Paint brand recommendations, please

[Hardcore]

I have in the past used tamiya, gunze, xtracrylics, vallejo, mig. 

Now I am going bin all those bottles and am looking for a replacement. My requirements are

• Ready to spray from the bottle with no thinning needed
• Water or alcohol based
• Luftwaffe colors 

 

 

Do I have any good options? 

 

 

[Dave Williams]

I’ll be honest, I haven’t found any of the water or alcohol based acrylics to be completely ready to spray from the bottle.  I use Ammo Mig, AK interactive (older and new 3G), and Mission Models, and I do some thinning for all of them (especially AK 3G, which is like a 1:1 ratio).  I tried Vallejo Air, and even that needed some thinning.  Is there a reason for being adverse to thinning?

[Furie]

I have the same question as Hardcore: I'm starting to build and paint models again, and I would like to know if the "MRP" brand paints are of good quality and easy to use?
My question is about the WWII colors for Luftwaffe, RAF and USAF.

I also saw that MRP made metallic paints (titanium, aluminum...) : are they easy to use, and is the metallic rendering realistic ?
Before I stopped, I was using ALCLAD metallic paints but I plan to paint everything with the same brand of paint.
Thanks in advance for your answers.

[D.B. Andrus]

MRP is good paint, pre-thinned ready to use. I highly recommend the brand.

 

HTH,

Damian

[Juggernut]

MRP acrylic lacquer paint is fan-dam-tastic.  However, you’ve noticed it’s not water or alcohol based.  There is no acrylic/water-based paint in my experience that meets all those requirements.  I just “attempted” to use Vallejo Model Air Luftwaffe colors and it was a huge waste of time, effort, and money.  
 

If you’re willing to go with a solvent based paint then MRP will be more than adequate and fit the bill…provided you can find the colors you need in stock someplace..   

[Dave Williams]

1 hour ago, Furie said:

I have the same question as Hardcore: I'm starting to build and paint models again, and I would like to know if the "MRP" brand paints are of good quality and easy to use?
My question is about the WWII colors for Luftwaffe, RAF and USAF.

I also saw that MRP made metallic paints (titanium, aluminum...) : are they easy to use, and is the metallic rendering realistic ?
Before I stopped, I was using ALCLAD metallic paints but I plan to paint everything with the same brand of paint.
Thanks in advance for your answers.

To be fair, MRP paints don’t meet Hardcore’s criteria in that they are not water or alcohol based acrylics.  MRP is lacquer based, so lacquer thinner and lacquer smell.

[ivanmoe]

21 hours ago, Hardcore said:

I have in the past used tamiya, gunze, xtracrylics, vallejo, mig. 

Now I am going bin all those bottles and am looking for a replacement. My requirements are

• Ready to spray from the bottle with no thinning needed
• Water or alcohol based
• Luftwaffe colors 

 

 

Do I have any good options? 

 

 

 

So, I was an enamel painter. PITA, in terms of drying-time, overall mess and toxicity, but I had been using them for forty years. Basically, I just put up with the material's shortcomings out of habit.

 

I restarted building kits about four years ago. I read around and incorrectly (IMO) assumed that acrylics had inherited the modeling earth. However, I had fits with them. The  stuff didn't want to cover for me and caused all kinds of problems when I airbrushed it. Spit, spatter, and completely screwed-up air brush, what a mess. Didn't matter what brand of paint that I used. Even Tamiya was blowing up on me all the time.

 

Can't remember who it was, here, but someone suggested MRP. I bit, in spite of the fact that it was a lacquer, and have never regretted it. The coverage problems resolved, as did the ability of the material to level nicely and produce smooth, even coats. MRP behaved well coming out of the airbrush, and it the gun was easy to clean up.

 

Then, I discovered something else...

 

I began to experiment with Tamiya, again, but I used Mr Color Leveling Thinner, rather than the Tamiya acrylic thinner. Sure enough, the paint went on MUCH better than before, dramatically so. Then, I used AK/Real Colors on a model, again with lacquer thinner, and it worked well, also.

 

The point?

 

IMO, lacquer-based/thinned paints really are the way to go, particularly with model planes. True, they typically don't brush well. But, I don't brush much, anyhow, with the exception of figure-painting...Yuk!

 

That's all, really. Good luck with your modeling and try to keep an open mind regarding lacquer-based acrylics.

Edited January 25, 2023 by ivanmoe

[Dave Williams]

I’ve ditched smelly lacquer paints and have been using the new acrylics exclusively, mostly Ammo Mig and Mission Models, and have started to try the AK 3G acrylics.  The key for the acrylics is to use a good primer.  You’ll have problems trying to apply direct to bare plastic.  I use Mission Models primer or Badger Stynylrez.  I also only use the companies own thinners for the paint.  A little more work with the primer and waiting for the paint to dry, but I’ve gotten smooth and durable finishes.  A lot easier than in the early days where people were trying to get Polly Scale acrylic to work.

[Hardcore]

Apparently mrp make water based paint too. 

I found this https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/review.php?rid=1996

I il ask the author if he found the solution to problem spraying fine lines. 

I think Kevin futter is the same person as lsp_kevin. 

[LSP_Kevin]

1 minute ago, Hardcore said:

I think Kevin futter is the same person as lsp_kevin. 

 

Correct!

 

Kev

[Hardcore]

Got a reply, but Kevin had not used the paints since the review. I may contact the maker directly

[denders]

I have one bottle of MRP's aqua line. I bought it to see how it paints with a brush and I'm not sure if I've actually tried that. I'm sure I haven't airbrushed it. I've found that all aqua based paints need some amount of thinner, Ammo, Vallejo (Model Air too), etc. I've found the solution to painting fine lines is in thinning the paint and reducing the air pressure. It's easier to adjust the pressure if you have a MAC valve right before the airbrush.

 

 

I'm not aware of an aqua line that is really air brush consistency straight out of the bottle. Especially for thin lines. Vallejo Model Air is marketed that way, but I don't see it that way. Depending upon your atmosphere, there is still a problem with tip dry with aqua lines and need mixing with additives to try to avoid tip dry. And of course, you can't pour them back into the bottle. 

 

One of the advantages to AMMO, Vallejo, MRP Aqua, is that you can meter out the paint one drop at a time and then using drops of thinner, additives, you can mix in a very consistent manner. (You can also meter others out using a pipette, but that's something else to clean.) After a while you can get good at mixing just enough paint to do the job too. I still use aqua based paints along with the MRP and SMS lacquer paints.

 

Any way about it though, you should be wearing a mask to make sure you're not sucking the particulate into your lungs. I have an airbrush booth that I put its exhaust out a window and I use a mask while painting. It is mounted through a board that I put in the window and that closes up the window to limit what might be sucked back in. I have various 'chemicals' in ~4oz bottles sitting in the booth for cleaning, thinning, etc. Larger quantities are stored elsewhere.

 

[Gazzas]

Honestly...   I think throwing away your Tamiya paints is a big mistake.  They are without a doubt the easiest to get, and the most dependable of anything you'll find online or at your LHS.  They hold on to plastic better than anything else, too. 

 

Your best bet is to learn how to mix paints.  Some Tamiya paints can be used as Luftwaffe paints straight up.

 

RLM 02 is a dead ringer for IJA Gray.

RLM 65 Is easily made from white with a hint of blue.

RLM 76 is as above with a hint of green.  Add gray if you like.  Late war, make it a very, very pale gray with no blue.

RLM 74 is a darker gray mixed with green.

RLM 75 is a lighter gray with a hint of violet if you want.

 

Buy extra black and white for darkening and lightening of grays.

 

The only non-Tamiya colors I recommend getting from either SMS or MRP is RLM 70 and RLM 71.  They have a unique relationship that is hard to master.

 

Good luck with your search!  And never throw anything away that you might need later.

 

 

[Citadelgrad]

I use Tamiya paints pretty frequently, but for aircraft painted exteriors, I am currently 100% sold on MRP lacquers.  

[Neo]

Ive been usin humbrol enamel 4 ever. 

Ive tried many paint, my bigest issue is i cant seam to be able to brush paint as well as humbrol. 

I made a choice to move to ak real colors(laquer) they spray amazingly, but brush is meh. MRP i find is the worst smelling paint ive used. I tried 1 acrylic russian cockpit blue, went on pretty well smells much better but i would not buy more. 

 

I think a more important part whatever the medium is to have 

1 a paint mark/ breather 

2 change those filters once in a while 

3 have a proper paint booth that extract outside. 

Dosent matter if your paint dosent smell you should still not breathe it in. 

 

Then doing these 3, appart from mr surfacer and mrp, my basement dosent smell like paint after 5mins even in winter