Hard Acrylic Paint

If you use a good Lacquer or enamel primer like Mr Surfacer or Tamiya Extra Fine,it will prevent that.

Also I am looking forward to trying Mission Models Paints,my LHS has them and I have heard good things about them.

Glossy acrylics tend to have a harder surface than matte in my experience. To get a harder shell you might try getting in some various clear coats in flat/ matte, satin and gloss ( you can use the Future for gloss too).

I find Model Master to be pretty hard but you must use a decent primer under it. That's true with any acrylic but MM really needs it. I use Stynylrez primer under all acrylics and enamels fwiw.

Gunze aqueous has the best hard finish of any acrylic that I’ve ever used. It airbrushes superbly and has a great color selection. If you can get ahold of it (not the Mr Hobby type), I highly recommend it.

stikpusher

Gunze aqueous has the best hard finish of any acrylic that I’ve ever used. It airbrushes superbly and has a great color selection. If you can get ahold of it (not the Mr Hobby type), I highly recommend it.

 

I'm not seeing it online except for Mr Hobby, stik. And Creos aqueous. I'm not finding just Gunz aqueous, the link I found said discontinued, course that could be just that supplier.

oldermodelguy

I'm not seeing it online except for Mr Hobby, stik. And Creos aqueous. I'm not finding just Gunz aqueous,

Gunze Aqueous Hobby Color was rebranded GSI Creos Aqueous Hobby Color and later still rebranded Mr Hobby Aqueous Hobby Color. All of these paints use the same coding system, "H" followed by the paint number.

Perhaps Stik meant not to get the "Mr Color" paints, which are manufactured by the same comnpany, but are a lacquer based paint. They are also a superb paint, but being lacquer based, have a very strong smell and thinning and cleaning requires lacquer thinner.

Phil_H

 

Gunze Aqueous Hobby Color was rebranded GSI Creos Aqueous Hobby Color and later still rebranded Mr Hobby Aqueous Hobby Color. All of these paints use the same coding system, "H" followed by the paint number.

Perhaps Stik meant not to get the "Mr Color" paints, which are manufactured by the same comnpany, but are a lacquer based paint. They are also a superb paint, but being lacquer based, have a very strong smell and thinning and cleaning requires lacquer thinner.

 

Maybe so re stiks intent..  That explains it well enough for me, thanks Phil.

I wasn't planning to use it anyway but was curious about it. I hear about Gunz paints all the time. I'm happy with the products I use though and still maintain that a good primer is a requirement for a durable acrylic finish more so than a "magic bullet " brand.

You're welcome.

The GSI Creos/Mr Hobby paints are very nice to work with though. They handle about the same as Tamiya's acrylics, but they have a much broader colour range, with RLM, RAL, FS595 and BS381c standards covered.

Speaking of primers, I've used regular Tamiya flat acrylics as a primer when brush painting with Vallejo ModelColor.

Phil_H

You're welcome.

The GSI Creos/Mr Hobby paints are very nice to work with though. They handle about the same as Tamiya's acrylics, but they have a much broader colour range, with RLM, RAL, FS595 and BS381c standards covered.

Speaking of primers, I've used regular Tamiya flat acrylics as a primer when brush painting with Vallejo ModelColor.

 

Tamiya is a little different blend where it can be cut with lacquer thinner. Liquitex soft body paints stick to plastic pretty well too, they have some flex to them as well. But non the less I put Stynylrez primer under both brands, actually all acrylics that will be handled. Also under Model Master enamels.

You might ask why ? My answer is in my scratch testing I have found at least twice the scratch resistnace and in some brands like MM acrylic way more scratch resistance than that.. MM makes a pretty hard shell but it doesn't stick to plastic for beans. But it does stick to primer very well. I never tried Vallejo directly on plastic, I assume it won't bond well but Stynylrez does bond well and Vallejo to Stynylrez. Stynylrez is my go to.

Additionally I've put Tamiya gloss directly on plastic, it was just ok. More bonding was displayed when put over primer. It was airbrushed though, you said you used flat paint and brushed it. I haven't tried that.

oldermodelguy

Tamiya is a little different blend where it can be cut with lacquer thinner.

Likewise, the Mr Hobby Aqueous can be thinned with their proprietary aqueous thinner (alcohol based), Mr Color lacquer thinner, Tamiya lacquer thinner or plain old hardware store lacquer thinner. 

Tamiya has a nice lacquer based bottled primer that bonds to just about anything and comes in grey and white.

Phil_H

 

Likewise, the Mr Hobby Aqueous can be thinned with their proprietary aqueous thinner (alcohol based), Mr Color lacquer thinner, Tamiya lacquer thinner or plain old hardware store lacquer thinner. 

Tamiya has a nice lacquer based bottled primer that bonds to just about anything and comes in grey and white.

 

I've heard good things about the Tamiya lacquer primer, I just hit on the stynylrez about 18 months ago and so far it's done very well for me. I think if I was shooting lacquer paints still I would then want something like the Tamiya primer. But I've put nail polish over the Stynlrez too, it generally works fine, sometimes xlyene can be a problem which I use to slow the dry compared to straight hardware store lacquer thinner.

I may pick up some gray Tamiya primer for the lacquers, though I really don't spray much lacquer. I say that but worked up a nice blend of nail polish to put on an AMT 49 Ford coupe model. I built several of those when I was a kid and one particular one stands out in my mind now 50 some odd years later. I want to more or less replicate that build just for nostalgias sake . I have the kit, the slicks, the Olds engine and the nail polishes. So maybe next fall or so I will start that. Probably be best to put a lacquer primer on it. Be my luck it would all go well and one spot the primer goes soft on me.

Thanks for the input guys!

Phil_H

 

 

oldermodelguy

I'm not seeing it online except for Mr Hobby, stik. And Creos aqueous. I'm not finding just Gunz aqueous,

 

 

Gunze Aqueous Hobby Color was rebranded GSI Creos Aqueous Hobby Color and later still rebranded Mr Hobby Aqueous Hobby Color. All of these paints use the same coding system, "H" followed by the paint number.

Perhaps Stik meant not to get the "Mr Color" paints, which are manufactured by the same comnpany, but are a lacquer based paint. They are also a superb paint, but being lacquer based, have a very strong smell and thinning and cleaning requires lacquer thinner.

 

Yup, that’s it. Sorry I got my wires crossed about the names. The H series paints were a great brand to airbrush, for the reasons that I said.  It’s been a few years since they have been for sale around here.