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Hi everyone new to the board ,

Have been lurking around alot for a few days and still unable to find a answer although there was one thread i found about tamiya acrylics but wasnt enough info

If anyone replies could you please answer in number format for simplicity?

Please keep in my mind im aware that tam acrylics are mainly used for airbrushing .

**** All questions below are in regards to dry brushing NOT airbrushing *****


Questions :

1. Why arent tamiya acrylics not popular with painting warhammer?

2. I read that there not to good for dry brushing , why is that , what is the reason ?

3. If i used water to thin tamiya paint and use for drybrush is that fine? ( i was reading you dont use water becuase its harder to clean when airbrushing but im going to use for drybursh ).

4. What are the life expectancy of GW , citadel , vellajo paint if you take care of them extremely well?

5. If you were to paint the same model with GW , citadel , vallejo and tamiya paint and lined them up could you tell which one was used by which brand?

6. I see alot of different brand water base acrylic paints around town and was wondering would they be ok to use ?

7. Oil base acrylics are fine right?

8. If i was going to use random arts acrylic paint as an undercoat and then used either GW, tamiya , cit and vallejo is that ok? its not going to strip the other paint layer or somthing like that?

9. GW , Citadel and vallajo can also be used for airbrushing?

thanks

tekken wrote:
1. Why arent tamiya acrylics not popular with painting warhammer?

Personally I don't like the consistency. It's probably because most people stick to more normal wargames paint ranges.

2. I read that there not to good for dry brushing , why is that , what is the reason ?

I'm not aware of any issues with airbrushing Tamyia paints, it's fairly common with some military modellers.

3. If i used water to thin tamiya paint and use for drybrush is that fine? ( i was reading you dont use water becuase its harder to clean when airbrushing but im going to use for drybursh ).

I've never tried, but it's my understanding that they are not suited to simple dilutions with water and you require either their own brand of thinner or suitable substitute with an alcohol base.

4. What are the life expectancy of GW , citadel , vellajo paint if you take care of them extremely well?

Assuming you don't let them dry out, they last for years and years, though they might need a really thorough stir after a while.

5. If you were to paint the same model with GW , citadel , vallejo and tamiya paint and lined them up could you tell which one was used by which brand?

I think get a smoother finish with Vallejo, but many of the colours and the final result are indistinguisable from GW. Tamyia seems to have a different finish, more matt than satin, and the various military colours may tell someone they are not GW. But it doesn't really matter.

6. I see alot of different brand water base acrylic paints around town and was wondering would they be ok to use ?

Look them up on line, I'd stick to paints designed for miniature use, there are plenty, the heresy paints and Miniatures ranges come to mind.

7. Oil base acrylics are fine right?

Not sure, you want to be careful about mixing coats of these paints with water based though. You may have issues with coats of paints reacting with each other or not wanting to go on smoothly.

8. If i was going to use random arts acrylic paint as an undercoat and then used either GW, tamiya , cit and vallejo is that ok? its not going to strip the other paint layer or somthing like that?

Again, see above but as a general rule if they are all water based they will work together ok. I cross between GW, Vallejo and the Miniature range all the time, and I even occasionally mix the two to make new colours. I don't think this can be done with the Tamyia range, although I don't think you would have a problem painting GW paint over a previously dried coat of Tamyia.

9. GW , Citadel and vallajo can also be used for airbrushing?

Yes but they need to be correctly thinned, possibly with a touch of alcohol for best quick drying results, airbrushing tends to be very heavy on paint use though and these acrylics aren't cheap.

thanks

No problem, hope I've helped.

I found that Tamiya paint (or more precisely the medium in them) disolves citadel paint.
However they are great for airbrushing but you do need the use a thinner other than water (eg car windscreen washer works).
You can dilute Tamiya with water for straight painting.
I've never heard of oil-based acylics only oil paints.
I would stick to standard acrylics for mini painting (eg Citadel, Privateer Press, Foundary, Coat D'arms, Vallejo). These are plenty good enough - trust me have been at this for over 20 years now.

I started off with Tamiya for airbrushing but am using them for miniatures now as well. Out of my main three paints that I'm using to paint my current army, two of them are Tamiya and the scab red from GW I use a little less. No experience with Vallejo(yet); So I'll answer what I can:

1. Why aren't tamiya acrylics not popular with painting warhammer?

Probably mostly accessibility. GW paints are sold right next to the miniatures, in the same store people are hanging out to play games at anyways.

3. If i used water to thin tamiya paint and use for drybrush is that fine? ( i was reading you dont use water becuase its harder to clean when airbrushing but im going to use for drybursh ).

Actually I have never used water to thin out my Tamiya paint and the amount of times I've used water to thin GW paints I could probably count on one hand. I always use Isopropyl alcohol to thin out my paint, both GW and Tamiya. It's supposed to be better than water for running through an airbrush, but to be honest, I have never actually tried running paint thinned with water only through an airbrush to see the difference. Same thing goes with hand painting. I always use Isopropyl to thin out my paint for hand painting as well, never has given me any trouble using it.

8. If i was going to use random arts acrylic paint as an undercoat and then used either GW, tamiya , cit and vallejo is that ok? its not going to strip the other paint layer or somthing like that?

It should be ok, but you might want to be careful with how cheap you go on the paint used to undercoat. I have primed and undercoated with both GW and Tamiya paints and then painted over each with the other and it has never given me any trouble. Although priming and undercoating is always applied via airbrush, so not sure if that makes a difference.

9. GW , Citadel and vallajo can also be used for airbrushing?

Like I said before, I've used GW paints for airbrushing, but always thinned with Isopropyl alcohol. Never given me any trouble. I'm sure Vallejo would work just as well too. I plan on picking up some Vallejo when I have the cash, but unfortunately, no local stores sell it.

Water's fine for washing brushes after painting with Tamiya acrylics, but does weird things if used as a thinner - always use Tamaya's own special thinner instead.

I was a big fan of Tamiya Clear Colours, especially 'Smoke', but these days am using the newish GW washes, mostly because they dry matte unlike the Clear Colours.

thanks for the reply guys , when im referring to tamiya its for using the paint for drybrushing NOT airbrush

tekken wrote:Questions :

2. I read that there not to good for dry brushing , why is that , what is the reason ?

The acrylic medium that Tamiya uses (some form of alcohol) causes the paint to clump up and dry too quicky to be used during drybrushing. If you try it, you'll get sticky globs of half-dried paint, rather than a light "powder" common with GW acrylics.

3. If i used water to thin tamiya paint and use for drybrush is that fine? ( i was reading you dont use water becuase its harder to clean when airbrushing but im going to use for drybursh ).

Since alcohol and water are soluable, you can thin Tamiya paints with water, but I doubt this would make drybrushing much better. Never tried it, but I doubt the results would be satisfactory.

4. What are the life expectancy of GW , citadel , vellajo paint if you take care of them extremely well?

Years if kept well-sealed and opened sparingly. They will get a little thick, but you can add water to bring them back to life.

5. If you were to paint the same model with GW , citadel , vallejo and tamiya paint and lined them up could you tell which one was used by which brand?

There is almost no difference of the finished product. As an example, I could easily paint something in Tamiya Gunmetal Grey, and you'd never know the difference between it and Citadel Colour Boltgun Metal. I could be argued that the thinner Tamiya would take two coats where the GW brand might cover in one coat, but IMO, two thin coats are the way to go no matter what brand.

The real issue I've had with Tamiya paints is that you have to be real careful with brush strokes. As it's applied, the alcohol medium drys relatively quickly and creates a very thin skin over the wet paint. If you go back and paint over the same area again before the paint has had an opportunity to harden a bit, you will pull this skin along with your bristles and create a clumpy mess that is difficult to fix without spot sanding the area and reapplying primer and paint again. I can't give you a hard and fast drying time, since this will vary greatly by the environment you paint in. Once you've worked with it a bit, you'll start to get a feel for when it's safe to go back over again.

6. I see alot of different brand water base acrylic paints around town and was wondering would they be ok to use ?

People will disagree with me on this, but I think using craft paints (e.g., Delta Ceramcoat, Apple Barrel, Americana, etc.) is a poor substitute for hobby paints. There is a distinct difference in the depth of color between a craft paint and a similiar hobby shade, and this may be due to either inferior pigment or a lesser amount of pigment. But, when in doubt, try it for yourself. Find a cheap craft paint color that approximates a GW/Vallejo color and judge for yourself.

That being said, craft paints are excellent for terrain projects. The price point and larger containers are guilt-free.

7. Oil base acrylics are fine right?

I don't think these are worth the hassle for the type of painting we do in tabletop wargaming. There are plenty of water-based acrylics that are easier to work with and don't require seprate thinners to clean your brush and thin your paint.

8. If i was going to use random arts acrylic paint as an undercoat and then used either GW, tamiya , cit and vallejo is that ok? its not going to strip the other paint layer or somthing like that?

You can use an acrylics artist gesso as an undercoat if you'd like. There is even a recent thread about it here on Dakka. I have painted Tamiya alcohol-based acrylics with GW and Vallejo water-based acrylics for years with no problems. I have no experience mixing oil- and water-based acrylic paints on the same miniature, though, just from the sound of it (oil and water), it doesn't sound like a good idea...

9. GW , Citadel and vallajo can also be used for airbrushing?

Yes. Vallejo even makes a line of paints specifically for airbrushing now.

thanks

You're welcome!