When I first started modelling again, I bought two types of paint -
Tamiya acrylics and
Revell Aqua. I found I couldn't use the
Tamiya with a brush to save my life - and others have made similar comments although it's supposed to be excellent for use in an
airbrush. The Aqua is great for brush painting. It should be thinned and I've always done this by adding a few drops of water to the container as I stir it to mix the pigment back in to the carrier. Problem with that is it leaves a residue of dried paint around the inside of the container (the blue liquid is the carrier for the pigment which has settled to the bottom):
View attachment 101251
Of course, subsequent stirring causes some of this dried paint to fall off - which naturally clogs up your
airbrush if you try to spray it! You can also find these lumps of paint get onto your kit when you use an ordinary brush but I've not had any significant problems with that.
Consequently, I switched to
Revell and Humbrol enamels. Steve (Stona) very kindly gave me a demonstration of using an
airbrush with enamels and I managed to get some good results - for me that is. Unfortunately, despite opening a window and wearing a mask, the fumes from the paint and thinner caused coughing. (I'll be getting an extractor booth when funds allow and try again as I do like the finish I can get with enamels.)
Now I use Vallejo almost exclusively unless I can't find the colour I need or it's just tiny bits where I can use just about any paint. I find I can use both
Model Air and
Model Colour for painting with a brush or an
airbrush. They both need to be thinned for both applications but I can't give exact ratios. I add thinner until it seems right then test spray or brush and adjust if needed. I will just add that I do not use Vallejo thinner for Vallejo metallic colours. Every time I've tried that, the paint turns into a thick gooey mess like treacle and I've had to spend a considerable time cleaning out my
airbrush. I thin the metallics with just a few drops of tap water and they work fine.
The choice between enamels and acrylics eventually comes down to what works for you as an individual. Once you've chosen, you'll improve the finish and results you get with practise. Then you could start looking at the differences between the paint types in terms of more precise kinds of finish you need - rough, dirty matt on tanks etc v. smooth, shiny, high-gloss on cars for example. Then you might find yourself selecting a particular type of paint for a particular finish.