it's getting rare.       ACESES5

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Monday, October 22, 2012 5:28 PM

Oh I could give you a parade of pics of  Humbrol and Model Master finishes on my builds...

I'll leave you with these...

Model Master

Humbrol

and a mix of both

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Western North Carolina
Posted by Tojo72 on Monday, October 22, 2012 5:58 PM

Modelmaster and WEM Enamels

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Monday, October 22, 2012 6:02 PM

I have not tried WEM, but I also do like XtraColours. With those you could skip the gloss coat before decals as almost the entire paint line is gloss.

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by WutDaFunk on Monday, October 22, 2012 6:39 PM

Has nobody used Rustoleum? I heard it's pretty cheap and durable.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Monday, October 22, 2012 6:41 PM

Only their primer ;-)

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    August 2004
  • From: UK
Posted by four-star on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 7:16 AM

WutDaFunk

Has nobody used Rustoleum? I heard it's pretty cheap and durable.

Actually I have used that once - I was just doing a quick no frills 1/72 Sherman for fun and had a random can of Rustoleum dark green paint that looked about right, so I used that.  The finish was actually really good in my opinion.  I guess the main problem is the lack of colour variety.

Great looking models stikpusher.  Glad that you get good results using the Humbrol's.

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Utereg
Posted by Borg R3-MC0 on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 8:07 AM

When I use enamels I use Revell and Humbrol. I prefer Humbrol, very easy to use, thins nicely with either white spirit or generic laquer thinner.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 9:26 AM

Was talking to a buddy yesterday.  He had met with a few modeling friends the day before, and they were riding him for being so old-fashioned and not going to acrylics exclusively, like they did (he does use acrylics, at times, but also uses enamels a lot).

We compiled a list of what we like about Testors enamels;

Easy to find (even at Michaels for the regular, non-model master line), with good selection of colors

Easy to thin

We can brush small parts with good coverage.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    October 2009
Posted by STJohnson on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 12:02 PM

I really like th WEM enamels !!

StikPusher those are awesome planes BTW!!

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 1:27 PM

Thank you STJ. I do wish that one of the two surviving LHS would carry WEM paints. Model Master is gonna issue some new naval colors, but based on my experiences with their previous Acryl Marine colors I am a bit leery. I  just prefer to get my paints locally at a shop where I can zip over and buy replacements when I run low/out rather than online ordering. And I do prefer enamels over acrylics in most cases.

One more recent build using another currently available enamel paint line for the main finish- Xtracolour enamels. They have a unique system. All of their exterior camouflage finish colors are gloss. Those paints take longer to dry and cure, but after that is done, you just apply your decals and any washes, followed by your flat, satin, or semi gloss top coat to seal it all in. The have huge selection of paints from various countries' air arms from WWI to current, and also including airline colors, much like Humbrol used to have.

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    March 2012
Posted by Chili on Friday, October 26, 2012 1:35 PM

Have you had any experience in using Badger marine colors?

  • Member since
    February 2011
  • From: Monterey Bay,CA-Fort Bragg, NC
Posted by randypandy831 on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 7:57 PM

Don Stauffer

Was talking to a buddy yesterday.  He had met with a few modeling friends the day before, and they were riding him for being so old-fashioned and not going to acrylics exclusively, like they did (he does use acrylics, at times, but also uses enamels a lot).

We compiled a list of what we like about Testors enamels;

Easy to find (even at Michaels for the regular, non-model master line), with good selection of colors

Easy to thin

We can brush small parts with good coverage.

i see no point in switching over to acrylics since he is comfortable with enamels. like i always say "if your comfortable with it, stay with it." 

i only use MM enamels and tamiya acrylics and i always here about all these other brands being better,AB better,and more accurate. and switching isn't cheap either since you have to buy the whole line up. 

i guess you can say everyone is old school at our LHS since everyone uses MM enamels. nothing wrong with that. 

tamiya 1/48 P-47D $25 + shipping

tamiya 1/48 mosquito $20+ shipping

hobby boss 1/48 F-105G. wings and fuselage cut from sprue. $40+ shipping. 

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