Thinner Amount

Don't thin ur MM acrylics near as much as u do Tamiya paints. Start out with 25%thinner and go from there. I wouldn't even thin Tamiya paints as much as u mentioned unless you are painting large areas, such as the main camo colors. For painting small parts such as cockpits and canopies, use only 30 or 40% thinner.

Thanks Nathan! BTW, I'm a few chapters into Black Cross Red Star. Great read. Thanks for that too!!

Also, to add my  most of the MM enamels that I have purchased lately need very little thinner added to them.  I was testing the other day with MM RLM 66 and I only added a few drops of thinner and it was too much and had to adjust by adding some more paint.  It seems to me that the paint in the MM round bottles is thinner than the Testors in the square bottles.  Just something that I've noticed, not sure if everyone sees this.

Mixing ratios generally do not need to be exact to a percent or two- considerable variation is okay.  And adjustment of pressure (and needle on SA brushes) can make up for some larger variations in thinning.

If any paint out there is horrible as far as varying viscosity or quality from bottle to bottle, its definitely Model Master. So I'd say for sure each bottle needs to be thinned differently.

Glad you like the book so far. I sometimes find his books a bit too bland at times. Too much tech. info and reads like a boring diary. However, sometimes he finds the perfect balance, and uses lots of veteran accounts as well.

I  find MM enamels pretty much the same from jar to jar as long as they are new.  However, that stuff does go bad fairly fast once it is opened. The shelf life is okay until you start opening it.  I kind of like to use a new fresh bottle of the stuff when I start a kit except for small areas and small parts where I will use the older stuff.

Thinning paint is essential to the point that it helps flash time or drying time then you still run into tempreatures and the paint problems that come with such as Runs Mottling, fish eyes and my favorite Orange peeling.I believe in some of the systems out there in enamel but it can be a detriment to a project.

MM Acryl is pretty thin stuff to start with, but I do thin it somewhat. The method I use for any paint is to add thinner to the airbrush cup first and then add paint a little at a time until I get the mix I want.  Very simple to get the right mix when working from thin to thick rather than vice versa. I usually spray in the 5-15 psi range.

Jay

How carefully the paint is prepared for thinning is also an important step. I make sure first that the paint is at the proper room temp, then I remove the cap and stir it completely with a small stick or sprue piece. Shaking the bottle instead of stirring is not sufficient, many solids will be left settled at the bottom. Once the solids are off the bottom, I complete the mixing with the little Badger mixer, then thin as needed, again using the mixer.

I do find MM acrylics to be a bit inconsistent, but not very much. Like Tucohoward I do use whatever amount of thinner is needed, I think for me, thinner paint is better than thicker.

Is it possible that your attempts were with paint that was not thoroughly stirred and seemed too thin?

Just my thoughts.

Patrick