Acrylics vs Enamels?

I use both, depends on the application. If I want a dull rough finish that accepts weathering well, like for armor and ships, I'll use acrylics. For aircraft, I'll use enamels. But many times I mix and match depending on what color I have and need at the time.

I personally find that it all comes out in the wash, so to speak. I go over the entire build with a top coat so it really doesn't matter in the end to me.

I do find that acrylics are harder to mask over, as I seem to pull off some paint with the tape, but I'm sure that's something I'm doing wrong.

As far as toxicity, I spray in the garage with a mask so I'm not to concerned with that. If I brush the paint on in the house, my wife will complain more about the acrylic paint smell more that the enamel.

As far as price and availability, they seem to be about equal to me.

But I'm goofy so what do I know.

I now use the water-based Acrylics only, because of my lady's health issues. For reasons that are a long story, if I am going to build models at all, it is going to be within about ten feet of her. That rules out a shed with enamels and lacquers, which is what I used to do. (she breaks out into a coughing/loss of breath episode with enamels, and doesn't with water-based Acrylics,,,,,I don't have any of the Enamel-based or Lacquer-based Acrylic brands here)

I once had all the color matches I would ever need found in Enamel paints, except for about 4. Now, after switching to Acrylics, I have all the color matches I will ever need, except for 4 or 5. So, I would say that either is going to give you a good range of colors and a good chance of finding what you need, without having to resort to mixing more than a few colors now and then.

If you have the option, I would consider having some of the "other type" around no matter which you choose as your main paint type. For example, I realllllly miss having a coat of flat gray or flat white enamel directly on the model to act as a sealer and primer before paint colors go on. If I had a choice, I would use Enamels for my main aircraft color, and Acrylics for all the trim and detail colors after those 1 or 2 main colors had dried. But, I don't have a choice.

Rex

I use mostly Model Master acrylics for airbrushing. Brush painting I still use enamels but I do use for hand brushing as well. Most of my paints are Testors Model Master Acrylics and Enamels. I also have Gunze Aqueous, Aeromaster, Vallejo and Tamiya Acrylics as well. However, I'd kill to have a few Pollyscale colors I have my eye on.  Sadly they're hard to find except on ebay.

I spray only Tamiya acrylics nowadays. They spray beautifully and are super easy to clean.  

For paintbrushing I use Vallejo acrylics.  They don't spray well compared to Tamiya but they are great for paintbrushing.  

For drybrushing, I use MM enamels. Nothing drybrushes better than enamels.

I personally couldn't care less about color selection.  With a free app like imodelkit, it's so easy to mix paints to create a certain color.

Chrisk,

What app is that? I can't find it.

Chrisk,,,,,does that app give different mixing ratios for different brands of paint, to get to the same color in the end?

I ask that because unless it specifies each mixture for each paint type and brand, you won't get the same color of orange, for example, by mixing red and yellow, in six different paint ranges. they use different pigments mixtures when they make their paints

Red from LifeColor has different pigments in it than Red from Model Master Enamel,,,,,even if they are the same color placed side by side on a color chip card.

modelcrazy

Chrisk,

What app is that? I can't find it.

Modelcrazy,

It's an app for iPhone (and I think android versions) available from the iTunes store. Here's a link to their page:

http://www.id6.ch/id6_WebSite_en/Home.html

I use enamels for two reasons.  First, I find acrylics too fast to dry and have had it dry and clog my airbrush when taking a long phone call or other interruption.

Second, I model several genres that require glossy finish, and I find it much easier to get high gloss with gloss enamels.

I have been disturbed by another thread in this forum that Testors may be getting out of the model paint business.  Testors MM is my go-to paint :-(

Testors - not sure that they are getting out.  I think that the paint line is a stable business for them, and they claim it is the core of their business.  I think it is more plausible that they are shifting their focus into Acrylics, perhaps, for environmental-friendly-PR reasons?  I could see that.  

In doing some snooping, Testors is owned by RPM International.  That company is doing very well, and in fact just gave speeches at a large business symposium about their success and growth.  Actually, their 5 year financial charts have seen the company stock price more than double. 

I highly doubt that Testors is going away.  I just see the possibility of a enamel-to-acrylic shift for EPA/PR reasons.

Testors is in Rockford, IL, which is about an hour away from me.  I could walk into their offices and see if anyone can answer what's up.

BR this one comes up quite often and I think two things are pretty certain, that Model Master enamels are a great paint and Tamiya acrylics spray great but don't brush as well. There are other really good paints out there and by no means should they be discounted but a lot depends on your project, ability, setup, and what you're comfortable with. Theres a lot of means to an end. If you want to try switching to acrylics, try spraying Tamiya and also try Vallejo or MM acrylics for brushing. That would be a good start.

Terry    

@modelcrazy - I have the same difficulty with the tape pulling up the paint.   I'm working on refining my technique but it has been a challenge for me too.  

I prefer to use Tamiya's acrylics, to me there easy to brush on and airbrush.  Plus clean up is very easy with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, to thin for airbrushing I use Tamiya X-20A.  Second brand I use is Model Master.  Some of there paints are thin straight out of the bottle, while a few others are thick like Flat Black.  To thin I use there airbrush thinner, to for clean up I use Mineral Spirits.  After I use up all the Mineral Spirits I plan to find a clear cleaner,  that one I'm using is like milk.

One warning. If you already have a lot of paint, don't try Mr. Color. If you do, you will end up with a scene like mine.Eighty-some bottles of Acryl and Polly Scale RLM colors alone, that I probably won't ever use. Tried Mr. Color and I will never go back.

Jay

I didn't address the health issue in my previous post.  I use a spray booth for enamel and lacquer rattle cans.  When I airbrush enamel I use a low pressure and dial down the flow so that I can very little overspray. I do not bother to use the booth for that- just work at my workbench.  With so little overspray I doubt of the health hazard of enamel is that great. I'm 76 now, and have been modeling since I was seven or eight, with no intervening years when I did not model.  There are some catalyzed acrylic paints I have used that really got my attention, and caused me to buy an expensive respirator, but I do not use that stuff in my modeling.

I'm 99% Tamiya acrylic with a few basic colours in enamel for the small amount of hairy brushing that I do.

I prefer the easier cleaning, faster drying & less noxious properties of acrylics, they can be a faff to get into the swing of in comparison to enamels, but once you get them initially dialled in for yourself they are no more difficult to use. For me the faster drying is the main bonus.

That being said I have used a couple of acrylic brands that were next to useless & had they been my first foray into acrylics I may have stayed away.

I find acrylics harder to clean than enamel. If you do not clean the airbrush right away, it hardens.  Once acrylics have hardened, I find them much harder to dissolve than enamels.  Hardened enamels dissolve in thinner.