I've recently started using these metallics - and I really like them. They're lacquer-based, however, and I've tried white spirit (mineral spirit in the US), isopropanol, acetone and even methylated spirit. The only thing which works is cellulose thinners - but it's noxious stuff, whose vapours hang heavy in the air like a fog.

Any tips for an alternative, please?

Thanks very much in advance.

Kev

Next, I got an inexpensive no name compressor that lasted 3 or 4 months before the no-way-to-disassemble pressure blow off valve stuck open. To their credit, they paid for it to get shipped back and mailed me a new unit within a day or two of receiving it. I went back to my trusty sparmax. 

While waiting, I decided to splurge and get a Silentaire 30. It was great for a month or two, then the blow off stuck. They offered to let me send it back for repair or replacement, but I was able to get the valve working again. All good, until now. With a total of 6 months light service, in the middle of clear coating the mauler, it quit. It just makes a buzz like a stalled electric motor, draws enough power to dim the lights, and quits after a second. Oil level is fine and has been. I assume the compressor itself is stalled. Called and emailed the seller, waiting to hear back. 

Semi rhetorical question, is it possible to get anything that works or do you just have to get lucky? Or at least better luck than me? I've got a used car worth of money in compressors over the last year, only to have new ones work for a few dozen hrs. I have backup compressors for the backups. I'm glad my old sparmax hasn't sold at the local swap meets. 

As I already mentioned, I got back into the hobby about a year ago after roughly a 15-year break. I never really stopped buying kits, tools, or paints, so my paint collection has now grown

to around 1,500 bottles, mainly Mr. Hobby, Tamiya, Lifecolor, and MRP.

After building a few models over the last 12 months or so, I’ve mostly been using Mr. Hobby, Tamiya, and some MRP. Tamiya and Mr. Hobby are always thinned with Mr. Hobby Levelling

Thinner, so at this point they are basically all being used as lacquers. I have never had a single issue with either brand. They all spray beautifully and cover very well, apart from the usual difficult colors like red or yellow.

MRP paints do have one big advantage: they come pre-thinned. But for me, that’s also where the advantage ends. The pigment settles very quickly, even inside the airbrush during slightly longer painting sessions.

Then there is the price: €5.5 to €6.5 for a 30 ml bottle.

That is where the math starts to look questionable to me. Tamiya, Mr. Hobby, AK Real Colors, and similar paints all need thinning, but even at 1:1 you already get a lot more usable paint, and in my case it is usually closer to 1:3 paint to thinner because I always spray very thin coats. I am not even counting shading work here, because in those cases I would thin MRP as well.

So with a €2.8 bottle of 17 ml AK Real Color, after thinning I get at least 34 ml of airbrush-ready paint, and in reality more like 40+ ml. With Tamiya and Mr. Hobby, it works out similarly, if not even better.

So, with absolutely no intention of dismissing or bashing MRP, my question is: where exactly is the value in it? Am I missing something?

To be clear, this is not a rant. MRP paints are very good. I just do not see them as being better than pretty much any other quality paint I have used over the years, apart from the convenience of already being pre-thinned.

Cheers,

Alek

I now have an electric gizmo that does the job wonderfully. There appear to be two types available where you either hold the bottle / jar against a vibrating silicone pad or the container is clamped within a sturdy crocodile clip. I went for the latter as it leaves your hands free to get on with other stuff. 

If anyone wished to get one around £50 GBP or $60 USD on the big river website, search for "Mini Vortex Mixer" and there will be a few choices. The surprise is that mine is USB powered but that's not an issue. I can now have the next colour whizzing away while I clean the brush. Result !

However, if the paint is not thick enough, you can see light through it somewhat... it's too translucent.

So you paint it heavily to solve that issue...then when you pull the mask off you may have a thick edge.

What's worse is the thick edge may crumble here and there and you get uneven lines or even see layers!

To sum up, I mask canopy and have these many layers:

1. Interior green

2. Camo color

3. Clear gloss for decals (if canopy attached to fuselage)

4. clear matte 

That's a lot of paint.

Is there a BETTER way???

My biggest take away from the testing:

1) they are probably the best acrylic airbrush ready paints out there. Even when you spray them incorrectly they seem to work.

2) the color accuracy is just bad.....

What are people's recommendations for British HHS paint on a Spitfire?  Would prefer to stick with acrylics.

Thanks,

Richard

As a kid I used to build a lot of RAF subjects in 1/72nd scale. Hardly surprising given that I could see virtually every type in the inventory flying in to RAF Waddington on any given day.

Vulcans, Victors, Jaguars, Buccaneers, Phantoms, Lightnings, Harriers, Hunters, Canberras etc., you name it, I probably saw it. At the time almost all tactical aircraft carried green/grey over light grey or full wraparound cammo.

This meant stocking up on all of the colours necessary to splash the cammo on my models with a hairy stick.

My local hobby shop carried the Humbrol "Authentic colour" range so I diligently applied the enamel straight to the plastic surface.

As it happens, the Hunter that I'm currently building also carries these colours. I seemed to remember seeing some old enamel paint tins buried deep in my supplies so I had a rummage.

Here's what I found. 

Given that the web page I linked to suggests that these were discontinued in 1989 these pots are at least 36 years old! (Truthfully they're probably even older than that)

I opened the first tin with a certain amount of trepidation. 

Not completely solid  After stirring for a while the colour came back albeit rather gloopy. 

I've experimented and added a splash of white spirits to one of the tins. Hopefully this will thin the paint enough to allow it to be used. 

There are quite a few colours in my dated stash so I may have options. 

If these are suitable I hope they will give me a nice hard base over which I can weather the airframe. I'll try some on a spare fuel tank first though just incase they are beyond help.

What are the oldest paints in your collection?

Cheers,

Guy

It could be quite beneficial for creating some less popular colours or for getting a scale effect. 

Hope some find this of interest  

Cheers,

Guy

Your suggestions are appreciated!