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View Full Version : Need help with Tamiya Paints


White Tiger88
10-20-2012, 09:17 PM
So i bought some Tamiya paints to do my Death Korps Tanks up with but the stuff seems really bad and streaky......Any advice on how to work with it? i shook the hell out of the stuff and so on but got no effect!
Gotthammer
10-20-2012, 09:47 PM
Airbrush. Tamiya is pretty useless outside of one.
White Tiger88
10-20-2012, 10:30 PM
Airbrush. Tamiya is pretty useless outside of one.

Well crap this is going to be fun...whats a good mix? my tank has 2 thin layers of white on it already i guess an airbrush spray won't hurt it though <_< (Plus im doing an all white snow base as well so no one should be able to tell..)
Gotthammer
10-21-2012, 07:34 AM
You generally don't need to thin Tamiya for airbrushing (or only a very little), hence the problems with streaking when using a brush.

I generally use aerosol white if it's going to be the base coat.
White Tiger88
10-21-2012, 08:42 AM
You generally don't need to thin Tamiya for airbrushing (or only a very little), hence the problems with streaking when using a brush.

I generally use aerosol white if it's going to be the base coat.

Ah good to know! But i already got the mat white paint so ill just spray that........
Nemesis
10-21-2012, 01:34 PM
Get yourself a bottle of Windsor & Newtons Flow improver. If you've got the small Tamiya Bottles put about 10ml in it and give it a good shake, if the large bottle, double the amount. It vastly improves airbrush performance as well, stops the paint drying so quickly. It's hugely valuable for all acrylics including Citadel. I put some in every new bottle I get. Used it for years.
RealGenius
10-23-2012, 08:01 AM
Ah good to know! But i already got the mat white paint so ill just spray that........

Egads, please definitely thin the Tamiya paint before you spray it with the airbrush. There are two main reasons: 1) keeps the airbrush cleaner/easier to clean, 2) it allows you to make smoother gradients and blends/easier to fix mistakes.

My base mix is 3:7 (three parts paint, 7 parts thinner-- I use 70% alcohol to thin) and I'll tinker from there-- a little thicker for a base coat and a little thinner towards the end of the highlight and shading process.

I would avoid the Tamiya aerosol; I find it hard to put paint on top of unless you spray on a matte coat.