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tamiya vs model master


Zglossip

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Hey guys I always use acrylic and lean towards model master for its color accuracy ,but they don't have the biggest selection paints I can't find anything on there new website and there customer service stinks so I was thinking about switching to tamiya acrylics but I would like some information before hand about rthe differences between them , are the tamiya paints historically accurate , are they more expensive than model master, do they have a bigger selection of colors and are they harder to find thanks .

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Guest PetrolGator

Tamiya sprays beautifully when you use their thinner. Brushing it can be a challenge unless it's properly thinned. Overall, the paint seems to be a higher quality than Model Master, though I utilize both due to the need for a specific color palette for my builds.

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Tamiya brushes poorly, but goes on beautifully when airbrushed. My first experience was when a friend asked for help in airbrushing a model. He used rubbing alcohol for thinner, which worked great. I am an enamel guy, so when I tried Tamiya acrylic on one of my models, I used lacquer thinner with equally great results. My only gripes are that it tends to chip easily and the colors are not all matched to specific military colors. I normally use Testors Model Master enamels more for availability rather than anything else.

 

I'm not sure if this was a fluke or not, but I had unexpectedly good coverage when airbrushing Tamiya Flat Red, so much so that I almost obliterated the camouflage that I wanted to show through on a Fokker Dr.I. I gave the model three highly thinned coats and didn't realize that the paint became more opaque as it dried. A friend also mentioned that Flat White has very good color saturation.

 

For hand painting, my wargaming miniature friend tells me that stuff from Citadel and Vallejo are excellent, and his results are a convincing testimony. A lot of scale guys use them, so it must not be a secret.

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I will probably buy some tamiya paints and use tamiya and model master one quistion Tho I have always thin model master with just plain water and it always works great can you thin tamiya paints with plain water to take in mind I'm only a ranch hand and don't have a lot of money so don't recommend very expensive products if water won't work.

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I have heard of people using water with a tiny amount of dishwashing soap (to help reduce surface tension). My friend uses rubbing alcohol, the kind found in the medicine cabinet at home, and it worked very well with Tamiya acrylic. HTH

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thanks Neal I will probably use rubbing alcohol i already have it around the house thanks to everybody who replied to this topic it was a great help .

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For acrylic paint, I really like Tamiya. I use their thinner to thin it for airbrushing and then clean the airbrush with Windex (with ammonia D). The problem with Tamiya paint is their color range. If you are looking for a specific FS or RLM color, you are mostly out of luck. In fact, other than WWII Japanese colors, everything else usually requires some mixing of multiple colors (per their own instructions).

 

On the other hand, ModelMaster has a really good color range, but can be a bear to clean out of your airbrush. Use the wrong chemical and the paint turns to sludge.

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Another consideration is cleanup. I use Model Master Acryl most of the time. I really like the ability to clean up with just water. After I'm done spraying, I run water through the airbrush. Then, I take the airbrush and color cups over to the sink and clean them up with water. Works great. If the paint begins to dry though, clean up can be a bit more challenging.

 

Also, Testors states that the Acryl line can be airbrushed without additional thinning. Generally I find this to be true, but sometimes a little Acryl thinner helps (and I mean 'a little').

 

Overall, I really like the Acryl line. But, the model needs to be really clean before painting and even then, the adhesion of the paint can be troublesome.

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