Who Paints Your Wagon ?

upnick · August 20, 2011, 07:02:57 PM

Hi All,

Yes the obvious answer is you paint your wagon

But it would be nice to see what other modellers use for paints on wagons indeed anything to do for our railways, as with the toolbox thread paints are just as vital part of a modelling experience.

My idea with this thread is we all can contribute our experiences & views of particular paints to allow lets say Tank who may have never used Polly Scale try them after recomendation.

To kick off here are some of my choices ...

All my modelling life (shhh 40ish yrs

) Humbrol enamels have been the backbone of my paint selection eventually building to the full range of them completed in the 90's.
Also the long out of production Humbrol Authentics i still use daily on occasion some of the RM Railway ones there isnt an equivlant for them & they dry really matt, overall i have always been happy with Humbrol paints, their Acrylics are fine & i have a few of them but prefer the enamels.

Tamiya are another good option although they cover mostly military & Aviation subjects again they dry really flat (a note on the thinners for them) years ago i was told by a fellow modeller to go to the chemist for some Isopropyl Alcohol as its the same product as their thinners & now i use it to clean my track as well

A trip to your local Wilkinsons or poundshop will reveal in the DIY section several matchpots which are cheap & a good source for painting backscenes or large areas on the boards.

Thats a start come on what do you guys use

Alex · August 20, 2011, 07:49:02 PM

Hi upnick,

I started off like most folk on Airfix kits when I was 11-12. I then prgogressed on to wargaming then back to model kits and now N gauge.

My sole paint provider in all these years has been Humbrol. I was a big fan of their authentic range and it was only a couple of months ago that I finished off my last tin of Prussian Blue, a leftover from my wargaming years.

I have used Airfix and Revell paints as well. I still use Revell for certain colours as Humbrol have apparently changed the make up of their paint. Nowadays I find Humbrol white, grey and yellow are not as good as they used to be and need several coats.

I've a couple of tins of Phoenix Precision paints and boy do they stink. They also dry a tad too fast as aswell and I had to clean my brushes as I went along..

I've tried acrylics and find they dry too quick and I can't blend them in like the enamels. Someone also recommended Warhammer acrylics but they are way too expensive and again I had problems with coverage.

I haven't tried Vallejo or Polly Scale so I can't comment on these, but I may give them a try.

Alex

upnick · August 20, 2011, 08:43:20 PM

Hi Alex,

Good to know you are a fan of the Humbrol enamels i think as you say they the white etc need more coats as they use more thinners than pigment in their formulas nowadays, i have just been using some Vallejo & find they cover well on bare plastic an undercoat helps & a one coat application of them after gives excellent results, for weathering they come in & where recomended to me from a friend.

Pollyscale arent as well known over here but again good coverage but they can be thin if applied without an undercoat.

For a supplier of Vallejo have a look here scroll down to see the range nearly 200 colours to go at

i got a large bottle of Matt varnish from them yesterday good quick service.

http://snmstuff.co.uk/VallejoModelColor.aspx

Their home page

http://snmstuff.co.uk/default.aspx

EtchedPixels · August 20, 2011, 09:13:42 PM

Quote from: alex crawford on August 20, 2011, 07:49:02 PM
I've tried acrylics and find they dry too quick and I can't blend them in like the enamels.

I had real trouble with acrylics until I followed some advice from the 2mm SA list and bought a bottle of acrylic thinners. Only a tiny tiny amount is needed and you get a much improved result.

I agree on the coverage in some cases. With acrylics I've taken to spraying games work shop primer, then black, then using the railmatch acrylics for SR green for example and I'm really not too happy with the maroon.

tadpole · August 20, 2011, 09:24:25 PM

My toolbox is cluttered with little humbrol tins, many of which I will open one day to find them empty or dried up. Also a few Railmatch and Busmatch - the colours are authentic, but the textures are unpleasant.

longbridge · August 20, 2011, 09:27:07 PM

I gave up using Humbrol some time ago, for brush work I use Tamiya Enamel and for Spraying I use Tamiya Spray Cans, I find that if used with care the results from Tamiya Spray cans is quite outstanding.

Tank · August 20, 2011, 10:28:59 PM

I use Humbrol Filler, Humbrol paints, Railmatch, and Phoenix. I hand paint everything, as I'm not sure on the ratio to thin the paints down for my badger airbrush! I used the Railmatch spray can for the NGF Twins....

Newportnobby · August 20, 2011, 10:34:57 PM

Like most, I cut my teeth painting planes and tanks etc using Humbrol, and still have biscuit tin full of them.
This is a great thread but it's pointless asking Tank as only uses Signal toothpaste

poliss · August 21, 2011, 12:02:42 AM

I've always avoided cellulose paints on plastic kits because every modelling book says they attack plastics.

upnick · August 21, 2011, 01:05:40 AM

I would agree with Poliss & personally i never use them on plastics primed or not, although i do know they can be applied after a primer but have seen the results of them still attacking plastics leaving a lovely jelly mould shape mess of a model even so ... yes Zunnan it is common sense to apply the primer if your happy with using cellulose but with a thin coat or uneven application of primer the paint can get through to the plastic.

If anyone was to ask me about cellulose & plastics i'd say dont but if car rattle cans are your choice of paint they're mostly acrylic based now.

Jonathan Clapp · August 21, 2011, 01:08:16 AM

I've settled on POLLYScale acrylics. the colors often have to be tested and mixed , but it goes on smooth and you have to love water clean up.

Mustermark · August 21, 2011, 02:56:23 AM

Quote from: Tank on August 20, 2011, 10:28:59 PM
I hand paint everything, as I'm not sure on the ratio to thin the paints down for my badger airbrush!

When I got going with my airbrush, I had no clue either, I just added a bit of water till the paint wan't quite thick any more and gave it a go. A bit of practice on some white paper for a few tries was all it took to get the consistency about right. Good thing about acrylics is you can just flush with water, dilute a bit more and try again. The main thing with the airbrush I found was getting the pressure right - it makes such a difference to the delivery - so have the white paper handy before every application!

I use acrylics of various kinds, from Citadel (Warhammer) which I find are excellent, to cheaper bigger bottles of acrylic from the art shop.

My BR blue is from the US equivalent of B&Q where the paint department scanned a loco and mixed a tester pot for me, about 200mL for about a quid.

Sithlord75 · August 21, 2011, 04:34:23 AM

Humbrol fan over here. I also have quiet a number of the Precision tinlets for the authentic colours. They are better airbrushed in my experience but with can be done by hand although it takes time to let every thin coat dry properly! Recently tried the Polly Scale PRR Tuscan for some coaches and was very impressed. This was the first lot of acryllic I had used in years and I will be checking out the range when I am next at my LHS - which is 1200kms away.

moogle · August 21, 2011, 12:36:10 PM

As my other hobby is art, I paint on canvas etc, I mainly use acrylics. Although I do have a few oil paints but not for modelling use!
These are by Daler Rowney (System 3 and Cryla), Crawford and Black (Available from 'The Works Bookshops' in the UK), Reeves,
Brunel and Franklin, Winsor and Newton (Galeria) and Liquitex. They are in various viscosities (thickness's) but they can all be watered down of course!
The Crawford and Black are available in big tubes, are cheap and when watered down slightly can be used on models.

I have a mixture of paints that are made for models. Vallejo, Humbrol acrylic, Revell acrylic, a few old Games Workshop and Tamiya.
I have a few Tamiya spray cans as well for undercoating brass/metal kits and big jobs like batches of coaches or wagons. In addition to these I have a few inks for modelling use. These are by Gamecraft and Games Workshop. Mainly use these on figures and scenery.

I hand paint everything (unless the paints in a spray can!) and have, at last count, over 50 brushes. These vary from cheap sets where you have to look out for bristles coming loose all the time to expensive artists brushes that I've paid £5 plus each for! Each type has their use but I find the ones that use Squirrel hair for the bristles give the best finish on models.

Bealman · June 04, 2012, 01:55:28 AM

As restoration of my Beal & Castle Eden continues, I will soon find myself in the position of rebuilding some damaged Ratio structures, but also starting on new buildings and kits.

I too, have always used Humbrol enamels, and have no experience at all with acrylics. To me, the major bugbear with enamels was always the cleaning up with turps, etc., so acrylics appeal to me for that reason alone.

However, after browsing this thread, there seems to be no clear-cut opinion of which is best - it appears to be very much down to personal taste (can't imagine enamels or acrylics tastin' too good). I'm not even going to bother opening my existing tins of enamel - they're just so ancient. So, I will do a bit of role playing here and pretend I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to painting. Continue with enamels, go acrylic, or try a bit of both and make my own choice? When I ask this question, I am talking plastic kits, though I have scratchbuilt cardboard buildings in the past and painted them with enamels with no probs. But if I can get away from turps....

Help!