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I'm in Japan for the long haul so getting Citadel/Vajello(sp?) paints are a bit of a pain, but Tamiya Acrylics are EVERYWHERE.  Anyone use them?  Are they worth gradually replacing my current stock of Citadel paints with as they run dry?

Also, if I have any cash at all after this damned rainy season is over I might get into airbrushing.  Anyone have experience airbrushing Tamiya paints?  Would it be more worth my while to mail-order some paints designed for air-brushing?

tamiya paints are good for airbrushing, i use them all the time. Just dont expect them to match GW paint range very well. Buy the tamiya paint thinner to thin the paint when airbrushing.

Personnely for airbrushing they are great but for GW figures not so good but you might feel different about them

I'm also in Japan and I use Tamiya exclusively. Definitely an excellent replacement for citadel paints, and they also air brush very well. I saw an online chart once a while ago that gave the corresponding colors between Tamiya, Vallejo, and Citadel but I can't think of where it could be found now.

The fact that they only cost about $1 a pot is also very nice.l

I'll echo. They are a great airbrushing paint, along with the Tamiya brand thinner. Not such a great brush paint, IMHO though.

Their lines of greys paint excellently. I like their gloss or pearl paints when painting cheesy eldar or marines because of the rich color. However, you usually need to do multiple coats as the paints (not including the greys) are pretty thin (hence being good for airbrushing).

I haven't used them recently, but when I did (maybe 10 years ago now), it was as people are saying, great for airbrush... I'd go a bit further, tho, and say they're actually totally unusable for brushwork...

Not sure what "a bit" of a pain is, but if you can get them at all, it's probably worth getting Vallejo, GW, or a similar paint. I think the Tamiya stuff is meant almost exclusively for airbrush work.

Paint really isn't that expensive, for all the complaining people do. I mean, they could multiply the cost by ten, and it'd still be less expensive than the models it's going on.

'A bit of a pain' is either having to mail order them, paying international shipping costs but getting them delivered to your doorstep, or spending about $40 and four hours round trip on trains to get to some place that stocks them with no gurantee of selection.  Or, go to your closest electronics store with a hobby section and for a $1 a pot get whatever color you need.

I don't mean to be insulting, but I have absolutely no idea where the people who say Tamiya is 'unsuitable for brushwork' are coming from.  I can't imagine that they're speaking from having actually used the paint recently.  Tamiya is definitly thinner than GW paint, but I still add about 1-2 ml of thinner to each pot to get it to a consistency I like.  Whites are the only Tamiya color I've used where one coat plus touch ups wasn't enough to give you a solid layer.

In the final estimation, Tamiya is easier to get than Citadel or Vallejo paints, you'll find a wider range of colors, they're cheaper, and as far as 'brushability' is concerned, they're indistinguishable from Citadel paints.  Unless you're expressly concerned that your Fortress Greys all match, and no one can tell the difference between the catachan greens you laid down three years ago to the ones you do today, there's no reason not to use Tamiya.

I do brush work all the time with Tamiya just fine.

The issue is the consistancy, as Tamiya separates a lot different than GW. By this, I mean that if you let it sit a long time the way the thinner and pigment separate. Just shaking the jar isn't enough, you need you use a brush handle or something to dig deep and really stir it up. Otherwise you may be painting with too thin a mix, and just end up screwing up the previous layer. GW paints are much more lenient in this regard.

-Hans

Posted By Bookwrack on 07/20/2007 4:43 PM
Tamiya is definitly thinner than GW paint, but I still add about 1-2 ml of thinner to each pot to get it to a consistency I like. 

 

Does this mean you can't thin them with water?  I thought that's what acrylic meant.

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I think I would do well to use less thick paint anyway, so Tamiya can only help me in that regard.

I thin mine with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol for airbrushing.

Jake

Posted By JOHIRA on 07/22/2007 4:48 AM

Posted By Bookwrack on 07/20/2007 4:43 PM
Tamiya is definitly thinner than GW paint, but I still add about 1-2 ml of thinner to each pot to get it to a consistency I like. 

 

Does this mean you can't thin them with water?  I thought that's what acrylic meant.

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I think I would do well to use less thick paint anyway, so Tamiya can only help me in that regard.

Yes you can use water, I just prefer to use acrylic paint thinner (which is pretty much glorified rubbing alcohol).