Hello there.
Me, I only build MG’s and PG’s so I’m a bit spoiled when it comes to seam lines, so I spray all the pieces before assembly. However, on a few older MG’s there are some nasty joints in the head. What I do is paint the face plate, the in- and outside of the cheek plates, glue the head with the face plate in place together and then fill…[Read more]
What paint would you guys recommend for painting an inner frame gunmetal, I’m thinking between doing a dark high gloss finish or a lighter matte finish with silver dry brushing.
I myself use an automotive paint, decant it and put it straight trough the airbrush. I’ve used Alclads Gun Metal in the past once and although it was a great paint in terms of spraying and looks, it wasn’t worth it for me. In any case, you can spray all types of paint on the ABS, as long as you use a primer, even if it is lacquer. The primer I use…[Read more]
Thanks, I never thought about decanting but that should open up more options for me since I’m a little hesitant to use a laquer like alclad, maybe when I have more money and experience I’ll give it a whirl.
Hi guys, I have a problem which I would like to get your insight on. So I’m painting the HGBF Sengoku Astray and I have a problem with painting the parts separate colors with…
you can follow this mod for easier head painting especially for high grade models that have the seam line from putting the halves of the head together.
instead of using pin vise and rod, you can leave the area to be connected unpainted and glue in place after painting. just make sure there’s no rubbing when you insert the face section. otherwise, your nice paint will rub off near the cheeks…
Hi guys, I have a question regarding top coats. First off, could the Tamiya bottles be used as a top coat to protect paint and decals? Second and more importantly, could I use…
in my experience, those top coats are good for anything, just that whenever you flat top coat your kits, you should always in a warm weather or having warm, bright sun around so that we can avoid frosting effects which is not good for your kit. Always use thinner so that it will thin out the topcoats for better results.
The Mr. Super Clear is a lacquer based top coat, so you’ll have to keep the same precautions in mind.
Stickers and dry transfers aren’t that weak as water slides, so a normal coat on top of them will work fine.
The Tamiya XF-86 is normally used to be mixed with gloss colors, or gloss clears to get a flat paint/clear. When painted directly on a…[Read more]
hello all. quick question. i bought some plastic angle necked squeeze bottles to keep some airbrush cleaners in and i was wondering if it was safe to store clean strip green lacquer thinner in it, or will it eat through the plastic? i know tamiya’s lacquer thinner comes in a plastic bottle, but didnt want to take a chance with a different…[Read more]
It all depends on the type of plastic used for your bottles. Most plastics can’t hold solvent based thinners. If it is PTFE plastic, it’s not a problem at all, other plastics may melt.
I guess you have to test it. I used the bottles from Vallejo and they withstand cleaning using lacquer thinners so my bet is they can be used to store the lacquer…[Read more]
Hi guys, I recently bought Tamiya paint retarder to slow down the drying the process and hopefully even out the paint layer. My question is what should the thinner to paint to retarder ratio be and, in what order should I mix them in? Please and thank you!
That’s a rather tricky question in terms of paint to thinner ratio. Most paints from even the same brand have a different viscosity. It’s mostly trial and error before you get a consistency that works for you and your airbrush. The thicker the paint, the higher you should set your pressure.
A good starting point for acrylics like Tamiya is 60%…[Read more]
Glad I could be of some help 🙂
I wouldn’t recommend it. The Tamiya spray cans are solvent based paints, in other words, they are lacquers. I had mixed results in the past spraying lacquers on top of acrylics. Sometimes it went well, other times the paint started to crack. I guess it had to do with the curing period of the acrylic and how heavy…[Read more]
If you don’t spray the first layer on too thick and let it dry before the next one, it won’t effect them at all. Should you spray it on too thick, the decals will start to wrinkle
How about when spraying on bare plastic and on Gundam Markers, Copik modeler markers, and the like? I want to spray it on some RG kits but, am worried that the lacquer spray will kill them. 😛
Sorry for my late reply, hope it reaches you in time.
If you let the Gundam Marker dry for at least 24 hours and then use the same technique as in spraying two very light coats, give it a drying time of 10min between coats before laying on a thick all covering coat it’ll be fine.
As for spraying it on bare plastic, did it in the past myself,…[Read more]
Hi guys, I have an airbrush cleaning question. I just got this new airbrush and was wondering if it is ok to clean it with industrial strength acrylic lacquer thinner. My worry is that if it is too strong, it might damage my airbrush. Any info on the matter is appreciated! 😀
if you’re not sure of what’s in it and want to be safe, don’t let the airbrush soak in it for long. some people like to leave the cleaners in the airbrush or soak all the parts for a few hours or overnight for some serious cleaning but it might be bad for the seals depending on the cleaner components. it’s always better to clean while the paint is…[Read more]
Ye i also use 99%alcohol it works very well i strongly suggest not using something industrial like because it could destroy an expensive airbrush like that
Hello there.
Me, I only build MG’s and PG’s so I’m a bit spoiled when it comes to seam lines, so I spray all the pieces before assembly. However, on a few older MG’s there are some nasty joints in the head. What I do is paint the face plate, the in- and outside of the cheek plates, glue the head with the face plate in place together and then fill…[Read more]