Scale Model Test - Mission Model Paints - How To Thin & Airbrush Them 

Love watching you testing all the different colours!

Outstanding video! I've been hesitant of using Mission Model Paints. Thank you.

Thanks for letting me know about this video it is much appreciated Happy New Years 🎉👍🏽👍🏽

I started airbrushing earlier this year and Mission Models is my official choice of paints! So easy to use for fading my railcars stock color to a whitish fade. Their lineup is great and I really love the paints finish.

Great test. Love those colors.

Really appreciate how in depth you go with the paints and equipment you use. Much better than videos were the guy says "Add some thinner, you will know when its right." Can't wait for the white paint test video, I have never had any luck with white paint. It clogs the airbrush or goes on too thin.

Thanks for this video. I didn’t know about the poly additive. Very informative.

I've been using mission models paints for about a year. They work really well and lay down beautifully.

Ugh, I needed this video last month when I was building a Chinook helicopter. This is still great, thank you!!

Great review and insight into paints that people have problems airrbrushing..looking forward to the review of the Green Stuff World paints..especially the ''Chrome'' one

I've been looking forward to this...

I just bought their primary colors set and am glad you posted this! I love how your videos are so in depth about the best ways to use the paints!

Awesome content. Much appreciated!

Thank you for the review on these.

Thanks for the hot water tip for cleaning I’ll have to give that a try. I bought the black primer to give it a try it does go on heavy but when it dries it’s super smooth

Another great informative video…. Thanks for sharing

Oh man, that iridescent! That's what I've been looking for for my gundam I need to paint! I've had that thing built for like a year and a half and stress about it every time I walk by it.

Nice vid, I enjoy the Mission Model paint line........ 👍👍👍 It's not anything your doing wrong, I have the same trouble with the Thinner bottle also.

So many thank you for all your videos, much appreciated. Wonder if this colors will be ok to paint mini z’s being a water base .. Btw, i love GOLDRAKE As logo, i grow up with this cartoon, great child memorys . THANK YOU AGAIN for all the infos on paint!

My first go with Mission Models paints was a disaster. They were brand new on the scene and I was just transitioning away from enamel and lacquer based paint for health/smell reasons. I followed their directions (which have since changed) to the letter and had poor results. The owner of MMP basically told me I was the problem, not his paints. That ended my support of Mission Models. Still I had about $75 worth of his paints on hand along with the poly additive that had solidified. I tossed them in the bottom of the drawer until a couple of years later (a year ago) and I was out of a Vallejo color I needed. Reluctantly, I pulled out the MMP, and using a trick I learned from using cheap craft store paints, I thinned the MMP with Future. EUREKA!!! It sprayed beautifully, laid down well, smoothed out, and dried to a very durable satin sheen. Now, since Future is no longer maid, Holloway House has a similar product, which I have yet to test with MMP, but the formumation is nearly the same as Future and works great as a clear gloss coat or canopy sealer. Just my 2¢.

Can you do a comparison between the best clear coat spray cans? Trying to find the best one but there are so many options. . .

Thanks very much....

MMP primer pulls as well ( when mixed and prepped as directed). I have gone to Stynelrez for primer. No issues since I stopped using MMP primer as of today. I am a Badger user. The 105 is great. I use it, but like my Sotars and Kromes better.

Just got the clear primer and their thinner, I’m dying to try it out but I’m a little skeptical of the whole process. These paints are very expensive compared to other comparable products. I was told that the poly additive takes up to lacquer strength apparently.

Have you ever tested the createx uvls clears? That poly stuff looks just like it

Rex love your paint reviews,I know you mostly do models.What paints do you think would be real good for airbrushing fishing lures?

Just another suggestion for paint. I just got paint from archive x. It’s water based acrylic and the colors are all matched to the old ILM colors for Star Wars.

They have a clear primer, you're supposed to add your own color to it. I'd really like to know your opinion on how well that stuff works. I got a free bottle of it wondering if it's worth buying 2 bottles of thinner in order to use it. In theory, seems like a great idea.

Oh, they're definitely marbles inside. Slowly building up a collection of them myself, since the Canadian distributor for them is in the same city I am ^_^ Yeah, their thinner bottle glorbs out drops like nobody's business. As for the white caps, they're having supplier issues and can't get enough black caps, so some batches are getting white caps. My only real "issue" with their paint is I've had issues with getting it to flow evenly through the airbrush at 10-15psi, and for my brush found it seemed to work a lot better at 22-24, but it could also be my brush as I'm using a VigiArt HS-30 at the moment (or my maintenance, or my mixing). Acquiring a PS-290 is on my list, it's just a case of saving up that kind of cash o_O

I like MMP paints but I've just encountered an issue with the line when I tried to do some wet sanding. When coming into contact with water, the paint reactivates and can completely remove it with just my fingers, even if dried for days. This doesn't happen with Tamiya but not sure if this is just an MMP thing. I always follow the mixing ratio of 10% thinner and 10% poly. That being said, the same doesn't happen with the primers, that stays. Have you tried wet sanding?

Yes follow the directions if you are new

Robert, can these paints be over-thinned? As in being able to build up opacity? I know Mission Models recommends a 10:2:2 ratio of paint, thinner, and Poly. But I'm not sure about adding more thinner and still getting good results. Thanks.

can you do a comparison video of metalic lacquer, my currernt fav brand is JUMPWIND brand metalic. but would like to know if DSPIAE is beter?

Hi how do get on with the ps-290 airbrush I’ve got the trn1 but was looking at this one and the other one I think the 270 but not sure. I’m using the infinity and chameleon but I have hand problems cheers from uk

Another excellent video. Can you please do these airbrush tests with Revell and humbrol enamel paints?

Excellent video on showing us how to use thinned Mission Model Paints! they are really good paints! My only problem I have encountered is their Polyurethane mix additive solution "solidifies" within a year or stored for so long whether it is new or old! I contacted the company and their reply was that this was "Normal" and there is nothing they could do about it! In short, "too bad"! They refused to replace it at all! This bottle cost about $7-8 each. A complete letdown!

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT THINNER THAN MISSION MODELS

Hey Rex.. Another great vid. I am just about to start a metal themed Unicorn Gundam build and I was wondering if you think there is any better option than Allclad??

I've been using a .3 and you have to thin it a bit more. You can go up to about 30 or 40% (3 or 4 drops thinner to 10 drops of paint) and it still works really well. I have been wanting one of those ps290s though.

I am a first time modeler. I got a few kits given to me,some of them have the engine and other parts already glued. My question is how do I separate parts that have been put together? Love your videos. I am getting a lot of information from them.

Zup Thanks for the video😎👍🏼

What primer did you use?

I bought into the whole Mission Models line-up. All in all, I found them a mixed bag: the ratios recommended are far too thick to spray out of anything smaller than a 0.5nozzle. I used a 2:1:1 ratio and it sprayed beautifully out of my 0.3. Whilst they sprayed amazing, and the colours were rich, I found that the paint had some very strange properties. They stained and discoloured when exposed to water/weathering in weird ways and hairspray chipping with them was essentially impossible. The primer was EXTREMELY quick to tip dry, so I found it unusable, and the clear coats, whilst they were WONDERFUL to use, layed down in a very satin finish when it was supposed to be matte. They claim it will do this if you apply it incorrectly, so I retested and correct my methods, and whilst it was *more* matte than before, it was still satin. But the deal breaker for me was how inconsistently the paint handled weathering products/techniques. I really believe they must have changed their formula from 2017/2018 when these paints released because in the initial videos of people demonstrating them, they behave like an entirely different product. I am still VERY hopeful Mission will release their own proprietary weathering products to be used with their paints because otherwise, they are great acrylic paints other than those 3 problems.

One note about the Polyurethane. It'll harden and become unusable over time unless you keep it in the fridge. I had an unopened bottle that hardened completely within a few months. That was a few years ago. I have a bottle in my fridge that's still good after nearly 2 years.

Hey Robert, I really appreciate your reviews. How durable is the polyurethane intermix for moving parts? I'm having trouble having paint stick. It's always chipping off.

Another awesome video! I see a lot of people say not to backflush, has this ever ruined anything for you? I'm talking people who paint minis for a living and stuff and say that nothing has gone wrong. I have 2 Iwata's so I'm curious to see if there's anything I shouldn't do. I know you usually don't use those.

Yes its better to let this paint set and little bit..good luck

Barbados- I like the way they spray and level out, but keep track of how long you have the Polyurethane on the shelf, it has a limited shelf life. One of your other followers ‘PawPawStew’ and I have had the same experience with the poly and both of us were told the problems we had with the MM paints, was our fault not his. He does not put an expiry date on the bottle, but should.

I picked up a bottle of this because Vallejo didn't have the shade I needed for a scale model build. I loved the finish and the way it sprayed. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how essential the poly additive is, and just got the paint. I thought the poly was more of an extra for added hardness if necessary. But without it, this stuff was coming off if you look at it funny. Decal setting solution was taking it up even through multiple layers of acrylic varnish. :/ Tried adding some matte varnish to take the place of the poly, which improved things but not enough. Like I said, I loved the performance of the paint. It brushes on well, too. I did some in the cockpit. But an expensive additive that has a limited shelf life makes me feel like it's an all-or-nothing endeavor. I won't use one or two colors enough to use up the poly before it hardens.

The video slow food in a RU-vid fastfood World. Looking forward to your whites video.

Has anyone have any problems with the red primer the first one I had it had chucks in after thining it other than that I haven't had much problems with this paint.

So I used there primer yesterday. Fallowed there instructions to the letter. I even had to go get a different size needle for my airbrush because the primer was still thick. I went from a .3 to a .5. I sprayed light coats waited 5 min between them for a total of 4. That’s after I sanded and washed the parts I was spraying. I even put the parts after I washed them in the dehydrator for 3 hours to make sure they were dry. I left the primer to dry overnight. Even though it said all I had to do was wait 3 hours. I come back to check and the primer just chipped right off.

I just got a few of these. I got the thinner and the primer as well because on there site it said the primer works with the thinner like a 2 parter. That the thinner “activates” the primer. But my god for a small bottle of thinner it was $9 and with the paint at $6 and the primer at $7 these are expensive as hell. So I was wondering did you try them with other thinkers and primers also how about clear coats. Again the roomers are there clears are “temperamental” and shoots inconsistent. So I would like to avoid them if possible.

Can use this paint with model cars?

They make nice paint. Dries super flat. My problem is their system. I don’t want to have to count out every drop to mix in the thinner and poly additive. I just want something either pre-thinned like Vallejo Model Air or something I can thin on sight quickly. For that reason I have hardly ever used their paints.

Thanks for this video. I really enjoy their color paints but I've had a heck of a time with their primers and clears. I keep getting orange peel texture. I think i just need more practice spraying them. Have you had good results with them?

Mmp is so bad, the paint causes dry tip almost immediately and dries too quick in the airbrush. It also bunches up on the details of my model

Can you use Leveling Thinner instead of their brand?

Are these paints also designed for brush painting?

What about testing Italeris metallics?

Wow all those stuff, finding space to store new stuff is hard

is this usable with a 0.3mm needle?

i bought these not knowing I had to have the primer.... it all rubbed off. unless you are going all in with the entire line, stick with what paints you are used to. vallejo flow improver with these sprayed well but no stick. had to wash off my dragons and re do them.

I have no idea how you dealt with that polyurethane stuff ...Mine finally set up like a brick

Have you figured out which acrylics are the best? Cheap Craft, Mission Models, etc..???

You do all these reviews but you never show any build video's. I'm watching your Stynreliz video today I'd like to see you do some build vlogs

Rex, how the hell do you keep your workspace so neat? I’m a pig 🐷 compared to you. I try. I honestly try, but when I’m triaging a build and waiting for glue or paint to dry and I’m sanding parts or something, I’m throwing tools and other things all over my bench. Rex, if you have a secret on this let us know please

I find this stuff too hard to use and unpredictable in result. Before anyone says I’m not using them correctly please. I do my research. Using Tamiya paints is always the safest, best and most predictable in result. I have a whole basket full of rarely used MM paints, thinner and polyurethane. I’ve had similar problems with AK paints. MiG is pretty good. Tamiya the best and MM? Maybe someday.

How does this paint do with tip dry? It's honestly the worst part about acrylics for me. Lol.

But spoons are not good for testing any paint it would be better off to get some cheap kits or parts.

Mission Models or Badger??? :):):):)

Hi I have an idea for next video. Maybe u want to test Mr.Hobby gundam marker set? And try to use any other paints not gundam marker. By using empty marker pens and mix any other paints with thinner to get good results.

This is why I tell people to always use primer.

Createx makes the paint and you can use there thinner 4012 and the Balancing clear also and its cheaper than mission model prices. But it's junk paint I spent about 600 dollars on the paint and its not a Strong paint at all you stick to the Tamiya paints or mr.color products

I called them, they swore up and down, said that their paint should not be thinned and that it would be ruined if you thin it. It's like mud and wouldn't spray through my .08 blasting iwata gun, not even a regular airbrush at 50psi. But a month later they released a thinner. This is after I bought $250 worth for the charity we ran to provide kits to hospitalized Veterans. The corsair blue didn't even have blue in it...it was almost black and had metallic flakes in it. So I dumped mission because of their poor customer service (guy cursed at me after I told him it wouldn't spray through my touch up gun or any of the 6 airbrushes we tried. Its thicker than butter and sprays like butter, meaning it doesn't. Absolute Garbage!!!!

For the military modeler and the colors we use these paints are a touch too much with its learning curve. You can get the same color results with less hassle from good paints like Lifecolor, Tamiya, AK, etc. these colors Rex is using are beautiful but not practical for the armor builder. I have 5 MM paint colors and they just sit on the bench.

So its just like Valeo paint. Doesn't look that smooth, not a fan.

Appsolutely the worst paint I've ever ever worked with been Airbrushing for over 35 years

No it's not a durable paint no way possible you must be talking to John

Hold the thinner straight upside down and it will do better. Watch mmp ‘s you tube. aluminum not alimimum

This primer is garbage