Has anyone had any luck brush painting the Tamiya flat paint? I'm trying to
use Flat Black (XF-1) and Flat Red (XF-7), and they are so thin I could
probibly airbrush them right out of the bottle (assuming I had an airbrush).
Has anyone else had this problem?

Jim

Tamiya paints are not brush friendly at all. The fiorst formula was great, but that's been gone at least 15 years. Some folks have suggested various alchemic formulae to get it to lay down with, but with PollyScale, Model Master Acryl, Andrea and Vallejo acryilcs that don't have this degree of difficulty, why bother?

I'm just getting back into modeling after about 21 years, amd there have been a lot of changes. I have some of the Testors acrylics to try (Dark Red). If that works well, maybe I'll toss the Tamiya flats and go with Testors. The Tamiya sprays seem a little thin, too. Also, the bottles seemed bigger 20 years ago, too!

Jim

Indeed, they were. I still have a couple bottles of the clears that are just marginally still usable and they are a lot bigger. Back then, I'd paint figures, mixing colors to get the right shades and the stuff would be stable on a palatte fot a good deal of time. Last time I used their solid colors, maybe ten or 12 years ago, they were starting to dry even before I could get the face and hands of a single 1/35 figure in the base color. Very frustrating. Then they would lay down and quickly skin over. When the next brush stroke toched the edge of the paint, it would dissolve the skin and lift it. No amount of care could prevent this.

I can only airbrush tamiya paints,,,brushing doesnt work well.

As Al says the newer bottles are smaller. The older size are 23ml, the newer ones only 10ml. We have one LHS in town that carries the older bottles, and every single time I buy any there the guy who orders the models says it's nearly impossible to get them any more.

About the only time I am able to brush paint Tamiya halfway well is when I use paint I've thinned for airbrushing. That seems to be strange but somehow they seem to cover better when thinned.

I also echo Al when he says why bother? I use Tamiya to airbrush, and MM and Polly Scale to brush. That way also you'll have a little variation between the two which I think looks more realistic anyway.

test

Just checking that you did indeed give the paint bottle a good stir before you you mixed it? I found shaking the bottle was not enough to get the settled paint at the bottom back up again. I actually found the Tamiya paint a little thicker once it was given a good stir. I typically thin them down alot before pumping it through the airbrush.

I dont really have a problem painting tamiya flat black or red, normally i give them a good stir and they go on well sometimes it does required a second coat for areas that ive missed or that brush marks are visible in. I have heard of people leaving the lid off the paint (doing this outside would be better) for a while and some of it evaporates leaving the paint thicker. I have heard this from a couple of people that come in the hobby shop where I work but I generally dont have a problem brush painting the acrylics.

I've never had a problem applying Tamiya acrylics directly from the bottle with a brush. I would, however, not dream of applying them neat via an AB though.

That said, I am not a huge fan of the Tamiya acrylics, partially due to the smell - I find it a bit overbearing and makes me a bit lightheaded despite good ventilation. I much prefer Vallejo due to their ease of use and those handy bottles. And a reasonably pleasant smell

This is my personal preference though, and I highly recommend that you try the different paints available to you to see what is best for you.

HTH

Rudi

I've been giving them a good stir before & during painting, but they're still like painting water. I wonder if it's the brushes I'm using on the areas I'm trying to cover. Maybe I'll try the "leave the bottle open" trick to see if that thickens the paint up a little before I try another brand. The hobby shop that I go to has a pretty good selection of paints. MM makes an acrylic? Interesting. And I've never tried Vallejo.

Jim

I love Tamiya for spraying but they are a real pain for brush painting . Usually requires two coats to cover properly. It can be very fustrating.

Doug

I've got three coats on the Flat Red, and I can still see through it. Two coats of Flat Black, and I can still see through that, too. I'm definately doing something wrong.

Jim

I would honestly say that there is something wrong with your Tamiya paint. As right out of the bottle, assuming its been stirred throughly, it should cover no problem, especially the flat black. Mind you there may be brush strokes, but thats par for the course for a flat color.

Normally Tamiya paint is fairly thick, and you usually have to thin it at least 50/50 to get thin enough to run through an airbrush.

Switching to MM Acrylic won't solve your problems, as they are the exact opposite of Tamiya paint, the MM Acrylics are actually just about thin enough to airbrush right out of the bottle, so if you are having problems with too thin Tamiya, MM Acrylics won't solve your problem!!!!

Best paint for brush painting, IMHO, using acrylics, is Vallejo, and using enamels is Humberol.

i agree with viper in so much as i use humbrol enamels for drybrushing vallejo for brush painting and tamiya paint thinned 50/50 with their own thinners for airbrushing i,ve never had a problem using any of the paints above in the way i suggested at all i found the acrylics dryed to fast for drybrushing and have always used the enamels for this

That's it! It's settled (well, for now anyway). I've got to try those Vallejo acrylics. I just hope Walt's Hobbies in Syracuse carries them.

Jim

If not , Squadron and Sentinel Miniatures carry the Andrea line (very similar) but fewer colors and Hobby Bunker. Military Miniatures Warehouse has several great starter sets.

I can also highly recommend Colorado Miniatures. Good prices, and excellent service.