Model Maniacs: Paint

“When there’s no more room in Hell, the Dead will walk the Earth.”

     
Ok, you’re asking yourself, what the hell does this have to do with Models or Paint? The answer is simple…NOTHING! But since I just picked up the new Ultimate Edition box set of Dawn of the Dead I figgered I’d toss this quote in for shits and giggles.   But in reality, when it comes to modeling and paints there IS a correlation! Ya see, when it comes to this wacky hobby of modeling you start with one model, then another grabs you, then another and another until the next thing you know your sitting there staring at about 900 of these little plastic figures all calling out to you from their boxes to “build me, build me..” and the money, just like the flesh from your bones in the Dead films, begins to vanish in huge gaping chunks from your wallet! And the same will be true when it comes to the focus of this installment of Model Maniacs. Paint!

   


Now let’s get real here, the main course for any modeler is to get down to painting these babies we like to call Garage Kits. I mean without the paint they’re just lifeless hunks of plastic sitting on a shelf, but once you begin applying all those colors, they come to life! Now you’re probably saying, “Dice, what paints should I use to paint model kits?” Well I’m here to tell you that your nightmare has just begun!

Back in the good old days of Aurora, MPC and Lindberg plastic model kits, we used to go down to the corner store and buy those little square bottles of Testor’s Enamel paint for about .19 cents a bottle. While you CAN still use them for the styrene kits of today like Planes, Cars, Tanks and the Polar Lights reissue’s of the Classic Aurora kits, they don’t really work with Vinyl and Resin Garage kits. The reason being that enamel paint on resin and vinyl will not cure. For some reason only a chemist can tell you about, the chemicals used to make enamel paint does not play well with resin and vinyl, leaving the modeler with a kit that basically will stay sticky for years to come! I have a few friends who painted their kits with enamels and those kits are STILL sticky 5 plus years down the line. It’s really weird! So for Garage kits you will need to buy Acrylic paints or any water based paints that are available to you. Yes, you CAN use oil based artist paints and many MANY of the Military modeler’s out there DO use them with great success, but since we’re on a budget and most of you out there are probably just getting started we’ll stick to acrylics for now.


Acrylic paints come in a wide and I do mean WIDE variety of colors. So many in fact that if I were to list every color made by all the various companies that make them, I’d probably use all the bandwidth this site has. But for this segment I’m going to focus on several brands of acrylic paint you will be able to use by painting with a brush and the ones that I use regularly. You CAN and will use these paints in your airbrush when properly thinned, but we’ll get to the airbrush stuff in the next installment.

  

 

  Liquitex Paints: These are probably the number 1 paints I use when I’m painting Garage Kits. They come in 2 types; Tube and Concentrate in a jar and both are 2 fluid ounces in volume. While both have their place and I DO use them both, I prefer the Concentrate. The thinner consistency makes for easier use when painting by brush. They come in a wide array of colors and contain more pigment (pure color) then most all the other brands. These are artist grade paints and while not costing a fortune, they are more expensive then other brands of paint available on the market today. You’d more then likely find the larger assortment of colors of this paint at Artist supply stores, but many hobby and Art’s and Craft stores carry a small selection of them. They thin easily for airbrushing with any of the thinners we talked about earlier and blend very well with other paints in their line and craft brand paints to mix custom colors. The Concentrates run roughly $2.32 to $3.25 a jar depending on the color.
     

Liquitex Tube paints are much thicker. They have the same attributes as the concentrate except that they have a few more colors in this line that are not available in the Concentrate. They are also a bit more expensive then the Concentrate because they contain more pigment. You WILL need to thin them down somewhat for brush painting and for airbrushing you will need to mix them VERY well to remove clumps that will clog your airbrush. Your best bet would be to strain them for this application; again we’ll cover this more in the next installment. Liquitex also makes a less expensive brand of tube paint called Basics. They are less expensive, contain less pigment then their other paints and come in a limited number of colors. They’re not bad if you need them for your “Primary Colors”, but I’d recommend that you start out with using one of the other 2 to start. The Liquitex Tube paint runs roughly between $2.20 to $4.00 a tube depending on the color.

Horizon/ Ral Partha Paints: I got turned on to these paints probably when they first came out with the Horizon paint line. Being that Horizon also made model kits, I thought…Why Not!?! These paints were made for Horizon by the Ral Partha Company. Some might recognize the name as the paints that are used on those small metal figures used for Dungeons and Dragons and those type games. So I was extremely happy to know that even though the Horizon line stopped when the company went belly up, I could STILL buy paints from this line from Ral Partha!

The thing that most interested me was the fact that they had a line of 10 Flesh Colors. Being that I hated mixing up my own flesh tones, these were a godsend! I mean I could basecoat; highlight and shadow the flesh without going through the hassle of mixing them all up myself! The Horizon line had 46 different colors and came in small ¾ ounce white plastic jars. They are a bit thinner in consistency then the Liquitex Concentrate, but not much more. They contain VERY good pigment and are some of the flattest finishes available, which is a good thing! They thin well for airbrushing and go on smooth when dry brushing. A Very good all around paint, but you will have to find them in a specialty shop like the ones that carry those little metal figures for gaming! These are worth the effort of hunting to find. I don’t remember exactly but I think they ran about $1.00 to $1.50 a jar.

Tamiya Paints: These paints originated in Japan. They come in ¾ ounce jars and are pretty thin straight out of the jar. Only minor thinning is needed if you plan on airbrushing with these. They come in a decent variety of colors in both Flat and Gloss. They also make a line of “Clears” (a transparent paint) that kick butt! I don’t recall ever seeing these in Art Supply or Art’s and Craft stores, the main place of purchase will be at a Hobby shop. They’re priced a little less then the Liquitex line and go on smooth as silk. But they do have a few drawbacks. While painting everyone keeps the jar open unless you use a palette. Being as thin as these paints are, a palette won’t work, so you’re going to leave the jar open. After awhile you’ll notice a “skin” begin to form, this is basically a thin layer of paint starting to dry. It’s not a big deal but it is a pain in the butt. This will also happen on your brush from time to time. Simply closing the bottle and shaking it up will cure this with the jar as will cleaning your brush. Another drawback that I have found is that while painting you’ll see sections of the paint dry on the kit, or so it will appear. What you are seeing is a skin forming on the slightly dried areas on the kit. When you go over that same area again to fill a spot that looks too thin of color, the semi-dried paint will actually pull away from the kit! That’s a major pain because you will need to smooth that area out and repaint it properly and let it completely dry. For their minor drawbacks I still like these paints. I use several of their “Clears” A LOT and when I do detail work that requires a smooth flow of paint, they’re the ones I go to. They also make a VERY nice line of Metallic paints that is some of the Best that I have ever used! So don’t be too quick to dismiss these, every modeler has at least 2 or 3 of this brand in their arsenal!

Testor’s: Didn’t think you were gonna see this name in here eh? Well Testor’s not only made those small bottles of enamel paint, they struck at the acrylic market in a big way! They still cater to the Military market but many of the colors they produce can be used for the Garage Kit scene. I’ll be honest and admit that I don’t have a lot of these paints in my arsenal, but I do have a few. Mainly their metallics and they make a kick butt Gloss Coat! Even if their paints aren’t what you’re looking for, get the Gloss Coat! It’s the BEST!

 


Craft Store Paints: The red headed stepchild of modeling paints, but something that should not be overlooked! Some of the Brand names for these are Folk Art, Americana, Apple Barrel, Anita’s and Aleene’s. Though not containing the higher quality of pigment as the other brands these are still good paints and deserve a place in every modeler’s stash. They come in a huge variety of colors, but some of the names are a bit confusing. Anita’s has a line of soft pastel like colors that is pretty good for dry brushing and Apple Barrel has a line of Neon colors that is straight out of the 60’s! Aleene’s has some metallic colors that are amazing and a clear primer that are must haves in your stash and Americana carries some very good earth tones. All these paints blend/ mix well with each other being that they are all pretty much the same consistency. But these paints also have a few drawbacks. They are pretty thin straight out of the bottle but I don’t recommend them for air brushing due to the lesser pigment quality. By hand brushing you’ll need at least 2 coats to get full coverage, not unusual for modeling but note I said “at least”. They also all come in the same generic 2 fluid ounce bottles. You can find these paints in every, and I DO mean EVERY craft store across the country and many Artist Supply stores. They generally run anywhere’s between $1.16 to $1.79 a bottle, but keep your eyes open. I know for a fact that with a little patience and careful shopping you can get these for 25 cents a bottle when the craft stores have their sales!

Gone but Not Forgotten: sadly a few of the lines of paint that I use are no longer made being that either the company went out of business, discontinued their paint lines or merged with another company. But being the savvy modeler that I am, I stocked up on some of my favorite colors from each of these lines! Here are a few that, “IF” you can find them I’d suggest you grab em up!

  • Pactra: Pactra made, without a shadow of a doubt, the thinnest, most perfect black paint on the market! It had a very slight sheen to it but for painting leather or doing extremely small detail, None of the other companies Black paint came close to touching it. I still have about 9 or 10 bottles safely tucked away. Don’t ask cause I’ll never sell em!
  • Polly S Fantasy: This line had some weird fantasy related colors that were perfect for cartoon type kits. Made primarily for the D&D crowd there were several colors that made my life easier when painting Garage Kits. I’m sorry I was too late on grabbing a boatload of these before they vanished off the planet.
  • Polly Scale: These paints were made for the model Rail Road crowd, but many of the colors were great when doing Sci Fi Hardware kits or the Odd Rods. They shot out smooth from the airbrush and covered brilliantly.

Tips:

1) After sealing your completely painted kit the LAST thing you will need to do is to use Gloss on the eyes, mouth/teeth, finger/toe nails and open wounds. This will add that final touch of realism to your completed kit.

2) If you’re a bit of a neat freak and your in good with the hobby shop that you’ve been buying all these paints from, it may just be possible to weasel one of his paint racks to store your paints in. This will make your work area look like you’re a hot shot painting pro. Most Hobby shots have some old racks in their basement and are happy to give them away or sell them VERY cheap!

3) Now that you’ve bought all those paints the last thing you want is for them to dry up and turn to stone in the jar after you’ve opened and used them. To help prevent this store the bottles upside down with the cap on the bottom. This will give an airtight seal to the cap as the paint will coat all round the seal and prevent air from getting in.

Next time around we’ll tackle Airbrushes and the paints you’ll shoot with!