Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

You could use Tamiya Fine Primer, or Mr. Surfacer 1000 or higher. Mist them with light coats.

I once skipped priming and I'd rather not make that mistake again. Some people never prime their models, but I find them easier to work with after priming.

Back when I used enamels, I dry brushed that on a silver basecoat; gave the shading effect you want (simulates metal expansion) - I'd look close at real world examples (like on motorsiccle exhausts) for ideas before I painted. AFAIK, tho, airbrushing is the way to go with this stuff - also, I think...

Thanks for the response. It was airbrushed in the two links I provided above. I imagine it would also be good to drybrush it too, wouldn't you say? Or use it as a wash?

A couple of months ago, I bought Model Master Acryl 4676 "Jet Exhaust" on a whim. I've tested it out, and it looks more like a dirty brownish, grayish metallic color. I didn't notice its metallic properties until I tested it out when I got home. I've done a little bit of research on usage ...

Yup, what he said. Or I said. Yeah, while I was spraying it, I could barely see anything coming out of my airbrush. In the past, I'd used Testors Decal Bonder from the rattle can, and that always soaked the decal sheet. I just put Microscale's decal film directly into my airbrush without thinning, a...

Here is a very nice, thorough decal tutorial by Genessis Models.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axgf8NNRh7M

I've been slowly working on a 1:35 scale 1970 Mitsubishi Galant by ARII as a side project for quite a while. I've used Alclad Chrome before on models, but this one has had the paint rub off on the bumpers twice now. The first time it came off a bit I just reshot it with chrome, but after resuming wo...

The first problem with thinning an original paint mix for airbrushing, in my opinion, is that if you make a mistake, you'll have to add more paint. Earlier this year, I had put together a Sakura Wars steampunk mecha that had a fabulous pink color. It was a mixture of white, pink, purple, and cobalt ...

I am curious about that Krylon Crystal Clear. I never used any Krylon stuff even when I lived in the States, but it seems to be a safe acrylic spray to use. I have used Testors Decal Bonder spray on Tamiya decals because they were so brittle and had to order replacements. The stuff's main purpose is...

Yup, use Tamiya's regular thinner in MM paints all the time. I know of a few people that have used regular hardware store lacquer thinner too. I love Tamiya thinner. Mr. Color Leveling Thinner is also the pooh for when you want to go lacquer. Thanks. A few years ago I learned about using lacquer th...

Kylwell wrote:I use Tamiya thinner for what few MM paints I have. The rainbows and unicorn farts that Tamiya puts in their thinner worked great for me.

LOL! So you're talking about Tamiya acrylic thinner for use withTestors MM acrylics? I just want to make sure you aren't talking about their lacquer thinner.

This should be a quick answer (I hope). I understand that Testors sells their own brand of acrylic thinner for their Model Master paints, however that is unavailable to me since I live in Japan. They sell the paints, but no thinners. I am curious if I could use Tamiya acrylic or GSI Creos Mr. Hobby ...

I've been watching a video series by YouTuber StryderPrime in which he is building and painting both the original and the new 2199 Dessler Command Carrier ship simultaneously. He's using Gundam Real Touch markers on the primed surface for preshading. Here's the 5th video in the series: https://www.y...

Maybe I suck and nobody has the guts to tell me, but people on here liked my Galaga starfighter model I finished back in December: http://stevethefish.net/life/models/031galaga.htm I am in no way as experienced as many people on here are, but I think it turned out fairly nice. What I did for the bla...

Hmm. That is interesting. I wonder how those Tamiya paint pens behave. Since they aren't Sharpies and are in fact enamel paints, I imagine that they must behave a bit differently. Coating paints on top of enamel shouldn't be a problem.

I've used a Sharpie in a few cases. But you have to be aware that it will float to the top no matter how many coats of paint you cover it with. Hi, what do you mean by "float to the top"? Does it do something to the paint? I have also seen Tamiya Paint Pens. These are enamel paint markers...

Gee, I dunno what to tell ya. Enamels go on acrylics easily enough, but just grabbing something off the shelf at a Wal Mart ---to me, anyway--- sounds like an invitation to disaster. A clear enamel would be great, but fast drying? Enamels tend to not be fast drying like lacquers or acrylics. Even wh...

Hi, has anyone ever used Gundam markers for preshading panel lines? Or any marker for that matter? While doing a search, I saw a picture of somebody on another forum who used a Sharpie pen on a Trek model for preshading. He airbrushed enamel paint. Somebody said that this is inadvisable for acrylic ...

I tried salt weathering only once, several years ago. It was on an Ertyl Snowspeeder and it turned out like this. The water melted the rock salt a bit, forming splotches around the salt. I was going for a paint chipped weathering scheme, but I ruined it. I was working exclusively with Tamiya acrylic...

So what is this Walmart stuff in a can? Acrylic? Lacquer? I'm rather hesitant to use cheap stuff from various stores that isn't specifically made for hobby painting. I mean, Krylon may be okay, but I am hesitant to use hardware store type stuff on models without knowing it will work well or not. As ...

Yes, that's what I have been doing. I think I will practice the second method more to become better at mixing paint. Thanks.

I have a quick question. My first airbrush was a Paasche, and its mixing cup was siphon-fed. I could put the paint in, add the thinner, mix it up, and start spraying. Easy. My new Wave has a gravity-fed airbrush. I find that if I put the paint in and then the thinner, I can't mix it properly because...

Mightymax, is it possible to airbrush Delta Ceramcoat paints??? I've often wondered this. Do you have experience with this? Did you thin it with 90% alcohol?

I'm glad this subject came up, since this is something I have been wondering about myself. Hey red_leader, sounds like a good project. I haven't done it myself, but something to try would be to *lightly* streak dark pastels in the direction of airflow. Remember scale, and a little will go a long way...

So apparently the culprit is just that the flat Future wasn't mixed thoroughly enough then, right? I first learned about mixing up batches of flat Future on Swanny's page too, but he doesn't make mention of throwing unused portions away. I have a super glossy enamel spoon I painted as a test piece a...

I've had that happen, but with a batch of Flattened Future that wasn't fresh, from a bottle that's been sitting for more than a few months. Which is why I only mix as needed and don't re-use the remiander. Oh, wow. This is news to me. I've had an unused, small glass bottle of Tamiya-flattened Futur...

Donn Yost mentions in his video on car paint jobs that there is a product called Snazzy Silver Metal Flake by Kustom Kolors. Maybe look into that.

Gosh, I miss that chinsey glitter from the '70s. Looking back at pictures of myself as a small child at the video game arcade back when half of the games were not technically "video games" by today's standards, everything had that glitter. Especially with a red base color. The seat cushion...

Some kit decals, like Round 2's, are so thick that the edges are virtually impossible to hide. Have you heard of Tamiya's Mark Fit Strong? I understand that it is designed for tough decals like that. They claim it can also be used to strengthen an old, dry decal sheet, but I personally think that M...

OK, so as I expected, it is for preshading. Thanks. So preshading is the way to go with raised panel lines, right? My MPC A-Wing fighter has raised panel lines, so I was thinking that I would try preshading on it. I can use the black primer by Mr. Hobby first and fill in the gray with precise airbru...