Thinner for AK paints

[John1]

I’ve got a single AK Real Model jar of paint but no AK thinner.   I do have Modlemaster thinner and Tamiya Laquer thinner.   Will either of those work?

[quang]

AK Real Colors is lacquer, so any lacquer thinner (like Tamiya) would work.

[Greg W]

Here are a couple of videos directly from AK Interactive. I found these useful when I initially checked out the Real Color paint line:

 

 

 

 

[The Dude]

Mr.Color Leveling Thinner is awesome but it has a really potent odor. 

[red Dog]

I made extensive testing with these colours and honestly it does not thin well with any of the usual thinners.
Mr Color levelling thinner works best BUT their own brand thinner works better - especially if you need to do fine work.

Gross work will work fine with Mr levelling thinner, but IMHO it thins much better with their own thinner.

I usually never do that, but with the real colours range, I do use the brand thinner (AK real colour High compatibility thinner) It saves me a lot of hassle

 

 

 

 

[quang]

To each his own 

I ‘m using this for years without hassle…

[Duncan Doenitz]

Thanks for the tips. The Airfix 1:72 Vulcan is next in the queue and I have AK RC 286/289 for the upper surface and 222 for underneath. I'll get some of their thinners for the very best results. What mix ratio ? 60:40 thinner to paint ?

[Zola25]

On 8/29/2023 at 9:37 AM, red Dog said:

I made extensive testing with these colours and honestly it does not thin well with any of the usual thinners.
Mr Color levelling thinner works best BUT their own brand thinner works better - especially if you need to do fine work.

Gross work will work fine with Mr levelling thinner, but IMHO it thins much better with their own thinner.

I usually never do that, but with the real colours range, I do use the brand thinner (AK real colour High compatibility thinner) It saves me a lot of hassle

 

 

 

 

I will second this experience - I normally use Levelling Thinner on Tamiya and Gunze but when used with AK Real paint it sometimes has a very fine grainy texture when dry. I am also using AK´s dedicated thinner for these paints and that always works fine.

 

/Niels

[Stuka]

Hey Guys,

 

I compared the three AK Thinners (High Compatibility, Nitro, and Xtreme) for diluting AK Real Colors for Fine-Line airbrushing in a previous article:

https://modelpaintsol.com/guides/diluting-ak-real-colors-for-fine-line-airbrushing-the-dragon-1-72-gtk-boxer-a2

 

In addition to the AK Thinners, Real Colors dilute very nicely into Mr. Hobby Thinner as well as Gunze Leveling Thinner. I also suggest adding a little Mr. Hobby Mr. Retarder Mild to your mix, especially for shooting Gloss or for Fine-Line work.

I hope that helps.

Let me know if you have any questions.......

 

Best regards,

--John

[Neo]

Ive been using mr color leveling thinners with them no problem but following the comments here i might grab dedicated ak to see the difference

[Duncan Doenitz]

Agreed, this is all useful stuff and a few quid on AK thinners seems a wise investment compared to the risk of getting a poor surface finish. Andy at Scale Model Shed explained to me that thinners erode the paint particles which then precipitate out. Shaking up an aged mix sorts it all out and spraying gives an even finish.

 

Lot's of science involved, or so it seems.

[dashotgun]

I have also used mr color thinners with acceptable  results,   however   given the effort of stripping etec if there is an  advantage to using their thinners   I am going to try theirs on my next build

[Wayne Bull]

I have been using it with IPA  with no drama's just treat the same as tamiya or gunze .Works well with tamiya lacquer as well .Its way more usable than the rest of their range . Have fun Wayne

[nmayhew]

34 minutes ago, Wayne Bull said:

I have been using it with IPA  with no drama's just treat the same as tamiya or gunze .Works well with tamiya lacquer as well .Its way more usable than the rest of their range . Have fun Wayne

nice to see you here Wayne!

i always thought you were 'strictly armour', so am looking fwd to any aircraft builds you might do

cheers

Nick

 

[Steve McArthur]

Normally I only use AK RC for brush touchups since MRP is really too thin for brushing. Mr. Color Leveling Thinner has worked for me when I've airbrushed AK RC. I had a case where I needed a color for a base coat that I couldn't find MRP in stock and substituted AK RC. I thinned it about 60/40 MLT/paint. I don't recall there being any problems.