jlk2

Tamiya makes a bottled acrylic "Hull Red", XF-9. The paint samples on their web site has it being much darker than the spray, but have you considered looking at it in a store? See the spray sample at http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=85033 and the bottle sample at http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=81709

I pose the question of how much paint, in ml, can be expected when a 100 mi can is decanted. I seek the experience of others, for if I myself tried this, I would end up with the following: 43 ml on the workbench when the tube came off the can, 24 ml into the air, 18ml on me, 3 ml on the cat when he bumped me to let me know it was time for dinner, leaving me with 11 ml in the bottle. I assume that once the paint is in the bottle, that it can be stored and used as any bottled paint?

I'm about to buy paint in some quantity over the Internet and trying to get an idea of how much I will need. I hate buying a bottle today and paying the $8.00 shipping and handling charge, only to find out tomorrow that I need another bottle and paying another $8 for it. To try to quantify the answer, let us suppose the following: I am painting a 1/48 mode P-47 in silver. How much coverage can I expect if I am using 10 ml bottles? Will I need 1/2 bottle, 1 bottle, or 2 or 3 bottles? Now I know that this is hard to answer, since you cannot see my airbrush settings of how much paint I am applying in one coat, but assume that it is enough to cover the plane completely without getting it on so thick that it runs.

Thanx to all those who replied. To get as many opinions as possible, I posted this question in several forums. Apparently, there is no master cross-reference as I sought for Tamiya. Tamiya, in the kit instructions, gives suggestions as what colors to use. The exterior colors were always recommended in spray cans, possibly for convenience of application. I took Tamiya's recommended color lists and made a master list of what paints I would need for the dozen or so kits I have to make, and ended up with a list of 85 colors, 23 in spray cans and 62 in bottles; apparently, Tamiya is trying to sell me as much paint as possible! <g> So I decided to try and match the spray can with bottles to see if I could avoid buying the cans. After three hours of looking at pictures of paint samples posted on Tamiya's web site --- and knowing full well that the color on the Internet may not match the actual color as painted -- I came up with what I thought might work to eliminate having to buy spray cans at $7.00 a can. Unfortunately, many of the colors in spray cans cannot be directly matched, and since Tamiya does not give the FS numbers for any of their paints, I often had to make a best guess. I am writing a rather nasty letter to Tamiya about their marketing practices, for I hold the opinion that anything available in a spray should be available, under the same name, in a bottle. And, oddly enough, it would appear that the Tamiya spray colors can be very easily matched to Model Masters line of bottled paints, usually by name. I was able to match these in about ten minutes. So I may choose to use Model Masters rather than Tamiya for the exteriors, and mix and match as needed for other parts.

Thanx to all those who replied. To get as many opinions as possible, I posted this question in several forums. Here's what I gleaned from all the answers: Preferences as when to paint varied, but most agreed that it is best to look at the kit and decide if it can be assembled into subassemblies that can then be painted. The order of painting will depend upon access after construction, so, for example, cockpits should be painted before assembly. Some parts, like small ones, are best painted while on the sprue. As to when to prime, so preferred to do it while on the sprue, others did it after partial assembly and filling, others painted and then assembled and filled and primed again. I think that my approach will be to look at the kit and construct subassemblies when possible, then fill and prime, and paint small parts on the sprue. Again, this will depend upon the kit. JLK

My thanks to all who took the time to reply. I posted this question in several different forums so to get as many opinions as possible. As I understand the answers: Tamiya is better for airbrushing, but brushes poorly unless thinned. Their range of colors is not as great, and they make no effort to tell the consumer what FS number the paint is. MM has a greater range of colors, gives the FS number, is better for brush painting, and may not adhere without a primer. It may also be harder to clean out of an airbrush. The bottom line: the choice is personal, and would probably best be determined by experimenting with each.

Thanx for the reply. I believe that I will use Tamiya's primer, as I have seen from other sources, that it works with both brands, whereas Testor's primer is more difficult to apply and does not always work if overpainted with Tamiya's colored paint. JLK

When building models, at what point in the process do you paint? When the parts are still on the trees, or after partial construction? Do you prefer to prime and then assemble and fill gaps or prime first? When do you do the final painting? Thanx.

I am trying to match the various colors of Tamiya's TS and AS lines of spray paint to the equivalent Tamiya acrylic bottle line to airbrush airplanes and military vehicles. I do not care to use the spray cans, as they are not only expensive if I need only a small amount of paint for one-time use, but difficult to control to the degree I can get with an airbrush. As an example of what I need, AS-1 Dark Green matches to XF-11 J.N. Green. Tamiya customer service was of no help when I asked them, saying that they have never been given this information by Tamiya in Japan. Does anyone know of such a listing? Thanx. JLK

I am seeking opinions and experiences on the merits of Tamiya versus Model Master acrylic paints. My preference is to stick with one brand if at all possible, but I have not yet made a decision as to which, so I thought I would ask and see what others think. I am building airplanes and military vehicles, if that makes any difference. JLK

Hello, I just joined the forums and will be asking many, many questions. My last modeling experience was in the early 1960s, so for all intents and purposes, I am new at this hobby. My interests are airplanes, Formula 1 cars, and military vehicles. JLK