Tamiya Flat

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or just search for "tamiya flat base" and you'll get 730 results

I mix my Tamiya flat with Future.  Depending on how flat I want the finish to be I usually do around a 6:1 to 4:1 ratio of Future to flat.  Haven't had any problems... yet.... lol

So the key is you need to mix it with something like the plain old Tamiya Clear or Future as the Tamiya flat is used to "flatten" a clear gloss mix.  Mixing it with rubbing alcohol is basically like just spraying on raw flat as the alcohol will evaporate and all you're left with is the flat particles.

About the flattest you'll want to mix is a 4:1 ratio.  There are several pretty good posts on the forums regarding clear flat that might be helpful to you. 

Thehannaman2 wrote:

Has anyone else had a problem with Tamiya flat base fogging?  I did my usual thinning with 70% alcohol and the result looked like I sprayed a thinned white or Floquil Dust.  ANy ideas or similar experiences?

Ah, the weekly Tamiya Flat Fiasco. When will Mr T. clearly label this garbage? Or get rid of it. NO, wait, can't get rid of it, the messed up paint jobs result in the sale of more paint and models.

ajlafleche wrote:

Thehannaman2 wrote: Has anyone else had a problem with Tamiya flat base fogging?  I did my usual thinning with 70% alcohol and the result looked like I sprayed a thinned white or Floquil Dust.  ANy ideas or similar experiences? Ah, the weekly Tamiya Flat Fiasco. When will Mr T. clearly label this garbage? Or get rid of it. NO, wait, can't get rid of it, the messed up paint jobs result in the sale of more paint and models.

Your right about there being no explanation about how to use the Tamiya flat . But once its use is figured out it seems to give a good flat finish . I like the fact that it can be mixed with any acrylic gloss  ( including future and Tamiya clear ) to make it "flat " .

Shellback wrote:

ajlafleche wrote:  Thehannaman2 wrote: Has anyone else had a problem with Tamiya flat base fogging?  I did my usual thinning with 70% alcohol and the result looked like I sprayed a thinned white or Floquil Dust.  ANy ideas or similar experiences? Ah, the weekly Tamiya Flat Fiasco. When will Mr T. clearly label this garbage? Or get rid of it. NO, wait, can't get rid of it, the messed up paint jobs result in the sale of more paint and models. Your right about there being no explanation about how to use the Tamiya flat . But once its use is figured out it seems to give a good flat finish . I like the fact that it can be mixed with any acrylic gloss  ( including future and Tamiya clear ) to make it "flat " .

All other clear flats don't need to be mixed with ANYTHING to give a good flat finish.

The existance of this product baffles me. The Tamiya line up already has the XF range of flat colors (which have to be glossed to have decals applied. ) Adding this to gloss paint seems pointless since you'd have to gloss it again to apply decals. Many years ago, I learned a very simple precept from an old boss: K.I.S.S. keep it simple, stupid. Tamiya Flat Base violates this principle.

I agree that Tamiya flat is not the most intuitive product to you.  Thank god for these forums! 

The flat mixed with future is the last thing I spray on the plane.

espins1 wrote:

I agree that Tamiya flat is not the most intuitive product to you.  Thank god for these forums!  The flat mixed with future is the last thing I spray on the plane.

OK, I get I bit confused because I never really did that step before. Let say for an armor model. Can Tamiya flat base mixed with Future at 1:4 ratio be used for the "dull coat"? Meaning, will it take some of the future glossy effect away and protect my paint job? 

Gun Tech wrote:

espins1 wrote: I agree that Tamiya flat is not the most intuitive product to you.  Thank god for these forums!  The flat mixed with future is the last thing I spray on the plane.   OK, I get I bit confused because I never really did that step before. Let say for an armor model. Can Tamiya flat base mixed with Future at 1:4 ratio be used for the "dull coat"? Meaning, will it take some of the future glossy effect away and protect my paint job?

Sure! I usually spray straight future, then decal.  Then straight future, then oil wash etc.  Then seal everything in with a mix future at 4:1 (4 parts future to 1 part Tamiya Flat). 

The main reason Tamiya makes a Flat BASE instead of a single flat clear is to give modelers choice. Do you want dead flat, satin flat, sorta flat, semi-gloss, etc.

Sure I can buy X series Gloss and XF series Flat, but with the exception of X-18 Semi-Gloss Black, I can't buy a semi-gloss version of their colours. With Flat Base I can custom make my own. I haven't so far, and can't easily conceive of the time that I would, but I could.

ajlafleche wrote:

Shellback wrote:  ajlafleche wrote:  Thehannaman2 wrote: Has anyone else had a problem with Tamiya flat base fogging?  I did my usual thinning with 70% alcohol and the result looked like I sprayed a thinned white or Floquil Dust.  ANy ideas or similar experiences? Ah, the weekly Tamiya Flat Fiasco. When will Mr T. clearly label this garbage? Or get rid of it. NO, wait, can't get rid of it, the messed up paint jobs result in the sale of more paint and models. Your right about there being no explanation about how to use the Tamiya flat . But once its use is figured out it seems to give a good flat finish . I like the fact that it can be mixed with any acrylic gloss  ( including future and Tamiya clear ) to make it "flat " . All other clear flats don't need to be mixed with ANYTHING to give a good flat finish. The existance of this product baffles me. The Tamiya line up already has the XF range of flat colors (which have to be glossed to have decals applied. ) Adding this to gloss paint seems pointless since you'd have to gloss it again to apply decals. Many years ago, I learned a very simple precept from an old boss: K.I.S.S. keep it simple, stupid. Tamiya Flat Base violates this principle.

Keep it simple stupid , if you dont like Tamiya flat base , then simply dont buy or use it .

ajlafleche wrote:

I don't buy it. Haven't since the one time I ruined a paint finish 22 years ago. However, people are still buying it and unwittingly ruining their models. Then posting at the various websites asking what they did wrong.

That would be the case for any product when one doesn't know how to use it.  It would be nice if Tamiya had instructions on how to use it.  However, once you know how Tamiya Flat is used and how to mix it, it's fantastic! 

So basically it boils down to this:  Tamiya Flat is a great, versatile product that allows you to control how flat your final finish is.  The bad thing is there are NO directions on the jar, which will obviously leave someone with negative feelings about the product if they aren't aware of how to use it and end up ruining a model, and I would certainly understand their apprehension with using this product again.  I'm glad I had the benifit of learning from the others so I didn't have to learn that lesson the hard way. 

So basically it boils down to this:  Tamiya Flat is a great, versatile product that allows you to control how flat your final finish is.  The bad thing is there are NO directions on the jar, which will obviously leave someone with negative feelings about the product if they aren't aware of how to use it and end up ruining a model ...

That's a bit of an oversimplification.  In fact the bottlle states "Flat BASE".  Nowhere does it say "Clear Flat" or "Paint".  It specifically states that the product is a "Base".  If someone doesn't know what paint base is then I would think they would try and find out before spraying it on a model they had worked quite hard on.  I know I did, and so did most of the others who have not had problems with it.  After all, people don't pour just anything on a hamburger, take a big bite, and then say, "Hey! What's cosmoline?"  (OK, that's an oversimplification to)

Thehannaman2 wrote:

I can't believe that this thread made it to two pages.

Let's see if we can make it 3 pages by midnight. 

MusicCity wrote:

So basically it boils down to this:  Tamiya Flat is a great, versatile product that allows you to control how flat your final finish is.  The bad thing is there are NO directions on the jar, which will obviously leave someone with negative feelings about the product if they aren't aware of how to use it and end up ruining a model ... That's a bit of an oversimplification.  In fact the bottlle states "Flat BASE".  Nowhere does it say "Clear Flat" or "Paint".  It specifically states that the product is a "Base".  If someone doesn't know what paint base is then I would think they would try and find out before spraying it on a model they had worked quite hard on.  I know I did, and so did most of the others who have not had problems with it.  After all, people don't pour just anything on a hamburger, take a big bite, and then say, "Hey! What's cosmoline?"  (OK, that's an oversimplification to)

Scott, it pains me to do this...

Which clearly (pun intended) shows it as a paint.

As you may remember my very first post here was along the lines of "I used X-21 Flat Base and...". I had posted here for the first time looking for an answer to why my son's P-51 was covered in white. Luckily I discovered your website and your helpful tip on how to use Flat Base properly. Something that couldn't fit on the teeny little label above. I can well understand how otherwise reasonable people can go wrong with this product. Luckily all was saved without any real harm done (though that son now has a tendency to ask "really?" now ). I still use Flat Base to this day

I've never put cosmoline on my burger, but would question why somebody would have a squirt bottle full of it on the table! 

I think a lot of the confusion arises simply out of the name "Flat Base" and the fact that we use terminology such as "base coat", "colour coat", "top coat", "clear coat" etc.  People read "Flat Base" on the label and assume that it's used in a similar way to a  "base coat".

I think the problem lies in the packaging, where X-21 sits in the rack right in the middle of a whole range of similar looking bottles.   Package it in something that looks nearly identical to something else and people will try to use it the same way. It would have been preferable to have this item separate from the "normal" paint line with its own separate instructions for use.

However Tamiya are not alone in this. Gunze make a similar product and it is also "in the rack" alongside the regular paints. (Again with no particular special instructions) Next time you pick up a spray pack of Testors primer, see if there is any difference between the instructions on the label and the instructions on the label of a "normal" colour paint.

Scott, it pains me to do this... Which clearly (pun intended) shows it as a paint.

Ooops, my bad.  It does indeed read "Paint" on the main label.

A "Base" to a paint manufacturer has a very specific meaning.  It is the vehicle into which pigments, thinners, and (sometimes) other mediums are mixed to create true "Paint".  I can see where, to a company that makes paint, labeling it as a base would be all that is necessary.

I wish they would put a little grid on the label showing the ratios of mixing it to the clear for flat, eggshell, semi-gloss etc.  That would eliminate the true problem... no directions on how to use it.

p.s. oooo... almost to 3 pages! 

It would have to be an infinitesimally small grid.

Just doing my bit to lengthen the thread...