Different Brands and Types

Transcript*

Intro

If you’re dumping a body, make sure it’s dead.

Hello all, this is David from Sunward Hobbies. And in today’s video, I’m going to show you how to pick the right paint for you. Throwing me in the garbage. I’m not Oscar.

[Music]

Good enough. Working in a hobby store, I hear it all the time. I’m new to the hobby and I can’t decide which paint to swear my allegiance to. I’ve been there.

These days with all the paint lines out there, it can be overwhelming. So, in this video, I’m going to try and explain which paint would work best for you considering your own situation. So, I’m going to attempt to break these down into categories and then break those down into further subcategories. All right, let’s get started.

Acrylic Paint

So, spoiler alert, this is probably the category you’re going to end up with whether you like it or not. So, this is acrylic paint. And acrylic paint I like to split up into three different categories. There is pure acrylic paint which is made with basically nothing but water.

There is acrylic paints that are pure acrylic but act like they’re solvent based. So they technically don’t have anything harmful in them yet they perform like a lacquer paint. And lastly, there is solvent based acrylic paint. So, this is paint that does have some stuff in it that’s kind of harmful, but uh as long as you have proper ventilation, you’ll be just fine. Is it pure acrylic paint that I want? Well, if you are a miniature painter of Warhammer or DND and all you’re concerned with is just getting the paint on there, no need for masking or sanding, then yeah, a pure acrylic paint is just fine for you. Uh, if you want to brush paint it on, any of these will do.

Uh if you want to airbrush it on, you can thin these with their appropriate thinners or plain water. But uh there is also this option by Vallejo Modèle Air. It’s pre-thinned and can go straight into an airbrush. However, let’s say you’re working on something a little more intricate, something that needs, say, masking tape. In that case, you are better off with solvent based acrylics. So, these are acrylic with solvents in them. So, it makes them act more like lacquer paints, but uh they’re they’re more like an alcohol-based paint. These have a little more bite than pure acrylics.

So, you can put these on plastic and you can put masking tape over it and it won’t peel the paint off. Uh you can brush these on. However, in my opinion, they are at their best when they’re airbrushed, especially something like Tamiya. So yeah, if you need something a little tougher than pure acrylic, then solvent based acrylics are the way to go. And I am very much aware that Mr. Hobby Aqueous is currently banned in Canada. So, at the moment, uh it’s probably a little redundant to even mention this one, but uh as long as you don’t live in the Great Dominion of Canada, you should still be able to use these. But I’m old school, damn it, and I don’t want these kitty paints.

Enamel Paint

So, in that case, you are better off with Enamel paint.

For decades, enamel paint was the cane of hobby paints until, as you see today, they have been severely dwindled down to just a few brands left, but it’s easy to see why they were loved for so long. They are oil based, so they are durable and absorbent, which makes them perfect for wood model ships or uh any arts and crafts involving wood.

So, if you have the extreme patience to build wood ships, then I would highly suggest an enamel paint.

Lacquer Paint

And now for those who need a totally indestructible paint, there is lacquer paint. Lacquer paints are pigments with clear lacquer binder in them, which makes them dry really fast and very durable. The downside with lacquers is that they don’t brush on particularly well. As let’s say you got a piece of plastic with some lacquer paint already on there.

If you try brushing a fresh coat on, then it’s just going to lift off what was already there. Thus making lacquer paints much better to airbrush with. So, if you are into building model cars, something that needs a flawless glossy finish that requires a lot of sanding and polishing, and lacquer paint is the only paint tough enough to withstand all that. So, just a few more ground rules before we wrap this up. In terms of mixing paint, as long as you stay within your own species, you’re just fine. Uh, pure acrylic can mix with other pure acrylics. Enamels can mix with other enamels.

However, I wouldn’t recommend mixing metallic paints with regular paints, even if they are in the same species as metallic paints use tiny little flakes and regular paint is just pigment. So, it’s best not to mix those. One other important rule is lacquer can never go on top of acrylic. The order has always got to be lacquer first, then you can put enamel on top of that, and then you can put acrylic on top of that. But it cannot ever go the other way. We have a strict hierarchy here. One other important rule is lacquer can never go on top of acrylic.

The order has always got to be lacquer first, then you can put enamel on top of that. When it comes to color selection, these days, pretty much all the brands are very good. Most of them have at least 100 colors to them, except uh there are certain ones who lag behind still. But uh in my opinion, we’ll go by category again. Uh the best color selection of pure acrylic paint I’d say is Vallejo.

Brands

Considering they have the model color, model air, game color, game air, and the premium color paints. Uh it is quite vast. As for the best acrylic solvent based paint colors, uh that is Mr. Hobby. Although, like I mentioned, sadly they are being neutered in this country. So, pretty soon we’re not going to have hardly any selection at all. Now for enamel paint, uh, that’s pretty easy, although I begrudgingly say it is humble.

And for the lacquer paints, uh, again, Mr. Color. Now, you want to talk about prices? Well, the number one rule about talking about prices is I can’t talk about prices. I mean, I could list the current price of every single one of these paints, but with inflation the way it is now, it’ll probably be outdated in two days. So, the best thing I can do is just offer my own opinion of what paint line I believe gives you the most value. And I would have said Mr. Color, but I guess there’s no point in that now. So, next best one would have to be Tamiya.

Uh, very affordable and a decent selection of colors, though it could definitely be better. Hey, can you get to the point? Uh, yeah, I’ll get to the point. Thanks. All right. So, after all my rambling, if you still haven’t decided which paint to go with, then at this point, all I can do is tell you what my favorite paint line is. Okay. Uh, so it’s not Mission Models. I’m not particularly fond of Humbrol. Uh, not a fan of Citadelle. Uh, Turbo Dork is too specific. Uh, Revell Ammo. It’s pretty good, but not my favorite. Uh, Real Color, good good accurate colors, but again, not my thing. I like Tamiya, but they’re not my favorite.

I really love Mr. Color, but uh no point in making them my favorite now. Uh Testeurs, not a fan. Uh Ammo Cobra it’s good if you build cars, but I don’t. Uh, Iwata Createx, not my thing. Uh, two thin coats, not my thing either. Army Painter, uh, good paint, but, uh, not my favorite.

AK good, but again, not my favorite. Vallejo used to be my favorite, but uh with their recent price increase, them becoming now just as expensive as all the other guys, I have bumped them down to my runner up.

And I’m gonna cheat here and say that two paints are my favorite. That being AK Extreme Metal for metal finishes and Ammo Atom Paint. So, this one I reviewed about uh a few months ago. I was hesitant about it. I was expecting it to just be like any other acrylic paint, but it really impressed me and it has grown on me since then. Uh, if you combine their atom and their ionic paints, that’s a ton of colors to choose from. Uh, they all behave like lacquer paint, so it doesn’t dry super fast, which is annoying for the airbrush. And so, they have become my new favorite.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, if you are a newcomer trying to decide which paint brand to get behind, hopefully this video helped you out. If not, well, at least maybe I cured somebody’s insomnia out there.

So, feel free to check out Sunward Hobbies in store or online. Look through all of our paints and decide which one will be your main. Thank you very much for watching this video. Remember to like, comment, subscribe, follow us on our socials, and until the next one, adios.

Where did that sharp pain in my back come from?

About the Author:

David Peckam has built scale models since he was 12, specializing largely on military aircraft. He is a makeup artist and background actor for films and TV. He enjoys watching hockey and of course, movies. He has an excellent knowledge of hobby products and if you have questions concerning scale model airplanes.

*Video by David Peckham
Video Edited by Daniela Castellano
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano