RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hello everyone that looks in.
I'm used to Acrylic paint being water based. Therefore you clean the brushes with water, thin the paint with water, and periodically dip ones brush in water.
With Tamiya Acrylic paints, I noticed they sell a specific thinners for them. Is it really necessary, or will water do? Or am I missing something with the composition of these paints that make it necessary to use their specific thinners?

Tamiya thinner slows the drying time , you don't want the paint to be almost dry as it hits the plastic/metal.

Son of a gun-ner wrote:Hello everyone that looks in.
I'm used to Acrylic paint being water based. Therefore you clean the brushes with water, thin the paint with water, and periodically dip ones brush in water.
With Tamiya Acrylic paints, I noticed they sell a specific thinners for them. Is it really necessary, or will water do? Or am I missing something with the composition of these paints that make it necessary to use their specific thinners?

Tamiya acrylic paint is not acrylic, does not matter what they say. Under my experience; they look horrible when painted with brush and it is hard to use them that way. They are made to be used with an airbrush. You have to thin them with isopropyl alcohol.

I paint most of my models with them and are great, but always using airbrush.

I have used these paints. I understand they are a different composition from other acrylics. I have always used Tamiya thinners particularly for airbrushing, though cleaned the airbrush and washed the brushes in water.

Thank you very much for the replies guys.
So, when I bought 20 little pots today, I should have bought the thinners after all.
And they aren't any good for brushing. How the hell does Tamiya expect me to paint detail on their figures then

Son of a gun-ner wrote:Thank you very much for the replies guys.
So, when I bought 20 little pots today, I should have bought the thinners after all.
And they aren't any good for brushing. How the hell does Tamiya expect me to paint detail on their figures then

The big tamiya thinner last very long, one bottle should set you good. Worst case scenario isopropyl alcohol will do the job.
About painting the figures with them.. Well I airbrush my figures, but only the uniforms or big parts. For the detail I use true acrylic paints. The ones I use here are revell aqua, because I can find them locally.

At the moment I'm close to a model railway shop that's doing click and collect at their door. They sell Tamiya, Revell and Humbrol paints, and I have to purchase 30 of the wrong paints over the last two days for brushing on

As others have already said Mick, tamiya pots do not brush paint very well if you want to use acrylics you should take a look at the vallejo model colour range, I've used these for many years and they paint really well with a brush, another brand which I use and would recommend is lifecolor

Cheers, Lee.

Thank you Rad and Lee for your brushing paint purchasing tips

I've been using MIG and AK interactive acrylics lately, Mick. They brush well; can be used undiluted in airbrushes, and also only need tapwater for the brushes afterwards.
I used Tamiya acrylics on the Jagdpanther spare tracks, but you have to be quick in applying them- and not make any errors.
The tools were painted using AK colours.
They're my recommendation.