Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

so i started out painting model airplanes and stuff. as a result i started out buying testors paint, now that i am into warhammer 40k, i mostly use GW, i have wanted to get some valejho, but have never had the time and stuff like that. so bottom line is i have a bunch of testors paints, i have been using them, and they look pretty good. i just want to know your opinion on testors paint. I like it, but i also don't think it needs any watering down, as it comes very watery. opinions and experiences welcome.

as far as i know... testors is #@&t. please dont use on your minis lol. dont get me wrong they are great paints... for cars... and stuff.

Testors is an enamel paint, not an acrylic paint.

Enamel paint is appropriate for other models like airplanes and cars because of its smooth consistency, glossy finish, and solid covering.
It's not appropriate for layering, blending, or other techniques used for this sort of miniature. Enamel paints are also thinned with solvents instead of water, causing enamel paint to be thicker than acrylic.

Acrylic paint is almost exclusively the choice for gaming miniatures, I know of a few exceptions, but not many.

Testors makes great clearcoat varnishes though - I don't recommend anything other than Testors brand gloss clearcoat, and Testors "Dullcote" matte varnish.

ah. i see. thank you for the replies. i will stop using it on my minis then.

Huh...

Testors makes enamels and acrylics (and lacquers...). Their acrylic paints are just as suitable for painting miniatures as acrylics from any other company (GW, Reaper, Valejo, PP, Foundry, Andrea, Army Painter...).

They tend to be thinner and formulated for use in airbrushes, so you can have certain issues relating to that (nothing a little drying retarder can't fix). A lot of historical modelers use their acrylics as they have colors formulated for accuracy as well.

Their enamels are actually excellent as well and many figure modelers will use enamels and oils for doing skin tones and what not. The extended working period makes them better suited for blending, and because of the nature of the oil based base...you can make thinner washes which is why you see them used for weathering effects.

The lacquers are somewhat less useful (though dullcote is a lacquer). Mostly I have seen those used on thing like Eldar tanks. They work well for very smooth surfaces and being applied with an airbrush.

Testors acrylic flats are fine.
Their glosses leave something to be desired...
their higher end line (Model Masters) is better ..

hey y'all, so i looked at my testors stuff, and its model masters acrylics, also some of them are poly scale acrylics, anyone know about this?

If you are happy with them, keep using them.

Find some friends who have other paints, borrow them, try them, see if you like them.

Paints like many other things are very subjective.

Poly Scale is Testors as well now...used to be there own company...many, many years ago...so long I have forgotten when Testors bought them. They are comparable to the Model Masters line and were marketed at model RR types.

 Sean_OBrien wrote:
Poly Scale is Testors as well now...used to be there own company...many, many years ago...so long I have forgotten when Testors bought them. They are comparable to the Model Masters line and were marketed at model RR types.

I used Polly S paints for many years. It was a sad day when Floquil sold out to Testors.

 Sean_OBrien wrote:
Testors makes enamels and acrylics (and lacquers...). Their acrylic paints are just as suitable for painting miniatures as acrylics from any other company (GW, Reaper, Valejo, PP, Foundry, Andrea, Army Painter...)

Ohhhhhh - I didn't know Testors made acrylic paints. I've never seen them before.

That's a completely different story, I'm sorry I suggested that you stop using them.
Enamel paints are a definite no, but if they make an acrylic paint, I'm sure it's fine for warhammer miniatures.
Well, the other comments have firsthand experience with this stuff.

Ultimately it's your models, paint them with what ever paint you want. Just make sure they are compatable if you paint 2 types one on the other. Some acrylic react to enamel and 'craze'.

I've used GW, Humbrol and Tamia, even watercolours and oils occasionally. Depending on what result I wanted

 The_Juggler wrote:

 Sean_OBrien wrote:
Testors makes enamels and acrylics (and lacquers...). Their acrylic paints are just as suitable for painting miniatures as acrylics from any other company (GW, Reaper, Valejo, PP, Foundry, Andrea, Army Painter...)

Ohhhhhh - I didn't know Testors made acrylic paints. I've never seen them before.

That's a completely different story, I'm sorry I suggested that you stop using them.
Enamel paints are a definite no, but if they make an acrylic paint, I'm sure it's fine for warhammer miniatures.
Well, the other comments have firsthand experience with this stuff.

Testors makes a set of fluorescent acrylics that I'm super happy with, considering I picked it up at Walmart.

As for "enamel paints are a definite no," that's not for you to decide. Are you saying you'd never play against someone who used enamels? What if the person really wanted the enamel-smooth finish? There's no right way to paint, there's only the more common and less common ways.

In any case, it sounds like he as acrylics, anyway.

I've used testors enamels and haven't had an issue...I used their flat grey all uprise enamel primer for my last warhound titan and was satisfied with the result. It takes longer to cure fully but the result was decent enough. I probably wouldn't use it on small minis though, as it was indeed a bit thicker and might obscure details on smaller models

Testors=No

Unless you're airbrushing a BaneBlade or something.

 The_Juggler wrote:

Enamel paints are a definite no, but if they make an acrylic paint, I'm sure it's fine for warhammer miniatures.

Why not use enamels? I think they work fine and there's many good paints come as enamels. Anything that is better off done "wet" I find easier to do with an enamel, including getting a smooth coat laid down. You do have to thin them properly, you can't use water to thin them and they are more of a pain to clean up after. But as far as the actual finished product, if you applied them properly they can look good. I have some terradons from back when Lizardmen first came out that I painted with enamels and they look good and the paintjob has endured years of gaming without a scratch.

Enamel paints are a definite no for a beginning painter. Acrylics are much easier to use as they don't require thinners to clean your brushes.

Enamels are great tools, but they have their place.

Doesn't enamel, and alcohol based paints tend to eat other layers or paints? i recall some one had mentioned that to me before.

It can...though it isnt generally a problem. If the underlying paint is cured, the solvents in enamel (oil) paints wont generally harm the paint, provided you are not scrubbing it. Cured acrylic is fairly resistant to chemicals, and it really only starts to degrade if soaked for extended periods of time or if scrubbed to work the solvents in and under layers of paint.

Really the only downside to enamels and other oils are the solvents needed to work with them, but you are not dealing with them in large quantities that it becomes a significant safety issue, and modern turps substitutes are much safer (and less smelly) than the old stuff.

 Todosi wrote:
Enamel paints are a definite no for a beginning painter. Acrylics are much easier to use as they don't require thinners to clean your brushes.

Enamels are great tools, but they have their place.

FYI, I started using enamels on model planes when I was about 8 years old, long before I ever touched acrylics, my Dad taught me to use them If you already have a range of enamels like the original poster and you have used them before and understand the concept of thinning your paints and keeping your tools clean, I see no reason why you wouldn't give it a shot.

The only real downside IMO is that, as Sean said, you need to use appropriate solvents and also the cure time is longer. I know model painters that actually spray using acrylics and then use enamels for detailed brush work like the cockpit and pilots because the enamels offer more control with a brush.

Now if someone is just beginning I would probably recommend acrylics as well initially if for no other reason than they dry faster and it's easier to fill up a jar with water than go to a shop to get a thinner appropriate for enamels, but hey, if someone already owns enamels or is wanting to take advantage of some of the properties of enamels, more power to them. I think they get a lot of unwarranted hate in the miniature painting community among people who have never tried to use them or have tried to use them incorrectly.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Desubot wrote:
Doesn't enamel, and alcohol based paints tend to eat other layers or paints? i recall some one had mentioned that to me before.

It can, but it's not a problem if the layer beneath is fully cured. Note: not dry, but cured, it takes several hours after the paint feels dry before it's actually finished releasing gases and completely cured.

The same can even apply to some acrylics. The Aqueous Hobby Colour range is acrylic, but will also strip or soften other acrylics if you haven't let them cure properly before applying it.

Testors has some good plastic glue. And that's pretty much where I end my dealing with them. I can see them being usable on large models such as tanks, especially with experience in painting models, but they are not formulated for very fine details. I tried back in the 90s on some metal models to terrible effect. The only upside is that they are WAY easier to find.

Munga wrote:
Testors has some good plastic glue. And that's pretty much where I end my dealing with them. I can see them being usable on large models such as tanks, especially with experience in painting models, but they are not formulated for very fine details. I tried back in the 90s on some metal models to terrible effect. The only upside is that they are WAY easier to find.

You mean fine details like cockpits of 1/48 scale aircraft, handles and grab bars on 1/160 scale railcars or 1/72 scale figures?

Miniature details are highly exagerated when compared to the actual scale details that Testors are actually formulated to paint. There is nothing at all in that regard that puts acrylic paints over enamels.