Paint questions

[scbaker]

As I read through the posts and tutorials here on this wonderful fourm I have noticed that there is a lot of different paints being used on the various projects ... even oil paints ... I have never personally heard of the use of oils on models  but I like the results.(me coming from bright and polished paint on car models )

My question is : What paints (oils too) do you use/prefer and what are the resources you have use to ensure that the correct color is being used.

Thank you all very much for the help.
Steve B.

[gcn]

Hello Steve

I tend to use Tamiya or Gunze paints based on info from kit instructions usually. I will do a bit of research on the model I'm doing to make sure the colour call outs are in the ballpark. For me the colours don't have to be exact just there or there abouts.

Oils are used to create wood effects and washes. I use Winsor & Newton oils.

[Maxfinn]

Hi Steve,

You can count me in the bunch that goes with what looks close enough.  I know there are original swatches of period fabric around, but even given careful archival care (doubtful immediately following the war I think), I would think there would have been plenty of shift in color and tone in the last 100 years.  So I tend to mix some Tamiya paint to what looks about right given the pictures I can see and descriptions I read.  At the end of the day, if someone can conclusively prove I've got the wrong color on my model, at least it lives in my case and not theirs, and I'll then know better the next time!  And I absolutely swear by Tamiya acrylics.  I've been using them for so long now that I know what I have to do with them to get the look I'm after,

As for the use of oils, I have seen a beautiful SE5a hand painted with oils.  It was gorgeous, but it must also have been quite an exercise in patience.  I do use oils on almost every model though.  As previously mentioned, I find it the absolutely best way of doing wood grain.  It also makes a really good way to shift the tone of the paint job by using it highly thinned as a filter.  For instance, I just painted a model with PC-10 on the green side.  I wanted it to be a little more yellow, so I mixed a filter using yellow ochre Windsor & Newton and washed that over the whole model.  I got a nice shift towards the yellow, and also a slightly inconsistent finish as the wash gathered more heavily in some areas than others.  You can also use it for more localized effects such as streaking.

For more on using oils, I'd highly recommend checking out the armor guys.  They have really pioneered the use of oils for anything more than a pin wash.  For a great look at how one of the masters uses oils, check this link out:

http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles/other/oilpaintrenderingmr_1.html

Mike

[JoeDxMB]

^ ^ ^

Thats' a great link with a lot of useful info.

[GHE]

Meine Herren !

The only 'problem' to us airborne tankers  with oils are their base.
The only help so far is something (cloth, tissues) that will suck away the oily base; afterwards you may mix the oils with enamels
( great!)  or thin the oils with petrol used for cigarette lighters.
But there are water solulable oils out there, too (Windsor&Newton etc.)- yet haven't tested them; armor guys usually use oil to
pronounce details or to wheather tanks.
Figure painters often use oils, but I still wonder how to get real matted surfaces (for cloth).
The good thing about oils is that they are rich with pigments and oils may be blended into one another with great success.
But drying time is a pain.
Oil paintings on canvas are not dry when sold immediately; they may dry over a years period since most painters do not use
only thin layers of oil paint.

bizz bald, Gunther

[ALBATROS1234]

personally i like humbrol enamels and pollyscale acrylics(green label) the green label has been discontinued but there are still some stocks out there if you poke around.modelmaster acryl are decent too i just find that many are very thick and need thinning with water to make them perform right. for oils i generally use windsor newton because its available at the art supply store near me and the price is midrange. there are cheaper ones and more expensive ones but i am content with the performance of the artist grade stuff. avoid student grade oils they arent the same quality and there is less pigment and more filler so they dont perform as well nor are the colors quite as saturated.

[kornbeef]

Citadel/games workshop acrylics are good, though no direct comparison colourwise they offer a range of various colours, some reasonably close to WWI tones and easily mixable. I like their metalics and now they do a range of layers bases and tints to as well as some gritty textured mud variants. Some of their less conventional colours would suit some of the garish personal markings of a lot of WWI aircraft too.

Though water is reccomended for thinning I use Tamiya X-20 thinners myself. They give good results all round I find.

Keith

[Des]

The majority of my painting is done with Humbrol enamels, these are an excellent paint and can be used equally well with brush or air brush. If air brushing the paint will have to be thinned by about 50%, I use general purpose enamel thinners which works beautifully, drying time is a bit slow with enamels so I always place my painted items into my heat box, this accelerates drying time and helps to keep dust off the wet surface. I also use Gunze acrylics, these paints spray beautifully when thinned with a tad of lacquer thinners, drying time is quite quick with full drying in two hours. I use oil paints to do my wood simulations, it is an excellent medium for creating the wood grain, I add liquin to the oil paint, this makes the oil paints dry a lot quicker. There are a lot of different brand oil paints but it's like most things, you get what you pay for. As a metal look I use Mr Metal Color paints, they are a lacquer based metal paint so dry extremely fast, they can be left as sprayed or when dry can be buffed to create a nice sheen.
As a final finish over my painted and decal surfaces I use Humbrol matt, satin or gloss clearcote (that's how Humbrol spell it), it gives a lovely finish and is very hard wearing once fully dried.

Des.

[Ian from Doncaster]

I like Revell aqua acrylics, they brush and airbrush well and thin with water, and dry quickly.  Their browns look like melted chocolate in the pot!  Their enamel range is extensive and I prefer to airbrush these because by the time I've mixed the thinner and allowed hours for drying, the extra time to prep and clean the airbrush is worthwhile.  For priming and a first coat of colour (ie the black on my WNW Late Fee wings) I use humbrol rattle tins.  If used carefully they provide a good even coat but with a slightly rough surface especially with the matt colours.  However these take weathering powders very well and also can be polished up with micromesh.

I usually seal with klear, one coat to stay matt-ish, more coats for a more gloss finish.  Oils for woodgraining and I usually tint the klear with brown or dark grey/green for a dirty wash effect.  I haven't yet done an oil wash as I'm not quite sure about the thinner medium, and for varnish, I am hesitant to spray this because of tiny bubbles...

This is a great place to ask for and to share advice though