I would like to try Tamiya acrylic but...

Tamiya acrylics are a great line and I would probobly say the most popular and most used paint on this forum. For you there is really no down side to using them especially for air brushing.

I hear MM enamels are going away soon,so unless you have a big stash of them you might want to start experimenting with other lines.

Tamiya Acrylics can be hand brushed, but they require adding a bit of their thinner or retarder for best results. They airbrush superbly, as you have already heard. Mission Models paints are good in both areas, and certainly are superior for hand brushing without adding anything. But yes, they are a bit pricey, and their paint line is not that big and mostly armor centric right now. But their bottles are bigger so you get a little more paint in them. In all honesty, their is no other acrylic paint line that I would truly recommend based on my experience and current availability. But if you're a die hard enamel fan like myself, I highly suggest you have a look at Humbrol. They hand brush and airbrush equally well, and have an extensive color line. Their tins take some getting used to. But, if you stir the paint thoroughly beforehand, and seal the tin properly after use, you will  find them hard to beat. They also cost less than Testors or Mission Models. Their tins cost about the same as The small Tamiya jars.

I have used Tamiya acrylics almost exclusively since switching from enamels about ten years ago. And while I would probably not recommend them to someone who brushes exclusively, I do in fact brush them regularly with relatively little difficulty. Key 'tricks' are to use retarder and or thinner, to use a brush size appropriate to the area being covered, and to resist 'working back' into areas already covered until doing a subsequent coat. With those cautions observed, it acts pretty much like any other brushed paint---smoothness is largely dependent on 'technique.'

But that's just my own experience; others' experiences may differ.

Cheers

gregbale

I have used Tamiya acrylics almost exclusively since switching from enamels about ten years ago. And while I would probably not recommend them to someone who brushes exclusively, I do in fact brush them regularly with relatively little difficulty. Key 'tricks' are to use retarder and or thinner, to use a brush size appropriate to the area being covered, and to resist 'working back' into areas already covered until doing a subsequent coat. With those cautions observed, it acts pretty much like any other brushed paint---smoothness is largely dependent on 'technique.'

 

Thats it in a nutshell. Hand brushing Tamiya just requires adapting a new technique for best results.

Use Tamiya as my main paint right now, might start working in some mission models stuff as  I run out. It airbrushes great and is pretty durable. Coverage is very good as well. Only issues I have ever had are handbrushing it (not waiting for it to dry enough before second coat and brush marks) and the odd dry airbrush tip. But this is easily mitigated with a bit of thinner and retarder. Had some issues with it fisheyeing but that was totally my fault.

It's pretty easy to find and is not to expensive, only downfall I have noticed is there are some gaps in color line-up that require hand mixing custom colors. Some of my paint pots are 8 years old and I have yet to have one dry out on me. Another bonus is the empty bottles are nice for paint mixing and storage.

Thanks for all of the help guys. Looks like I will be trying some Tamiya next time with no worries.

Chris

MM acrylics are very good for air brushing but not very good with coverage when it comes to brushes.  To me Vallejo Model Color is the best if you are going to do both.  Heavily pigmented, they cover and flatten out well when brushed.  Once thinned it's great from the air brush.  I will say they seem to be a little "soft" and should be covered by a hard laquer overcoat if they are to be handled much.  

The best "acrylic" paint I ever used was the Gunze Aqueous Hobby Color line. But they have become almost impossible to find in the US.

Tamiya Is very good but you need to mix paints to come up with colors often. They don't really match their paints to FS codes. But there are many posts with good mixes out there.  Using their own thinners gives you good results, also.

I have some Tamiya 'Old Stock' Acrylics, some older than my eldest daughter (20).

They keep well provided you keep rim & lid clean & tight!

My go to for airbrusing, if the colours are right, but not had much sucess with hand painting, will revisit with above advice.