Hi All:
I use acrylic paints like you describe almost exclusively, though I'm certainly no expert. My models will never win a competition, I just do it for fun, and part of the fun for me is trying to get a good finish without spending... what does good paint cost now, $2.50 per color? I think of it as a challenge.
It must be said from the outset that craft acrylics are not nearly as good in quality as true model paints. How could they be, at less than 1/4 of the cost? They do not cover as well, they are often very thick and must be thinned, and brushing them is super difficult to get a good finish. But they can be shot through an airbrush if thinned, they come in about 300 different colors, the flip-top bottles are handy for storing mixes, and they dry to a dead flat finish. And they're so cheap that I don't mind experimenting nearly as much as when I use the good stuff.
I don't use the .48 cent stuff... that's probably the "Anita's" brand or similar. There's another brand called Delta Ceramcoat, I use that almost exclusively. Sometimes I'll buy Anitas just for the bottles... I dump the paint and use the bottles to store airbrush-ready thinned mixes. I've been thinning with windshield washer fluid, but one of the tips I've read here is a mix of 75% washer fluid, 25% Future. Bipolar Bill had a number of great tips for using Ceramcoat on models... to summarize, he says 1) you've gotta thin it, 2) you MUST primer the model first (craft paints have a low adhesion on bare plastic) 3) you must filter your paint... he uses panty hose, I haven't tried this yet, and 4) you've got to remember that craft paints will never completely cover in one coat, but you need to slowly build 3-4 coats.
See his full post under "Water Based Problem"
Craft paints make good weathering and sludge wash mixes, too, and of course they're good for making dioramas. Some folks hate craft paints, and if you're used to Tamiya acrylics, you'll probably hate them too. But I don't agree with categorical statements like, "they look terrible on models." The CAN look good if you like to play around and experiment with them.
One of my personal project has been to figure out which delta ceramcoat colors are matches for historical colors. Some have to be mixed yourself, like olive drab and zinc chromate green. But according to my copy of the Monogram US Army Air Force Color Guide, here are a couple of very close matches:
- Ceramcoat Rain Grey = Neutral Grey 33
- Hippo Grey= Neutral Grey 43
- Storm Grey = Dark Grey 4x2
- Payne's Grey= Insignia Blue 47 (close, but not perfect... Dark Night Blue is also very close)
- Williamsburg Blue= light blue 23
- Navy Blue = blue (flag color) 24
- English Yew Green= Olive Drab 22
Dark Forest Green= Medium green 42