Hi,

I'd like to know if there's any tricks to getting acrylic metal paints to behave themselves and go through my airbrush and onto the model without too much struggling?

Today airbrushed my Mig-21 build with citadell mithril silver and it was quite a chore. Metallics in general seem to be quite hard to airbrush, but this was an extreme case I think. It seems like the metal flakes are clogging up my AB, and thinning the paint further and raising pressure didn't seem to have much effect.

Are there any neat tricks & tips for airbrushing metallic acrylics, preferably other than ditching them altogether and getting Alclads (it's the smell and need for much more efficient air conditioning)?

Different brand metallic paints contain different size metallic flakes - I've not worked with the Citadell brand you mention, but I do know I've not had any issues with either ModelMaster or Tamiya brand metallics through the airbrushes (Iwata Eclipse & Revolution).

If you wish to stick with your current paint, you could always try going for a larger spray tip in the airbrush, although this may not be desirable.

Raising the air pressure may have the reverse effect to that desired in that you could force clumps through the airbrush onto the model.

If you're trying to achieve a bare metal looking finish, you'll probably find far greater satisfation with Alclad anyhow.

Another brand which I've not tried yet which I hear is superd is Spax Stix - apparently they make water based paints which can achieve a finish similar to Alclad.

The key to a good metal finsh is the prep work. The model should be as smooth as possible as the metallic paint will show every, and I mean every flaw present. The problem with the Citadel paint is the pigment is too large to effectively produce a nice finish with an airbrush. I used to paint gaming figures with this type of paint and it was much too thick to airbrush even after thinning. If you want to stay with acrylics I would suggest the Talon line of paints. These are the acrylic line of SnJ and they work great. Just follow the directions for application and you should have no problems. You can find them here http://www.hawkeyeshobbies.com/ It is some nice stuff. I used it on this Connie.

If you want to branch out, Alclad II and even Model Masters Metalizers are a good choice. Hope this helps. "Q"

Thanks for the info.

Well, using a smaller nozzle isn't possible with my Badger 360 so I'll have to try something else. Dropping the pressure is first on the list. Using the siphon-feed mode might help as well I think, that way the metallic flakes don't gather to the paint cavity to clogg the nozzle and the bottle can be swirled to keep the paint mixed.
I'll see when I get to spraying the different shade panels I've spent several hours masking today.

Those Talon acrylics look nice, and having read some favorable reviews, I might give them a try. How do you think they'll withstand the shipping? Freezing doesn't do good to any paints.

While the finish of the citadel metallics clearly isn't the best for natural metal surfaces, I think they'll adequate for the aluminium-painted finish on the Mig-21 I'm painting.

What Matt meant to say is Talon acrylics made by Hawkeye's Hobbies. The SnJ Spray Metals are enamel based.

Check the website Matt provided, be sure to visit the Gallery to see more models finished with the Talon acrylics.

My bad. Had a rectal cranium inversion for a moment. "Q"