Hi,

For the third time I have run into problems airbrushing the white underside of aircraft. I get the paint too thin to cover or I get a clogged airbrush. I have tried both Tamiya and Lifecolor and had problems with both. I use the same brand of thinner as the paint. On one of the kits I used Tamiya's white primer first but got the same results on the finish coat. The results are always less than great. With other colors I do not have this problem, only with white. Any tips or suggestions on brands of paint are welcome.

Russ

Yeah - white, yellow and red are tough colors to use. When I need to paint white ( and I use Model Master enamels thinned with off-the-shelf lacquer thinner ) I put down a base of neutral gray first. After that drys, the white I use over it usually bites into it well, and gives me a pretty good chance of coming out with a good result. As always, it pays to experiment. Good luck.

Cheers,
Mike

Mike,

Thanks, how long do you wait before spraying bordering colors? Also what ratio do you use for thinning?

Cheers
Russ

I mix by "eye-ball", but I try for 70 paint/30 thinner, but if a little more thinner gets in, it's usually ok...60/40 works for me too.

I usually let my base coat sit for a day or two, before applying the white coat over it, if that's what you mean by bordering colors. If you mean how long after applying the white do I wait to use a mask over it to apply other paint, I usually wait at least 2 days, if not longer. Nothing worse than having that "white" come off as you peel off the mask, so, patience is a virtue. This is all with enamels mind you...I've never used acrylics, so you may have to practice or experiment on some scrap plastic to see if that works with your paint.

Cheers,
Mike

Cutting Tamiya paints with lacquer thinner improves their performance significantly as well.

Multiple thin coats has been the key for me.

Last few things I have had to paint white, I have just airbrushed on Vallejo's white primer. Works like a charm.

If you need a gloss white, then white primer, and then gloss coat of your choice, I just use Future.