I won't be using Model Master acrylics again.

doogsATX...just a point of reference I used Mr. Leveling thinnner with them.  Very very little tip dry and very nice thin coats that laid down perfect.

Interesting info on the lacquer thinner/acrylics guys. I had some issues with Polly Scale Italian Camo Yellow on my last airbrushing session. Not enough bite in it using the Testors Universal Thinner. I may have to try the Lacquer Thinner on my next effort there.

i primed with mr.surfacer 1000 or 1200 and never had it lift. thinned with testors thinner.

May be necromancy but it's still relevant.  I've only grown more convinced of the superiority of Gunze products followed closely by Tamiya.  Gunze Mr Leveling Thinner is the holy grail of airbrushing.  I still use my initial collection of Vallejo for brushing, but only Mr Color and Tamiya paints (thinned with the aforementioned MrLT) go in the airbrush.  

My fun and satisfaction level with painting has gone through the roof since I've gone this way.  Yes, wearing the respirator and carefully venting my modeling room after a paint session so the smell doesn't get in the rest of the house is a pain, but the paint behaves the same way, every time.  No more acylic alchemy that may work one day and not the next, depending on paint temperment, weather, and the astrological sign in ascendency.  Just perfect, smooth coats, dailed down to a pencil width if I want, and I've forgotten what tip dry is like.

Yes, I do miss the Gunze Aqueous paints big-time. My best acrylic airbrushing work was with those paints. Excellent paints an a superb selection of colors. There was no point in going to the Mr Color line for me as those are far less hand brush friendly than enamels or acrylics once I tried them out. Yes they airbrush great, but only work with their thinner or lacquer thinner. Neither option is very cost effective. The conspiracy theorist in me says it was Testors who put the bug in someone's ear to start the labeling issue that saw the Gunze Aqueous paint line's import stopped...

Side note question- for those who have used lacquer thinner with MM Acrylics, do you thin the MM Acrylics strictly with the lacquer thinner or a mix of MM Thinner/Lacquer Thinner?

stikpusher

Yes, I do miss the Gunze Aqueous paints big-time. My best acrylic airbrushing work was with those paints. Excellent paints an a superb selection of colors. There was no point in going to the Mr Color line for me as those are far less hand brush friendly than enamels or acrylics once I tried them out. Yes they airbrush great, but only work with their thinner or lacquer thinner. Neither option is very cost effective. The conspiracy theorist in me says it was Testors who put the bug in someone's ear to start the labeling issue that saw the Gunze Aqueous paint line's import stopped...

I don't really get the whole 'availability' thing with Gunze... sure they're not being wholesale imported for 'off the shelf' sales, but you can easily buy them at superior prices from a variety of online hobby stores.  Hobbywave is my favorite due to very cheap shipping when you buy in bulk ($15 flat rate shipping for a box of up to 50 bottles of paint) plus excellent stock levels, but SprueBro, MegaHobby, a billion eBay stores, all carry it.  As I understand it, the issue with Aqueous was that Gunze discontinued most of the line to remove duplication with Mr Color.

I've also got to take gentle exception to the 'cost effective' statement.  You can use any lacquer thinner with it, and the Klean Strip stuff at Home Depot costs $7 for a 32 oz can.  That's enough to paint the walls of my model room with Mr Color.   I use the Home Depot stuff for airbrush cleaning, but  prefer Mr Leveling Thinner due to the inclusion of a retarder.  It's a bit pricier, but at $14 for 400 ml you can paint a large 1/32 scale aircraft using multiple different coats (Mr Surfacer plus various color coats) for a little over $1 for the thinner.

Bummer about the brush painting, though... I didn't know that.  I've got a large Mr Color collection at this point but it's only for ABing.  The various Vallejo Model Air acrylics, floquil & MM enamels I've got are plenty for brush painting.  Odd... I got better results brush painting Vallejo Model Air than I did airbrushing it.

stikpusher

Side note question- for those who have used lacquer thinner with MM Acrylics, do you thin the MM Acrylics strictly with the lacquer thinner or a mix of MM Thinner/Lacquer Thinner?

NervousEnergy

I don't really get the whole 'availability' thing with Gunze... sure they're not being wholesale imported for 'off the shelf' sales

Actually, they are imported to the US - Dragon USA are the distributors for GSI Creos (Gunze Sangyo) products. I suspect that it's simply that not many hobby shops carry them. If you look at Dragon USA's site, you will see the entire range of Mr Color paints listed.

2 or the 3 LHS which I shopped at for all my paint needs for the last 10 years carried the Aqueous line until about 3 years ago or so. Since then one shop replaced it with the Mr Color line telling me that they could no longer obtain the Aqueous paints due to a labeling issue just like the Tamiya one encountered here in the US last year, and the other shop closed its doors a few months ago without replacing Gunze Aqueous. I am not keen on buying paints online as I do have several shops in the area where I can pop in after a short drive when I need a particular paint color. Rather than having to wait a week or so after running out and ordering the replacement online and awaiting delivery. This also gives me a good excuse to visit and browse for anything else that suits my fancy...

stikpusher

Rather than having to wait a week or so after running out and ordering the replacement online and awaiting delivery. This also gives me a good excuse to visit and browse for anything else that suits my fancy...

I can't argue with that.  Wild Bill's Hobby Shop in Irving, TX is an absolute wonder to walk around in... an old school shop with about 3X the stock stuffed into it then they should realistically (or safely) have.  Plastic modeling, railroad stuff, RC, all stuffed to 8' high in isles with maybe 40" of walking room.  I can disappear there for hours.  He carries a fair selection of Tamiya and Alclad II products along with the normal MM, and even a full shelf of Floquil (love Reefer White and Grimey Black).  I'll always buy Alclad there since the price is only a small bit higher than online, and the occasional Tamiya since I consider Tamiya and Mr Color to be perfectly equivalent... they both spray flawlessly with Mr Leveling Thinner.  He's got great selections of albion tubing and strip/sheet syrene in every configuration imaginable as well, which is really convenient.

Can't buy his kits, though.  I'd pay a 10 or maybe even 20% premium over online to support the shop, but not the 50-100% premium he asks for.  Just can't afford that at 1/32 scale, and I've got a good modeling budget.  Plus he doesn't carry any Gunze products, and I'm dependent on the incredible color range and sprayability of Mr Color, plus the surfacers and dissolved putty.