water based paint question

[fourteen14]

  Is there any brand of water based paint other then badger model flex? I am not happy with the way i covers the model too thin and transparent. I used to use pollyscale paint, but cant get it any more. Thanks.

[iomalley]

A whole bunch...you need to primer the model though, that's key with WB paints.

- Trueline paints
- Georges Trains Proto-paint (very simto Tamiya, excellent coverage, unfortunately CDN colours only)

And if you want to adventure into colour matching:
- Vallejo ModelAir
- modelmaster acrylics
- Tamiya (covers the best)

I cut them with windex instead of water, it knocks down the surface tension.

[atsf5517]

Micromark sells Vallejo Acrlyics that are supposed to be matched to polly scale colors. Haven't tried them yet as they seem a bit pricey which seems to be common with all the acrylics except modelflex.

[trev]

Tried Modelflex on a model that Im doing in CP action red and boy was it rubbish! It is way to thin and ran like the Road Runner. Stripped it and after the holidays Im going to mix Modelair reds to get an approximate match. Ive been using modelair for years and really like it and its not too expensive here in the UK

[tjmfishing]

Just start colour matching and use Testors Model Master Acrylic line for everything. You won't look back.

[fourteen14]

Didn't know that testors still made some acrylic paint till today. Checked on walters site they don't carry much in that line, however the hobby lobby here carries a good selection. And also they have the Vallejo Acrlyics. sadly will have to try air brushing the model flex and see how it turns out, after all spent money on will give it a try.

[iomalley]

Don't be scared off by Vallejo price. Those small squeeze tubes could probably yield a pint of airbrush-ready paint. The ModelAir line has super milled fine pigments and may not stretch as far, but definitely more than any other pre-bottled paint. I've sprayed the regular Vallejo stuff too with good success.

I've also been turned onto the Proto Paint stuff from Georges. It reminds me of my younger days when I painted military models using tamiya with my crappy old Badger 350. The stuff went on rough and clumpy but as soon as you turned your back in disgust, to return to your model with a smooth satin finish!

[jwhite07]

Dec 28, 2015 0:16:49 GMT -5 atsf5517 said:

Micromark sells Vallejo Acrlyics that are supposed to be matched to polly scale colors. Haven't tried them yet as they seem a bit pricey which seems to be common with all the acrylics except modelflex.

They're supposed to be, but I can tell you their Undercoat Light Gray is nowhere near what the Polly Scale color was - it's way too dark. That may not seem important for a color that's usually used as a primer, but I was using it as the signature color for my railroad-owned structures and some freight cars, so it was important to get a match. Now I've got several bottles of darker gray that I'll have to either try to mix with other colors to get close to what Polly Scale's ULG was... or I guess I have a whole lot of very expensive primer.

One source for water based acrylics often overlooked because they're not "railroad colors" or "hobby paints" are the several brands commonly carried in craft stores, like Plaid, Apple Barrel, and Folk Art. They need to be thinned fairly heavily to airbrush, but they do just fine. They come in a huge range of colors, many of which have got to be close to or right on railroad colors, and if they aren't, you can still mix them easily. They're far less expensive than anything typically produced for or marketed to model railroaders (about $2-$3 for a 2oz bottle versus up to $6 for an ounce or less of the commonly used hobby paints). The basic colors (black, white, etc.) come in 8oz and even 16oz bottles and are even less expensive - for under ten bucks you could mix a little green into an 8oz bottle of black and have enough paint to model a significant chunk of the Pennsy locomotive roster!

I'm always looking for alternatives to overpriced "specialty" items, especially paints, thinners, and paint strippers. With very few exceptions I've found craft stores and hardware stores to be just as useful for these kinds of things as a hobby store.

[fourteen14]

Actually have used some of the folk art, etc like black and lt grey and some rust colors, have not tried to air brush them though. I have been using the hobby lobby 40% off coupon to get stuff even cheaper, need to get some more super glue ran out last night. I used some folk art black to paint a smoke stack on a caboose right before reading this post.

[T]

As for myself I found that any water based paint barely covers thus, I returned to TesToRs Enamel paints i.e. I use TesToRs Model Master paint and occasionally those little Testors - Iconic 1/4 oz. bottles .

Tom