AKs acrylic lacquer has been around for a few years now, and maybe this is old news to many of you. Some of you might not have tried it, and this post is for you.
Here are my first impressions of it:
I used a white plastic spoon for this test. The spoon was washed, but not sanded. I used Tamiya lacquer thinner to cut the paint by about 1:1. The paint sprayed on like a dream, and it covered quickly. In the example below I started by spraying light coats followed by a heavy coat.
On this side of the spoon I went straight to a heavy coat. I wanted to see how the paint reacts between both processes. I was a little worried with side 2 because I could see what looked like a grain to it. I thought maybe the lacquer was crazing the plastic. In the end, this was not the case. I think it's how the paint dries that gave it that appearance.
For grins, I gave the paint 24 hours to cure. I checked both sides for grain and both feel extremely smooth. I could not feel a difference either way.
Next, I applied Tamiya Masking Tape--pressing it down as hard as I could. I found no evidence of paint failure when I ripped the tape up. I tried this several times and the result was always the same. This paint sticks! The only thing I noticed is a slight change in sheen from where the spoon was masked and where it wasn't. Once I noticed this, I lightly rubbed the non-masked areas, and this equalized it. What this tells me is that in the drying process it seems to produce a light oxidation. It comes off easily by wiping.
Final thoughts...
The smell was not overpowering.
The paint dries fast.
The paint sticks well.
The paint covers quickly.
The only negative I can see is the oxidation. And for me, it's not an issue.
My next test will be with a gloss. I want to see how well their gloss works.