Vallejo Air Paint Feedback

Las and Greg, thanks for your input.

I have Liquitex Flow Improver and wonder if it will be compatible with Vallejo. 

What do I guys use to clean and flush your AB, water, ammonia?

Greg

MM enamels are are really disappearing? Oh my, talk about the end of an era.  

Ernie, I can tell you already have some degree of trepidation in considering a possible switch to acrylics, and that, I think, is a healthy thing.

I tend to agree with most of lasdjn's comments above, except that I don't care for or use Vallejo primer anymore.

If you use the relatively new Vallejo airbrush flow improver as mentioned above, you should have little or no dry-tip issues. 

A random thought is yes, as mentioned, Model Air takes a while to cure (it has a funny, rubbery feel that may bother you. My tip is ignore it, a clear coat of your choice and it's gone). And back to the random thought, enamels take a while to cure anyway. The Model Air will certainly be handleable much sooner.

Vallejo have been my primary paint since 2013. If you ever want to discuss this further, we surely can, Ernie.

 

Greg,

Is there an acrylic primer that you recommend over the Vallejo stuff?  I'd love to find something that's sandable and not so delicate.

MM enamels are are really disappearing? Oh my, talk about the end of an era.  

Ernie, I can tell you already have some degree of trepidation in considering a possible switch to acrylics, and that, I think, is a healthy thing.

I tend to agree with most of lasdjn's comments above, except that I don't care for or use Vallejo primer anymore.

If you use the relatively new Vallejo airbrush flow improver as mentioned above, you should have little or no dry-tip issues. 

A random thought is yes, as mentioned, Model Air takes a while to cure (it has a funny, rubbery feel that may bother you. My tip is ignore it, a clear coat of your choice and it's gone). And back to the random thought, enamels take a while to cure anyway. The Model Air will certainly be handleable much sooner.

Vallejo have been my primary paint since 2013. If you ever want to discuss this further, we surely can, Ernie.

plasticjunkie

I'm treading on thin ice on this subject since I'm an enamel paint user since day one. My paint brand is the MM enamel FS line which is being dropped by Testors.

Yesterday I spoke to the hobby store clerk who confirmed the discontinued paint rumor as he was told also by Testors. I want to see what options I have when I have to eventually replace my MM colors. I have some Humbrol enamels which is another possibility.

I see that Vallejo Air is availble  locally and has a VERY large selection of colors. So for you Vallejo users, can you list the do's and dont's of using this product?

How would you rate the air brushing qualities, clogging, tip dry issues, fine line/mottling abitities, best fluid for cleaning the ab, etc.

From past experienece using Acryl and Tamiya, I have more control and get finer lines with enamels. Tamiya sprays way better and smoother that Testors Acryl but unfortunalely some colors have to be custom mixed since they don't have an FS line.     

 

I airbrush exclusively with Vallejo, due to enamel being difficult to clean and I don't want to smoke out my wife, which I know she appreciates.

That being said, if you're going to use Vallejo, I heavily recommend getting the airbrush flow improver, also.  I mix about 20 drops of the stuff in with the 50mL Vallejo thinner bottle.  Also, with their Model Air line, they say that you can shoot it neat, however, I disagree, and I thin down approximately 3:1 to 4:1 paint to thinner, depending on the color.

I also use their surface primer before I paint.

The main problems that I see is that the paint surface until it fully cures is very very delicate.  It says it dries almost immediately, but that doesn't mean it's handle-able.  I've had to strip many models and start over due to me not waiting long enough to reposition or handle the model.  In general, I paint, then wait 20-30 minutes before I mess with the model.  Furthermore, if you're not careful, and you're airbrush is too far away from the model, it is very easy to get that rough, pebbly surface on the model because while it does take a bit to harden to a handleable state, it does dry very quickly and it is very easy to be too far away and have the paint dry before it hits the surface.

That being said, it's not all bad.  Once you get past the nuances of the paint, it lays down very very nicely.  Also, they do have a very wide range of colors.  And once it does dry, it does create a very hard surface, just not bullet-proof.