Why AS Tamiya paints?

Because if you use the airbrush, you might use Humbrol, or some other brand of paint. If you use the AS series they £ka-ching you for the spray paint!

Ah, got it. It's all about money then?

Sad but true! It's just a colour callout on the instructions. Use your airbrush and substitute at will. While the AS numbers don't always jive with their Acrylic paint, the name of the colour does.

Now I'm a newcomer to this modeling lark, but why would a big company like Tamiya recommend that I use AS (spray tin) type paints on a 1:48 scale BF 109 when I have a perfectly good airbrush on the modeling bench?

Perhaps they don't assume that everyone who reads the instructions has an airbrush.  I'd venture to guess that less than 10% of those who build models have an airbrush.   Those who are serious certainly do.  Those who are just casual builders, new builders, not concerned about the finish, etc. don't.

Oh no you don't! You can't come here and start making rational comments like that!! It's corporate greed, pure and simple!

 

Bgrigg wrote:

Oh no you don't! You can't come here and start making rational comments like that!! It's corporate greed, pure and simple!

ya, they all do it.  Just take the color recommendations with a grain of salt, and use whichever brands or type of paints you want.

This website is great for finding equivalents etc.

The first link gives you colors by country, when used etc. and lists several manufacturers equivalents, or how to mix to get that color.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/colorcharts.asp

This second link a great cross reference page to look for equivalents based on brand.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/colorcharts_2.asp  

While I use an airbrush now, I have built a few with full camo using rattle cans. The key is masking and lots of it.

Ah, got it. It's all about money then?

Yep. Think about it. They've been selling paint for 25 years in the US. How much have the colors changed to reflect new paint schemes? They still require you to mix 2 or 3 of their paints to approximate some very common colors, such as modern US desert tan. At the same time, PollyScale and Model Master sell you the exact color in one bottle.

Tamiya paint choices are severly limited compared to other brands and the problem is they insist on using their color range in their kits so sometimes the color schemes are not authentic looking. What I also don't understand is why they don't make bottled equivalents to their spray can series.  So it would be better to take the advice of others here to research the correct colors and use other brands like MM.  However if you are having trouble finding the right corresponding color in other brands then you can go with your second suggestion to decant it in a bottle and use it with your airbrush

It would be nice if Tamiya added some pretty common and standard colors to their range, especially the RLM colors.  On the other hand, mixing paints is not that big of a deal either and allows you some control over how "weathered" you want the color to be. 

I can certainly see how some people would consider that to be incovenient though.

basspaint wrote:

...why would a big company like Tamiya recommend that I use AS (spray tin) type paints on a 1:48 scale BF 109 when I have a perfectly good airbrush on the modeling bench? The camouflage pattern on this type of aircraft is quite challenging. Is it possible even to complete a model of this scale with such tools or am I missing something.

I built their 1:48 BF109 several years back using an really cheap airbrush (Testor's A220) whose spray pattern was really no more controllable than that of a rattle can, so I would say the answer is definitely yes.  The mottling on the side of the fuselage was done using a lifted mask and a light overspray.  Although the results weren't perfect and not as good as what I could do today with either the Badger 200NH or Paasche H, it certaily doesn't look too bad and I'm quite happy to display it.

Actually, if you want to have a beef with Tamiya, I would go after their decals.  Their film is so thick that they are really impossible to hide.  Even though they settled down without silvering, they are so thick that you can see and feel the edges of the decal, and  no amount of gloss and flat over coats can hide them.

I painted a Revell F-15C about a year ago using Tamiya Light Ghost Gray and Dark Ghost Gray from a rattle can. At the time, I didn't use an airbrush and this was the only way I could get those colors in a rattle can. The Tamiya light ghost gray does not match the Model Master light ghost gray at all.  The Tamiya version is a lot lighter.  Also, I would recommend a respirator (and no neighbors) when spraying Tamiya rattle cans.  The vapors are extremely overwhelming.  I know I will not use them again.