Tamiya paint/painting instructions

[Egghead]

Hi everyone. Two questions: Do I need to thin my acrylic Tamiya paints, or just use them straight from the tin? Also, when the Tamiya model instructions say something like: "XF-7:5 + XF-9:1", what does it mean? I appreciate "XF-7" and "XF-9" refer to the colours, but what does the :5 and :1 refer to? Does it mean I need to mix XF-7 and XF-9 in the ratio of 5:1? Thank you.

 

[BarryW]

That’s righr but if I was you I would just buy a different brand of paint with the right colours.

 

[Andy the Sheep]

About thinning: I use them straight from the pot when I paint with brushes; when I use the airbrush, I usually thin it about 50% with water or Tamiya acrylic thinner; IPA is as good as well.

 

[BattleshipBob]

Trick I learnt was too fill the bottle to the neck when new with suitable thinner.

 

[Jakko]

Do I need to thin my acrylic Tamiya paints

For brush-painting? No.

For spraying? Yes. How much to do that by is not all that easy to say, though — see here for some of my recommendations, but do experiment on your own to see what works for you

Also, when the Tamiya model instructions say something like: "XF-7:5 + XF-9:1", what does it mean? I appreciate "XF-7" and "XF-9" refer to the colours, but what does the :5 and :1 refer to? Does it mean I need to mix XF-7 and XF-9 in the ratio of 5:1?

It does mean exactly that: five parts XF-7 plus one part XF-9. As Barry says, though, you may be better off buying a different paint that is already that colour from the bottle.

 

[Egghead]

That’s righr but if I was you I would just buy a different brand of paint with the right colours.

Thanks Barry - I'm just getting started (well, after a break of 50 years) with all this!

 

[Egghead]

That’s righr but if I was you I would just buy a different brand of paint with the right colours.

Thanks Barry - are Tamiya not highly rated as paints, then? And how would I know the correct colour to buy if Tamiya is recommending I mix two? Is there somewhere I can find the corresponding paints in another brand for any colour Tamiya recommend?

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Barry - are Tamiya not highly rated as paints, then? And how would I know the correct colour to buy if Tamiya is recommending I mix two? Is there somewhere I can find the corresponding paints in another brand for any colour Tamiya recommend?

They are highly regarded for airbrush use, not so much for brush painting, but usable.

If colour accuracy is important to you then you are much better off ignoring the instructions and researching what actual colour was used on the real thing. From there you should be able to find a model paint.

Remember Tamiya will only recommend a colour within their range, or a mixture of them. Neither may actually be accurate, just the nearest they can get with their own paint.

Personally, near enough is usually good enough for me, but each to his own

 

[Egghead]

They are highly regarded for airbrush use, not so much for brush painting, but usable.

If colour accuracy is important to you then you are much better off ignoring the instructions and researching what actual colour was used on the real thing. From there you should be able to find a model paint.

Remember Tamiya will only recommend a colour within their range, or a mixture of them. Neither may actually be accurate, just the nearest they can get with their own paint.

Personally, near enough is usually good enough for me, but each to his own

Thanks Andy.

 

[rtfoe]

I like mixing paints when I airbrush to get tonal shades. It basically gives a more interesting finish and creates a less flat look if you know where to apply them. It's a good practice too so your eyes can roughly gauge colour tones without always refering to colour charts. Near enough as Andy says is good enough for me too.

Cheers,
Wabble

 

[Jakko]

are Tamiya not highly rated as paints, then?

It’s like Andy said: they are well-regarded, but they only refer you to their own range of paints.

And how would I know the correct colour to buy if Tamiya is recommending I mix two?

Is this a question about the Tamiya 1:48 Mosquito you mentioned in another message? Ah, yes, probably, because it includes the mix you used as an example:



These kinds of interior bits are often tricky to research, and my knowledge on the subject is nowhere near good enough to say what colour this had on the real thing. However, just looking at the colour numbers: XF-7 is matt red and XF-9 is hull red — which is a kind of burgundy colour, which in turn is a mix of red with a bit of blue in it. Given they want you to mix it 5:1, that means the intended colour is a slightly darker red than “standard” red. If you have red and blue paints, you can probably get a good colour for the tanks by putting a few brushfuls of red onto a palette and adding a dash of blue, then mixing the two with the brush.

 

[Si Benson]

As the guys have already given you the answers you requested I won’t add much, other than to say Tamiya are not the best paints to brush with but I’ve seen some get a perfectly reasonable result with them.

Personally I use Tamiya for airbrush and Vallejo or Mig Ammo for brush work.

 

[BarryW]

The tanks were, I am sure, a red oxide. So look for a red oxide paint from another company.

I would suggest base research on-line to establish the right colours. There is a lot of information available. Most of the time you can pretty much work out the colours fairly easily.