Thanks Andy, I’m 67 now and just getting back Into Modelmaking after a break of about 20 years, wow how things have changed, thanks for the great hints.
Same... haven't built one since high school which is about 28 years for me. Forgot how much fun I use to have building models. Never had any of the fancy stuff they have now like airbrushes, did it all by brush back then.
Hi from Brisbane, Australia. I’m 62 yo and haven’t modeled since my late twenties. Wow, how things have changed! Been searching for HEAPS of info and have found this one to be amongst the best. Information is clear and useful. I have subscribed 👍👍
can i also use the thinning technique if i do handpainting on my kits? really having a hard time doing the tamiya acrylic and thinner ratio by just eyeballing it.
Tamiya paints aren't the best for brush painting, have a look at vallejo or lifecolor, both are acrylic water based, for me lifecolor are the best model paints available
Wow that's amazing, I've wasted so much time mixing thinner into Tamiya paint IN the airbrush cup! You can't imagine how much time you've saved me! Thanks a bunch Andy!
Dear Mr. Andy, It is always a pleasure for me to watch you build, paint and especially when the models age. Many of your tips are now my own. Their experience and especially the nice way they bring it over is great. I don't have a dealer near me, I have to drive more than 100 km to the nearest dealer. A man like you is rarely here in Germany, who is above all a model builder himself and therefore knows what he's talking about! I always feel sorry for the fools who give a thumbs down. Probably frustrated, who can't do anything themselves ... .-) They do a valuable service for us model builders. Thanks for that!. Best regards from Germany
Thanks for the comments on cleaning parts and priming. I’ve been building for 50 years and quit washing parts decades ago. Some of the more obscure kits out of Eastern Europe still use copious amounts of mold release but they are exceptions. As for priming, the only time I do it is to check my filling, sanding, or scratch-building for imperfections prior to the color coats.
Thank you Andy! I recently came back into the hobby and was having problems with airbrushing techniques. Your simple and “to the point” way of explaining things has really helped me. I look forward to the next video.
I never used to worry about washing models, but since I got back into modelling and started building mostly new Airfix kits (the ones moulded in India, I think), I'm finding I need to give all the sprues a good soak in warm water and detergent in order to get the primer to cover properly. I guess different factories have different ideas about how much mould release they need to use, so what works for kits from one manufacturer might not work with kits from another. Personally, now I just do it with all kits, as it's far better to start from a known good condition instead of finding a problem after you've started building and want to get on, at least in my opinion.
Thanks for this video, I watched it originally ages ago but in reading a viewers comment on another channel's video, expressing that they always had difficulty thinning their paints to the point they rarely paint, I thought of You, and this particular video and decided to search and find it again so I could not only refresh my memory as I finally have my first models and paints but to also offer them this link to hopefully help their painting and give them confidence in painting and enjoying this hobby.
So the tip on thinning tamiya paints just saved me 20 minutes again and a lot of experiments with thinning Thanks this video was amazing and helped me a lot since I’m still a beginner
After trying a lots of paints (acrylic, lacquer, enamel) i got a pair of Tamiya bottles and i'm totally amazed with performance of these paints. IMHO best paints on the market definitely along with Gunze.
Great video on the basics, Andy! After a 22 year hiatus from modeling, this video is just what I needed to get going again. (Although I originally watched this about two years ago, I like to come back to it since it’s a great reference.). Thanks for all your help!
Just found your channel today and I'm impressed. Liked and subbed and will be watching your other videos. I found this video on tamiya paints helpful. I was always a little uncomfortable using acrylic paint on plastic, so confidence is higher now thanks to this video. Might I also say I'm glad you have embraced the Internet. Almost all the brick and mortar stores in my area have closed down years ago and I am forced to buy my hobby needs by Internet and mail order. Sure do miss the days of hanging out at the local hobby shop talking with the employees about hobby matters. Now I'm very much on my own and have to rely on the Internet for all and any help with my hobbies.
This is a priceless 101 video. I have been utilizing this stuff But, it is nice to see vindication. Thanks for your therapy also. The thinner tip is very informative for air brushing. IF, you have an entire bottle you will never want to hand paint with. I have to do that with Olive Drab as entire trees have to be painted. The buff tip was cool.
Andy thanks for the tip on thinning the Tamiya paint. I will use that rule every time I buy a new bottle of paint. I have watch so many videos and your is the best by far.
Been using Tamiya paints through my airbrush for years. Its my favorite paint to use. Thanks for the tips! Can't wait to try them on my 1/48th Panther! 👍
DUDE! I just recently got into this hobby and absolutely love it, I've built three 72 scale planes, one spitfire and two BF 109's. I am working on a Panzer IV Ausf. G in 35 scale right now. I found your video randomly and saw your beautiful shop and thought to myself "damn, I would LOVE to have a place like that in my area that I could go to..... I look at your description and almost had a brain aneurysm. YOU ARE IN MY AREA! LOL I am 110% stopping by sometime. Thank you for the useful information in the vid man! God Bless.
I have not done a tank model for 56 years. I am not kidding. Put it together with Testors tube glue. Dont' remember what American tank it was. It's now time to put together a M4A3E8 Sherman "Easy Eight" and US M41 Walker Bulldog that I just purchased.
The Orange Tamiya Cement is my FAV because it comes in a little hexagonal bottle and it’s just so darn cute! It’s thicker too but the brush in cap is too big and blunt unlike the pinpoint precision brush in the green thin cement. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, I guess. 🍰 🤷♀️
Andy, you are a life saver with this video! The info on the air brush and the Lysol was the best. I was days away from chucking the air brush because of dried paint, and the tip on adding the thinner to the Tamiya paints made painting so much easier. I'm in the process of trading out may AV Air for Tamiya colors now. Thx... PS Not having any luck with the glue though... 2 out of 3 is a number I can live with...
@04:16 Adding a ball bearing into the bottle is also a nice way to get things mixed faster as I find the pigments to separate from the liquid after months/years of not using them - Will also tell you when the pigments have finally come loose from the bottom of the cap as the sound changes. Another tip is when the cap has dried to the bottle after first use and you're having a hard time with opening it is to add drop some Tamiya thinner into the cap thread and let it soak in with the bottle resting on its head - For me at least, that will allow me again to open them.
Thanks. I appreciate your coverage of the various types of cement & paint. I generally build wargaming models and am a big fan of Tamiya products in general
Thanks for the advice, Andy. Lost my job because of this pandemic. I am currently selling model toys and repairing collector's models and using airbrush very much.
Great tips. Badger does warns against using ammonia in their brushes - I use Windex as part of a cleaner solution and have never had a problem, but, I wonder if that could be trouble. Lysol has ammonia also. I'll try it - makes sense actually. But if anyone sees O-rings failing, maybe that's a concern.
I've been using 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol to thin the acrylics for years... shellac thinner (denatured alcohol) also works, maybe a bit better with the glossy paints. These are useful when you need to use a lot of thinner, such as over-spray washes on large areas. 91% isopropyl alcohol will strip dried paint - especially acrylic paint - pretty well. Ammonia based window cleaners will also lift dried paint, because the ammonia is a caustic. This works especially well with acrylic paints which have a rubbery binder that holds the pigment in place. Acrylic latex paints like house paint really clean up well this way. Solvent cements are great for "welding" plastics together. One aspect of their use is as Andy points out, a shiny looking surface where they smooth out the top layer a little bit. This can be used to your advantage on things like headlights and windows in your models, and also to very *carefully* deal with minor scratches on your magnifier lenses. The lenses may well be acrylic - plexiglas - or even polycarbonate - lexan - plastic, in which case you will need to use a stronger solvent cement which contains methylene chloride, such as Tenax or Plastruct's Plastic Weld (orange label). These cements are also required if you are working with ABS shapes and/or acrylic or polycarbonate sheet stock for scratchbuilding. Note: methylene chloride is more toxic than the other solvents in your solvent cements used for styrene, so you really do not want to be breathing in the fumes or getting it on your fingers on a regular basis.
I just got my first airbrush yesterday at my local hobby store and I use Testors enamel paint and paint thinner. I might get some Tamiya paint just to try it out when I go back to the store. The airbrush I got was the Badger 100LG for $40 and I got an airbrush hose and adapter for $10, and I'm using a big air compressor for it, which is loud. The only thing I'm still having trouble with is how much thinner I need to put with my Testors enamel when I go airbrush my models.
I'm still old school, I use enamel and thinner. However because the world has declared war on oil,they have become harder to find. I do have some Tamiya paints, and they work great. Thanks for the tips. I also add 2 BBs to each jar when opened,helps with the mixing.
selleys liquid soap is great for cleaning dried paint out of airbrushes. Also if you have a model painted with tamiya paint that looks terrible you can soak it and it will remove the paint back to bare plastic. I used methylated spirits for thinning for airbrushing gave it a nice fast dry time. great if you don't have thinners on hand. thx for great tips Andy
Thank you so much for this video topic! I am returning to modeling after life, kids, etc, and feel like I'm starting over again. I subscribed, and will be binge watching many more! Great job!
I started air brushing, using vallejo air brush paint, i got 2 new bottle of tamiya, and was confused now to mix with thinner, seeing you showed filling till the line, i will try that. Will come back.
Andy, I've been using your technique of thinning down a new bottle of Tamiya paint, and it works great. I haven't used lacquer thinner but have used acrylic thinner and even water. It seems like thinning with water allows the paint to dry a little slower. I enjoy your videos, keep up the good work.
Thanks for the tips!! Never thought of using the line on inside of Tamitya bottle; usually just eyeball it...I don't wash or prime either, but lately I've been having issues with the paint...
Extra Thin Cement is design to be put on the outside edge for a clean glue finish after regular cement had sticks parts together. My favorite from Tamiya is the Limonene one because it is very efficient and it is smelling very good. I'm not into military models so the color Buff explaination and its proper use is very interesting annd will be useful for me on future projects.
really good tutorial, I'll have to try that thinning Tamiya paint idea nice. yeah I never prime my models, and like you I never wash them, and i never had any trouble with the paint sticking, but I do wash my resin kits there's some kind of oil on it, not everything but I do wash just to make sure. again great vid.
Thanks for explaining everything I need to know this video was very helpful to me because I just started on airbrushing and this was verystraight forward and much more simple than the other videos
Another solvent you can use for cleaning your airbrushes is isopropyl alcohol. You can get it in bulk from Costco for cheap. I think it works better than Lysol.
Tamiya paints are fantastic for airbrushing!! The only gripe I have about them is they don't have an extensive color line like Testors or Humbrol and you have to mix Tamiya colors together to achieve the color your looking for. A lot of times I go to my local hobby shop to get the color I need to mix it with only to hear them say "we're out of that" causing me to have to order it online and wait delaying the work I want to do. Other than that Tamiya paints are very good.
