What is your go-to paint for brushing?

Most of my brush painting on models is done with artist acrylics or craft paints over primer. All small parts and engines and such. Since we have well over 100 colors here, it's just natural,plus I can mix from there.. I do use Tamiya acrylic if I have the color in stock. The Tamiya I thin with retarder as the Tamiya web site suggests doing, however I use Liquitex retarder fluid not Tamiya retarder. That retarder goes in all my acrylics at some point, not because it's special but because it's the brand I have. I also have the retarding medium..

Now in art work I'm switching back over to oils and loving them. Nothing does a blended sky of misty mountains and lakes, or a night sky like oil paints, if you know the way.

In the 3.5 years since I made my last post in this thread I have found a few paints that I really like for hand brushing.  Vallejo Model Color paints, MRP Aqua paints, and in the last year, I have really been using what I have left of my Model Master enamels and the Testors square bottles that are still sold.  The thing I like about those enamels is that they can easily be selectively removed from the lacquers (mostly MRP) that I airbrush with.  The mineral spirits thinner for those does absolutely nothing to harm or remove the lacquers, so it has opened up all kinds of new possibilities, mostly in the area of detailing aircraft instrument panels...makes it really easy to get sharp, clean, beautiful instrument markings.

Another zombie thread! 

I can't believe I missed this the first time around.

I have several brands that I brush by hand. That doesn't mean I don't use an airbrush to apply them, either.

I use Tamiya's acrylics, thinned exclusively with Tamiya's X-20A acrylic thinner. It took some trial and error to arrive at that combination, including trying water, and isopropyl.  When I started airbrushing Tamiya acrylics, I used X-20A to thin them, then tried it with hand-brushing. Gone were the issues in which the paint clumped, or subsequent coats pulled up earlier coats.  I can lay down the paint by hand, as thin as if it were airbrushed.  Just can't use Tamiya with my wet palette.

I use Vallejo's Model Color, and Andrea's, both water-soluable acrylics, and both formulated for hand-brushing.  I also use Lifecolor's water-based acrylics. And I use the craft-store water-based acrylics: Apple Barrel, Americana, Folk Art.

I use all of those on a wet palette, for consistent thinness, and because I can save a batch of colors from one session to the next.  Very convenient.

And I hand-brush enamels, particularly Testor's enamels in the little glass bottles, and my dwindling stash of Model Master enamels.

I also have Model Master acrylics, and I use isopropyl to thin those for hand-brushing.

I don't bother with other brands, because my current stock will last me till I die.  No need to change-unless there's a brand out there that you open, and it magically covers the work to an award-winning finish.

Tojo72

Vallejo Model Color

Vallejo Panzer Aces

 

For hand brushed acrylics, these are growing on me. Having to learn new methods for best results, and priming is a must with them.... but I am switching over.

Eaglecash867

In my opinion, GSI Creos Acrysion paints are awful for any kind of painting.  Bought a whole bunch of different ones for the Bandai Millennium Falcon I'm building since all the paint codes in the instructions were for Acrysion.  I reached the end of my patience after experimenting with them and finding that every single chemical I tried as a thinner/reducer nearly instantly turned the Acrysion paint into a hard blob.  Ended up just winging it with the Tamiya acrylics I already have.  Maybe someone else has had success with Acrysion, but I won't be messing with them anymore.

 

I have a building kit which only has Acrysion codes for the paint. I saw this video on youtube with a guy painting with Acrysion and thinning it with water, after 5 coats the navy blue looks pretty good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2_tzvR3w5M

Maybe use the dedicated mrhobby color Acrysion thinner T302? But you didnt get this result?

I use Tamiya acrylics exclusively for brush painting and airbrush.  I find with 1 drop of their retarder and they brush perfectly for me.  I only brush paint small parts, so for that, they work just fine. 

wpwar11

Thanks for the tip.  I’ll try odorless mineral spirits with MM.

 

Yep, just make sure it's really MM enamel and not acrylic. You don't need a lot of MS, maybe start around 25% and see what that does and adjust from there. Once you get used to it, you will mix the stuff almost unconsciously.

It will work fine in the regular Testors enamels too.

Tojo72

Vallejo Model Color

Vallejo Panzer Aces

 

Vallejo Model Color

Vallejo Panzer Aces

wpwar11

I’m glad you asked this question.  I struggle with brush painting.  I’ve had some success with Model Master enamels.

Are Humbrol enamels hard to find or going extinct?

 

Unlike Model Master, Humbrol enamels are not going extinct. But availability can be a challenge. 

Thanks for the tip.  I’ll try odorless mineral spirits with MM.

wpwar11

I’m glad you asked this question.  I struggle with brush painting.  I’ve had some success with Model Master enamels.

Are Humbrol enamels hard to find or going extinct?

 

You should be fine just thinning the MM a little bit with some odorless mineral spirits. should brush great.

Humbrol is around though, probably be an internet order thing.

I’m glad you asked this question.  I struggle with brush painting.  I’ve had some success with Model Master enamels.

Are Humbrol enamels hard to find or going extinct?

JimLo

Hi

After doing tests with them with and without primer I concluded that they require primer to not peel. 

 

That's the nature of acrylics but they stick real well to primer and primer to plastic. Tamiya acrylic is a hybrid acrylic lacquer thus the difference. But even that sticks all the better with primer first, I've done the scratch tests. And Tamiya is my least favorite to brush paint but is a great airbrush paint since that's what it was designed for.

If you're gonna brush acrylics you gotta follow the program. But even enamels do best with a touch of thinner in them. Good flow off the brush is part of the program with any paint. With enamel I use a bit of mineral spirits, with acrylic a bit of my own thinner I make up.

Vallejo Model Color is the easiest to use, IMPO. Thin with water or their thinner or Windex. Excellent for details and figures. Larger areas I would use the retarder.

BK

I'm with Stikpusher and Keavdog - Humbrol.  Mainly their enamels, but the Humbrol acrylics I've tried brush-paint well, too.  I've tried with Tamiya acrylics and Vallejo Model Air, but they need stirring/shaking frequently, go on very thin (esp the Tamiya), and collect around details like a wash, building up around the edges.  I haven't tried any others.

      Hutch.

I like humbrol and model master enamels.   My future is not bright.  

Humbrol enamels. For brush painting nothing gives a better finish.

JimLo

After doing tests with them with and without primer I concluded that they require primer to not peel.

That's right. And it's advisable to use a proper primer like Tamiya Surface Primer, Stynylrez surface primer, Gunze Mr Surfacer, etc.

Water-based acrylics don't bite very well, as you have already figured out.

In my opinion, GSI Creos Acrysion paints are awful for any kind of painting.  Bought a whole bunch of different ones for the Bandai Millennium Falcon I'm building since all the paint codes in the instructions were for Acrysion.  I reached the end of my patience after experimenting with them and finding that every single chemical I tried as a thinner/reducer nearly instantly turned the Acrysion paint into a hard blob.  Ended up just winging it with the Tamiya acrylics I already have.  Maybe someone else has had success with Acrysion, but I won't be messing with them anymore.

Hi

After doing tests with them with and without primer I concluded that they require primer to not peel.  The Vallejo paints peeled even from regular handling even when I wasn't masking them. The Tamiya performed a lot better. I bought a lot of Vallejo paints too but probably will not invest more in them. 

Vallejo Model Color for me, hands down.

What sort of trouble are you having with it?