The great Tamiya Thin Glue /Airbrush Cleaner Conspiracy

[MrChef]

I present to you for enlightenment and discussion this topic especially for new modelers.

NOT everything you see and read on the internet is true. I'm sure we can agree about this.
But after reading about and seeing more than a few modelers on Youtube proclaiming that Tamiya's Extra Thin Cement and Airbrush cleaner are one in the same. I just had to check it out. If it was true then ok great I now have a load of extra thin cement for 6 times less expensive than the cost of Their Bottled Extra Thin Cement. The bottle I purchased was $10.50 for 250ML as opposed to the Thin Cement 40ML for $5.

My story is I needed more Cement than I currently had for a new project and process that I was going to try for the first time. It was for armor texturing that you can see what I did in the Heng Long Build section. It requires applying the glue to the tanks armor and using a stiff brush to stipple the plastic so it resembles rolled and cast steel. That's the first part and with a 1/16 scale tank thats a decent amount of glue to use. The second part of the process requires using the same glue mixed with Tamiya Putty Basic and painting it on to finish the armor texture A La Martin Kovac "Mr. Night Shift" on Youtube. https://i.imgur.com/dpt7hZM.jpg

So I theorized at the least I'd have a nice sized bottle to clean up paint or an airbrush if it didn't work out.

So I'm here to share that the airbrush cleaner worked exactly as the extra thin cement does. I tested some of it on leftover styrene that I had and indeed it glues/welds just as the extra thin cement does. substituting the cleaner for stippling my model worked just like the cement did and finally using the cleaner mixed with the Tamiya putty worked out well too.


There are plenty of videos about this out there with some even showing the actual chemical makeup of their glue and cleaner (either OSHA or MSDS sheets) comparing both products and showing them to be the same.

All I can say is that the Airbrush Cleaner worked for me exactly how the Extra Thin Cement does.

Just thought I'd share some food for thought.

Chef

[Kaczor]

I confirm. I've been doing this for a long time. You basically pay extra for a glass jar and a brush

[SCHWEREPANZER]

Nicely presented and explained, Mr. Chef. I have used Night Shift Tamiya Basic Putty and liquid cement (Tamiya or other), but you have opened my eyes to other possibilities. Thanks.

Ralph

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Although I have used Tamiya paints, thinner, puttys for over twenty years, I didn't know that Tamiya Air Brush Cleaner exists; I'll have to get some for--of all things--cleaning my air brushes. I have found that Tamiya's German Gray (Dunkelgrau) dries so fast that three minutes of spraying followed by an immediate dunk in water or Windex still leaves dried paint on the paint cup, needle, and etc. Does Tamiya make a retarder (as does, e.g. Vallejo)?