MRP lacquer paints

[Gern]

Had some problems - again- with my Vallejo paints. I've heard good things about MRP lacquer paints, so:

Any issues with A/B painting such as pressure, thinning (if they need it, what with?), tip dry?

What about painting with hairy sticks?

What to use to clean A/Bs and hairy sticks?

Where to get them from in the UK (I've not seen them on the forum shop unless I'm missing summat)

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jack L]

I’m a huge fan, never had them go wrong.

Pressure…same as everything else, I just have. A play on some scrap until I find the right one.
Brush painting is a no go. Does make touch ups more difficult.
I use Mr Levelling thinner to wash through, and then liquid reamer to properly clean.
I’m not sure about promoting other shops on here, but if allowed due to John not selling them I’ll post the links.

I’m a huge fan, I’ve not had much luck with certain other paints, but these have never gone wrong on me. You will need a mask and some ventilation though.

 

[Andy T]

I have limited experience but they are a world away from vallejo, as are all of the other "lacquer" paints I've used.

They spray great straight from the bottle but you can thin them more to suit your taste or for special effects. The Mr color lacquer thinners work great for that.

I clean up with cheap standard or cellulose thinners, available from places like Halfords or online.

As Jack mentions, there are 3 online suppliers I've found in the UK but stocks are never great of popular colours. I once had to buy one colour from each just to get what I wanted, my biggest turn off for MRP. You used to be able to buy direct but not sure if that's still feasible after brexit, I haven't checked.

Brush painting is tricky to say the least. Quick touch ups are okay but I wouldn't want to try painting even a small part by brush. They do have a water based range to cover this I believe.

I know you haven't asked for alternatives so I apologise, but the S M S premium lacquer paints available from John's shop are very similar I've found, and would be my preference as they support the shop and seem easier to get hold of, but the colour range seems limited compared to MRP.

 

[simontie]

Used a couple of Tamiya ones and love the results, used zero airbrush thinners to clean up and so far i have not tried brush painting them but the finish is very good sprayed, ordered a few more along with the Tamiya thinners recently no issues with pressure it is a little higher than Vellejo primers i use but other than that a wee play about and off you go
simon

 

[Gern]

From what you guys are saying, for basic paint coverage which is all I'm after, there seems to be no significant difference between these and Tamiya acrylics. Both spray well with no thinning, neither brush well and clean up is best done with their own products.

I may as well stick to Tamiya (I use Vallejo when I either don't have the right Tamiya colour or when I'm going to have to brush smaller parts or do touch up). For larger quantities I can get them from John and for small quantities I have a local Hobby Zone that stocks them.

PJ has tried a couple of AK 3rd Gen paints which he really likes so I'll be trying those as an alternative to Vallejo next time I need paint. (At my rate of building and given I have a couple of hundred assorted Vallejo paints, that could be quite a while!)

 

[Tim Marlow]

Tamiya to spray (thinned anbout 1:1) and Vallejo to brush paint has been my go to for years Dave, though I do use Alclad (spray) and Darkstar (brush) for metallics. I agree with Andy about S M S premium though. It’s very good paint and covers excellently. It’s certainly worth a try, just add a couple of bottles to your next order from John. Mr Color is very similar to Tamiya, and John stocks those as well. They need a little more thinning than Tamiya though.

 

[Flip]

Last year, on this forum, I voiced my despair at poor results when spraying enamels. That set me on a hunt and I bought some of the Tamiya lacquers from the forum shop. What a difference! I was able to use lower pressure so I had no spiders and greatly reduced overspray. I was able to produce models that were visually quite reasonable (taking into account the three-foot rule )

Then I came across the MRP paints. Rather than believe hype, I checked them out directly. I thought Tamiya paints were good (still do) but the MRP paints are another grade better. Their pigments seem to be finer - there is noticeably less tip drying on the AB even compared to Tamiya. I am currently just finishing the Airfix Saturn V rocket which has Tamiya LP-2 (White) with MRP-172 (Super Gloss Black) selectively sprayed on top. The LP-2 was tending to clog a bit, even with retarder-type thinners, whereas there was not a hint of that with the MRP. This was with an H&S Evolution CR Plus AB, 0.4mm needle at 10psi.

With Tamiya lacquers, I use their thinners (both normal and retarder type). The upside of these paints and their thinners is that they are all available from the shop. The only downside is the limited colour range.

With MRP lacquers, they can be thinned (only if required) using Mr Color Levelling Thinners (also available from the shop) and they have a good range of colours. For AB work I don't thin them, just generally pipette transfer straight into the AB cup. The downsides of these is that, currently, there are only three UK suppliers of them and they are not easy to use with hairy sticks (as Jack mentioned above). They are very thin paints so apply in thin coats - it can be seen when dwelling too long in any one area that there would be a tendency for it to puddle. I do a quick purge with the Mr Color thinners at the end of each session but, if the AB needs a good clean, I use Mr Hobby Mr Tool Cleaner R 400 (available from the shop). BTW: don't use the latter near any nitrile seals! (but is brilliant stuff)

To summarise, both Tamiya and MRP lacquers are (for me) easier to use than enamels and are now my default paints.

To add to the mix, the Mr Hobby lacquer paints are meant to be good also. I apologise if this adds a measure of confusion but I mention them because they are stocked in the shop hence they are easier to obtain. They are also thinned with Mr Color Levelling Thinners, meaning you can swap between MRP and Mr Hobby without having too many solvents around. I cannot be definitive about Mr Hobby paints as, although I bought some to test, I haven't got round to taking them out for a test drive yet - Tim will be a better source of info on those than me.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Last year, on this forum, I voiced my despair at poor results when spraying enamels. That set me on a hunt and I bought some of the Tamiya lacquers from the forum shop. What a difference! I was able to use lower pressure so I had no spiders and greatly reduced overspray. I was able to produce models that were visually quite reasonable (taking into account the three-foot rule )

Then I came across the MRP paints. Rather than believe hype, I checked them out directly. I thought Tamiya paints were good (still do) but the MRP paints are another grade better. Their pigments seem to be finer - there is noticeably less tip drying on the AB even compared to Tamiya. I am currently just finishing the Airfix Saturn V rocket which has Tamiya LP-2 (White) with MRP-172 (Super Gloss Black) selectively sprayed on top. The LP-2 was tending to clog a bit, even with retarder-type thinners, whereas there was not a hint of that with the MRP. This was with an H&S Evolution CR Plus AB, 0.4mm needle at 10psi.

With Tamiya lacquers, I use their thinners (both normal and retarder type). The upside of these paints and their thinners is that they are all available from the shop. The only downside is the limited colour range.

With MRP lacquers, they can be thinned (only if required) using Mr Color Levelling Thinners (also available from the shop) and they have a good range of colours. For AB work I don't thin them, just generally pipette transfer straight into the AB cup. The downsides of these is that, currently, there are only three UK suppliers of them and they are not easy to use with hairy sticks (as Jack mentioned above). They are very thin paints so apply in thin coats - it can be seen when dwelling too long in any one area that there would be a tendency for it to puddle. I do a quick purge with the Mr Color thinners at the end of each session but, if the AB needs a good clean, I use Mr Hobby Mr Tool Cleaner R 400 (available from the shop). BTW: don't use the latter near any nitrile seals! (but is brilliant stuff)

To summarise, both Tamiya and MRP lacquers are (for me) easier to use than enamels and are now my default paints.

To add to the mix, the Mr Hobby lacquer paints are meant to be good also. I apologise if this adds a measure of confusion but I mention them because they are stocked in the shop hence they are easier to obtain. They are also thinned with Mr Color Levelling Thinners, meaning you can swap between MRP and Mr Hobby without having too many solvents around. I cannot be definitive about Mr Hobby paints as, although I bought some to test, I haven't got round to taking them out for a test drive yet - Tim will be a better source of info on those than me.

Very good summary here John. I find Mr Hobby are very similar to Tamiya, but need a little more thinning to get the best results.

 

[Flip]

I find Mr Hobby are very similar to Tamiya, but need a little more thinning to get the best results.

Thanks Tim. I've got some Mr Hobby 333 (Extra Dark Sea Gray) to try out, so I'll pay particular attention to the thinning.

 

[Andy T]

.

To add to the mix, the Mr Hobby lacquer paints are meant to be good also. I apologise if this adds a measure of confusion but I mention them because they are stocked in the shop hence they are easier to obtain. They are also thinned with Mr Color Levelling Thinners, meaning you can swap between MRP and Mr Hobby without having too many solvents around. I cannot be definitive about Mr Hobby paints as, although I bought some to test, I haven't got round to taking them out for a test drive yet - Tim will be a better source of info on those than me.

I'd completely agree about the Mr Hobby / Mr Color lacquer paints, I have a wide selection and they have been my mainstay for airbrushing since I first used them. Like you, I didn't want to muddy the waters by adding yet another option though.

FYI, they can be mixed with either mrp or tamiya lacquers if you so desire, to get the exact colour you're after.

I haven't tried mixing any with the S M S lacquers yet but I certainly will as I can see no reason why it wouldn't be successful.

 

[BarryW]

I have heard that the Scale Model Shop paints are excellent but for two things, first they are not identified by the RLM, BS, FS etc colours only by name. It sounds a small point but it really does help identify the right colour to have these codes. Secondly the range of colours is relatively small.

I am, perhaps somewhat spoilt from having used MRP for so long and would love to get them from John at the shop if I could. I find that the three U.K. supplier can, between them, supply what I need but I have also ordered direct from MRP who do provide a decent service.

 

[JR]

From what you guys are saying, for basic paint coverage which is all I'm after, there seems to be no significant difference between these and Tamiya acrylics. Both spray well with no thinning, neither brush well and clean up is best done with their own products.

I may as well stick to Tamiya (I use Vallejo when I either don't have the right Tamiya colour or when I'm going to have to brush smaller parts or do touch up). For larger quantities I can get them from John and for small quantities I have a local Hobby Zone that stocks them.

PJ has tried a couple of AK 3rd Gen paints which he really likes so I'll be trying those as an alternative to Vallejo next time I need paint. (At my rate of building and given I have a couple of hundred assorted Vallejo paints, that could be quite a while!)

Dave I've gone over to the Ak 3 rd gen range, very nice with none of that tip drying, even when you stop for a moment , using up the Vallejo I have and replacing with the AK when needed For primer I now used Mr Hobby. Bit of a smell , but with the proper mask it's not bad .