Humbrol vs Model Master - not the same

stikpusher

I am a die hard Humbrol user. Once I got the stirred not shaken part figured out, they became my go to paint for enamels. I still have a couple of tins that are well over 20 years old and still usable. I am fortunate to get half that many years out of any Model Master paints. Especially more recent purchased batches. Humbrols hand brush better in my experience, and give better one coat coverage, as well as flatter finishes.

and at around $2 per tin vs nearly $4 per bottle at the LHS, my money goes a bit farther with Humbrols.

 

I've got a couple of those rubber pads too.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

 

 

Don Stauffer

BTW, I also have a bad habit of not wiping bottle threads clean enough with ANY brand in bottles, but I still prefer them to cans.

 

 

 

Same here. I will use a pair of pliers to open the caps them if theyre' stuck due to paint on threads.

 

I have a little aluminum "slot" fastened to my workbench to hold the square Testors bottles when I turn the caps with pliers, but always have a heck of a time with the MM round bottles.  I recently found that those rubber pads used to hold kitchen jars with reluctant lids work nicely on MM jars, so I liberated one of those pads from my wife.

I am a die hard Humbrol user. Once I got the stirred not shaken part figured out, they became my go to paint for enamels. I still have a couple of tins that are well over 20 years old and still usable. I am fortunate to get half that many years out of any Model Master paints. Especially more recent purchased batches. Humbrols hand brush better in my experience, and give better one coat coverage, as well as flatter finishes.

and at around $2 per tin vs nearly $4 per bottle at the LHS, my money goes a bit farther with Humbrols.

Thank you all for your helpful comments.  They say that you learn by your mistakes and I know what mine was in this case.  I should have removed the Future with Windex and removed the offending painted area with a quick wipe of lacquor thinner.  Then I could have started again with the airbrush.  But having said this, I still think that the MM enamel is different to the Humbrol formular.  In my case both the enamels were mixed well with a Badger stirrer prior to airbrushing.  I use the Testors enamel thinner for all enamels - mixing in the airbrush cup with the Badger stirrer.  I do use Humbrol a lot; it is just a preference for MM if the color I need is there.

Alan

I have found Humbrol paints to be very good, even after storing them for 20+ years. They also brush out better than MM enamels. I think because they have a thicker pigment over MM.

Unfortunatly, I have not been able to locate any Humbrol paints locally so I have been using MM enamels which perform ok in the AB. 

I have some MM enamels go bad after a year or two so I question their quality control.

Don Stauffer

BTW, I also have a bad habit of not wiping bottle threads clean enough with ANY brand in bottles, but I still prefer them to cans.

Same here. I will use a pair of pliers to open the caps them if theyre' stuck due to paint on threads.

I primarily use Testors enamels (much easier to find than Humbrol in my area).  I see little difference between Testors enamels and lacquers when working with flats, but a big difference between gloss enamels and lacquers!

BTW, I also have a bad habit of not wiping bottle threads clean enough with ANY brand in bottles, but I still prefer them to cans.

Hello!

I'm a long time Humbrol user and I like those paints. They have the advantage of being oil-based which makes them somewhat resistant to contamination of the surface to be painted, but also to contamination of airbrush air with compressor oil - of course within certain limits. Clean surface and clean air are always better. I also painted over future coats without problems. You can get into problems with dry, dusty coats that don't stick when airbrushing, when you don't thin the paint enough, when the air pressure is set too high or when it's hot - and then the paint dries mid-air and hits the painted surface dry. It could also happen if you mix just the pigment with the solvent and the carrier oil stays in the can - when the paint isn't mixed throughly. So these are the things to watch for.

As for the cans - I prefer them over the Testors bottles, because I can never seem to keep the threads clean and then I have a really hard time unscrewing the bottles. The cans are better here - a screwdriver always opens them no matter how dried-out they are. To keep the paints from drying in the container it's important to watch for two things: First is preventing the solvent contamination - don't let extra solvent get in the container. So dry the brushes carefully after cleaning, before dipping them in the can and never put the thinned paint back in the container where it is stored for a long time. Second thing is an easy fix - to put the cans or bottles lid-down. This way the paint seals the lid and the extra air can't get in and nothing evaporates either. For years Humbrol even puts a sticker with the paint number on the can bottom to facilitate the lid-down storage.

I hope it helps - good luck with your builds and have a nice day

Paweł

Did you stir your Humbrol paint thoroughly as opposed to shaking the bottle/tin? This could be one reason Humbrol is coming out gritty. I never shake any paint bottle whatsoever. It's better to give it a nice stirring to loosen up any settling in the bottom. Both Humbrol and Testors Model Master are enamels - certainly Model Master are not lacquers in bottles. 

I'm not sure if I understand this, but it sounds like you're trying to put a coat of flat paint over a gloss coat (or Future) which could be one other reason why Humbrol isn't "grabbing" too.

I know stik uses both Humbrol, Model Master, Tamiya, I know he never had issues airbrushing Humbrol paint.