Model Master Paints Discontinued

I still have a lot of the "large bottle" Tamiya paint from 1988 and I still use them.

I could go back and say I really miss Polly S and Floquil water based "Aged Concrete", "Steam Power Black", "Engine Black" etc. But I am adaptable. 

I just started using Stynlrez primer and early indications are pretty positive. So it's all just an adventure.

I am down to my last few bottles of MM Haze Gray...

I am a hairy stick painter & Polly S was always my favorite. Have used & still do use some select Testors & Floquil enamels. MM acrylic used to be good, but declined of late. Am trying out Vallejo acrylics now. They don't seem to cover very well. PaulE

The feeling I am getting is that the title of this thread is true.  I see no sign that it is.  I believe instead that a big retail chain has in some way beginning to support it heavily, and I see new products coming out, some old ones dropped. It looks like the Model Master line has been continued, though maybe with a somewhat changed emphasis.

What makes you think that Don? I haven't seen any indications of that here in central FL. the local Hobby Lobby Model Master racks are dusty & lots of empty holes. 

I have no LHS close by to check either but I suspect the normal ones I visit out of town are the same way. 

The 3 shops that we have, all have empty rails and have been told it's going away.

All are out of the most popular colors and not able to restock.

Model Master had a great line of naval colors. I was blown away by the options and loved how I didn't have to mix colors. I was sad to see those go.

Re: Model Master paints

So I've run out of MM 1911 Olive Drab spray and have been looking for a suitable replacement. I picked up some Tamiya TS-28 Olive Drab 2 to use and I'm really disappointed. It's VERY Olive, not so much Drab. It reminds me of USMC/Chinese/ Russian green.

Do any of you have any suggestions for an alternative to MM 1911? Ideally, it would be in a rattle can, since I don't have an air brush. Thanks  in advance for any help you can provide.

Hobby Lobby has the plain old Testors Flat Olive Drab in a spray can still.

I had the Italeri Vosper St Nazaire version nearly done and needed  MM flat sea blue to finish camo touch up, as I had been lingering.  Would have been a nightmare to try to match another brand.

Luckily I got two 1/2 oz bottles on Ebay.  I also bought all my favorites from Scale Hobbyist while he still had them.  Steel, brass, rust, gunship gray, flat white to mix etc.  

Another era come to an end.  

Would be great if the MM line was sold off to someone.

Yeah? Which ones? I've been trying to find SAC Bomber Tan and SAC Bomber Green in acrylics and it seems the only ones that sell it are Vallejo and Mission Models. And, I've been reading up on Mission Models and it seems like several people aren't really too impressed with Mission Models paints. The paint scheme guide I have says Model Master has these paints as well but, of course, since this thread is about Model Master discontinuing their paints, that is probably pretty much irrelevant.

Here is a chart to mix standard US FS colors using Tamiya Paints if you want to go that route.

https://replikator.club/2021/02/06/tamiya-paint-database-us-federal-standard-colours/

I was just looking through this old thread and I have a follow-up to my second to last post here.  I had mentioned back then that I was looking into Mr. Paint (MRP) paints, and, since then, I have tried them and i have to say that they are the best paints I have ever used...hands-down.  Excellent color accuracy, sprayability with absolutely no BS, great adhesion, and unmatched durability.  No need for Model Master enamels anymore in my world when airbrushing.  Their lacquers, as with most real lacquers, however, are NOT brushable.  They do make an entire water-based, brushable, acrylic line though that brush quite nicely.  I also like using the Testors square bottles for detail painting, since the MRP lacquers used for base coats underneath those details are impervious to damage, lifting, or mixing when you brush oil-based enamels over them.

There is still the misbelief that since  they dropped Model Master line thay dropped all theid entire enamal line.  This not true.  The reguler enamal s still exist, inluding three shades of black, their flat aluminum, and many others of use for modelers.

Thank you for that guide. That might come in handy. I haven't quite decided if I'm going to use Vallejo or Tamiya and it doesn't seem Tamiya has as wide of range of colors as Vallejo has but, with this chart, if I can get the hang of it, I might be able to match colors pretty good. Just starting out with trying to use an airbrush and trying to decide with the different paint brands and different types (such as acrylics, enamels, etc.), is giving me a headache.

Is anyone still using the Acryl line?

Cory

Thank you for that guide. That might come in handy. I haven't quite decided if I'm going to use Vallejo or Tamiya and it doesn't seem Tamiya has as wide of range of colors as Vallejo has but, with this chart, if I can get the hang of it, I might be able to match colors pretty good. Just starting out with trying to use an airbrush and trying to decide with the different paint brands and different types (such as acrylics, enamels, etc.), is giving me a headache.

 

Take a look at the AK-Real line,they act just like Tamiya,but they have a much more expansive line.They thin very nicely with hardware store Lacquer thinner or Mr Leveling thinner

Shuttle

Is anyone still using the Acryl line?

 

I have some left, but I'm running low on the airbrush thinner... 

stikpusher

 

 

Shuttle

Is anyone still using the Acryl line?

 

 

 

 

I have some left, but I'm running low on the airbrush thinner... 

 

I am wondering if you have tried the current acrylics like Ammo by Mig and AK 3d.  If yes, how do they compare to Acryl.  Thanks.

RSchnell

What makes you think that Don? I haven't seen any indications of that here in central FL. the local Hobby Lobby Model Master racks are dusty & lots of empty holes. 

I have no LHS close by to check either but I suspect the normal ones I visit out of town are the same way. 

 

I came to that conclusion after reading Testors web site and examining the Ttestors rack at my local HL.  There is a lot of the regular enamel and occasionally a few model master jars, but these   are not the old camouflage or military colors- they seem more like car color.  At least the regular color enamel line still has the sem-black and the aluminum and steel.  Then too, each store orders what they want, so not every store carries the same color.

I have tried a few of the Mig Ammo paints, but only hand brushed those so far. They cover better than Model Master Acrylics, but tend to have a glossy finish like Gunze acrylics, which they somewhat remind me of. I haven't tried any AK 3rd Gen yet, although the local shop does carry them. One of these days....

I have tried a few of the Mig Ammo paints, but only hand brushed those so far. They cover better than Model Master Acrylics, but tend to have a glossy finish like Gunze acrylics, which they somewhat remind me of. I haven't tried any AK 3rd Gen yet, although the local shop does carry them. One of these days....

I still have some Acryl left.  I wonder what people use as a retarder for Acryl?

Cory

Yeah? Which ones? I've been trying to find SAC Bomber Tan and SAC Bomber Green in acrylics and it seems the only ones that sell it are Vallejo and Mission Models. And, I've been reading up on Mission Models and it seems like several people aren't really too impressed with Mission Models paints. The paint scheme guide I have says Model Master has these paints as well but, of course, since this thread is about Model Master discontinuing their paints, that is probably pretty much irrelevant.

 

I ran into a couple of rattle cans of Testors SAC Bomber Tan some time ago and was able to decant enough of it to finish a project I was working on at the time. I have been told MRP paints are worth taking a look at. but have not really looked into a source for those. As far as acrylics, I'm not sure.

jimbot58

I have been told MRP paints are worth taking a look at. but have not really looked into a source for those.

Sprue Brothers sells their full line, and they're excellent paints.  I also have jars of decanted Model Master rattle can paint so I can some day finish the FB-111A project I had going.  I had already painted the wings with it, so I want to stick with that just in case there are minor color differences between it and MRP.  If you try them out, just keep in mind that they're all semi-gloss paints unless the bottle says otherwise.  Makes a lot more sense that way, since decals can go directly on them.  No silliness of applying a flat paint, only to put a gloss clearcoat on it for decals, followed by a flat clearcoat to make it flat again.  This stuff is paint-decals-flat clearcoat-done.

I was at my LHS yesterday (they still carry the regular craft enamels).   line, gunmetelthey dropped the MM line, gunmetal was avialable in the craft enamel line. Now it  is gone- not even a slot for it.  Can anyone suggest an enamel substitute?

In the meantime I will try various mixes of existing craft colors like metallic black and flat dark gray.

Michaels still sells Testors Gunmetal Grey enamel in the square bottles.

The little bottles of Testors paint have not gone away. I have been using them to finish several auto models: 1968 Chevelle SS - one dark gloss red, one gloss balck, one gloss white. 1969 Chevelle SS - gloss dark blue. 1969 Pontiac GTO - gloss blue. 1968 Dodge Charger - gloss brown, And so on. May not be 100% factory accurate, but they look pleasing to me. And that's the only person I need to please!

I did buy some Pontiac engine blue from MCW as the MM bottle I had went bad. Still hoarding several bottles of engine colors in the MM line for Fords, Chevys, and Chryslers, but used plain old orange for a Hemi engine.