Just out of curiousity... Enamels, Acrylics, both, neither?

[Coen]

My wife and I were talking about the forum this morning and she asked me if there were a lot of the fellas that still used enamels in their hobby.
I tried to explain to her that it wasn't a questions "Still using" when it comes to paint.
Enamels and Acrylics are as essential to some as styrene.
We just finished painting our basement and we were talking about the difference between oil paint and latex and that oil paint isn't used all that much anymore because of the toxicity and the difficulties in clean up and disposal. She asked if that was true with modelling and enamel paint.
I didn't actually know.

For myself, I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't use enamels, simply because I had small children and lived in an apartment.
I had a booth and sufficient ventilation but I didn't want to take any chances.
So I learned to use and love acrylics. Mostly Model Master, some Vallejo that I managed to scrounge (and love beyond reason), and some life colour that I bought when a Canadian company went out of business. I don't like the smell of Tamiya products all that much, but I do use their thinner with my Model Master paints.

So, I'm wondering what types do you guys use and why?
Fill my boots (East Coast Canadian saying)

[Nige201980]

Mainly humbrol enamels because its what I known since a kid and I brush paint with them not drying as quick it's easier to get a better finish for me anyway. But saying that when I get an airbrush will move to tamiya to start with then will see where I go from there when I've got used to it.

[Radzy]

I'm stick with acrylics (Vallejo mostly but have few Lifecolors or Agamas + 2 new bottles of Tamiya).

Reason is simple - I have rather small workshop, but although it's well ventilated but it's next to dining room, and... smelly dinners aren't very welcome

However still, some stench from mineral spirits or some weathering products spread from the workshop

[Johni044]

The same here. Dabbled with Tamiya acrylics, found them great to use in the airbrush, once I can open the bleeding things normally have to resort to pouring hot water on the lid.

[Paul]

Mainly humbrol enamels because its what I known since a kid and I brush paint with them not drying as quick it's easier to get a better finish for me anyway. But saying that when I get an airbrush will move to tamiya to start with then will see where I go from there when I've got used to it.

Nice get yourself some Vallejo model colour and it'll open your eyes to acrylics mate they brush paint so much better that enamels ever will IMO of course

For me i only use enamels for weathering (tamiya at that too as I prefer the screw top lid)

Acrylics are king for me, both airbrush and brush painting.

For metal finishes nothing beats alclad

[Paul]

The same here. Dabbled with Tamiya acrylics, found them great to use in the airbrush, once I can open the bleeding things normally have to resort to pouring hot water on the lid.

You need one of these John

http://www.emodels.co.uk/plastic-kits/h ... 42532.html

[Coen]

Mainly humbrol enamels because its what I known since a kid and I brush paint with them not drying as quick it's easier to get a better finish for me anyway. But saying that when I get an airbrush will move to tamiya to start with then will see where I go from there when I've got used to it.

Nice get yourself some Vallejo model colour and it'll open your eyes to acrylics mate they brush paint so much better that enamels ever will IMO of course

For me i only use enamels for weathering (tamiya at that too as I prefer the screw top lid)

Acrylics are king for me, both airbrush and brush painting.

For metal finishes nothing beats alclad

I've never tried Alcad, my local shop sells the entire line of Alcad. I may have to check that out. How's the smell?

[Nige201980]

Ill look into it Paul the local air museum in Doncaster stocks them it where I'm going to get most of my bits and bobs way better than modelzone (only place near me) and its cheap to have a look round when I go

[Paul]

Mainly humbrol enamels because its what I known since a kid and I brush paint with them not drying as quick it's easier to get a better finish for me anyway. But saying that when I get an airbrush will move to tamiya to start with then will see where I go from there when I've got used to it.

Nice get yourself some Vallejo model colour and it'll open your eyes to acrylics mate they brush paint so much better that enamels ever will IMO of course

For me i only use enamels for weathering (tamiya at that too as I prefer the screw top lid)

Acrylics are king for me, both airbrush and brush painting.

For metal finishes nothing beats alclad

I've never tried Alcad, my local shop sells the entire line of Alcad. I may have to check that out. How's the smell?

Alclad are brilliant paints, take a bit of getting to used too and they need maximum surface prep as the paint is so thin it shows every imperfection. But the finish is amazing.

Smell wise they stink, real bad as they are cellulose based so ventilation/good extraction is a must.

[Paul]

Ill look into it Paul the local air museum in Doncaster stocks them it where I'm going to get most of my bits and bobs way better than modelzone (only place near me) and its cheap to have a look round when I go

Well worth it mate, myself and Nige99 were both humbrol painters and I bought a Vallejo paint set just on a whim and was amazed how good and easy they were to use compared to enamels (I sold all the Enamels that week and replaced them with Vallejo)

[Gav0909]

Well typically when I was younger I solely used Humbrol and Revell enamels as they were just so available at the time, and being young you tend not to be so aware of the wider range available. Also it was not that that long ago (I am 25) but long enough that it was before the time of mainstream online shopping etc as we know now, meaning it was whatever the local model shop sold. However through my years as a wargamer I solely used acrylics (all paint ranges done by wargaming companies are acrylic) so I just got into the habit of using them. And continued that when I came back to scale modelling. I also enjoy being able to just clean the brush in a pot of water on the desk, rather than needing a sealed jar of spirit based brush cleaner etc.

As for ranges, I am getting more and more of the Vallejo range, but I still use some Games Workshop paints while they are here, I also have some Revell Aqua, and Humbrol acrylics, but not hugely keen on the Humbrol ones, they are a bit "weak".

[schweinhund227]

Tamiya Acrylics, Model Master Acryl II, only.
And AKi (enamels) weathering products and they Smell

[UKscalemodeller]

Acrylics all the way. Mostly because thats what I have used in the past, enamels, (when I have tried them) just smell too much.

Vallejo mostly.

[modellingmadness]

I use tamiya acrylics because thats what my lhs stocks but there terrible for brush painting

[T3hGuppy]

I use acrylics (Mainly water based types) Just from having the most experience with them.

Also I have a nasty habit of putting brushes in my mouth to get a point back so safer with water based paints lol

[HamilkarBarkas]

In the beginning i used Revell enamels, but at some point i realised that they are not good for my health so i got the acrylics from Revell. I´m very satisfied with them, they serve my hobby very well! The only enamel paint i still use is Matt94 "gold", for some reason the acrylic equivalent is very bad, is has no covering power at all.

[PhildaFish]

As a kid it was Humbrol enamels because that was all that was available to me. I wasn't allowed to have white spirit in my room so I got through paint brushes at a rate of knots!

As a teenager I started with the whole Games Workshop thing, Warhammer and 40k, and started using their range of acrylic paints and was so impressed! I started picking up all sorts of new tricks like watering them down to make washes and, yes, like Guppy, putting the brush in my mouth to regain the point. I tried Tamiya and hated them.

When I restarted the hobby last year I had the free pots of paint in the Airfix Battle of Britain set and loved the new (to me) Humbrol acrylics and have even found my old Games Workshop paints and they still work after 20 years of being frozen in sheds and boiled in attics. My 2 pots of Tamiya were completely ruined though. A few weeks ago I bought another pot of Tamiya because so many people say it's better than Humbrol but I still hated it and found out you can't use it on top of Humbrol so it's useless to me as I can't afford to replace all my paints! Perhaps one day I'll try Vallejo if I'm assured they work in conjunction with Humbrol.

[ccc1970]

Almost all acrylic for me.. vallejo, tamiya, mr hobby aqueous, and a few model master. the only laquers i use are Model Master Buffable metalizers which i love. Although im getting better using vallejo metal colors and work very well once you get the hang of them

[chief5437]

I only use acrylic for painting, purely for ease of clean up and thinning. Although I can't get on with brushing tamiya. I find revell aqua color are great for brush painting. I use enamel and oil for weathering as they don't react with the acrylics. And you can't beat Flory washes either!

[Lee]

Acrylics only - enamels really just don't cut it these days - IMO of course

[Reddragon62]

I use them both.

There are some models that I will use Alclad exclusively. And there are some that I will use Tamiya or Vallejo Model Air or the reg Vallejo line. I also have Model Master paint but have slowly started to replace them with Tamiya/Vallejo. I may be wrong but there are some finishes you can only get with enamels/Laquers that you cannot get with Acrylics...At lest in my limited experience anyway

[gosselin2112]

I've been mostly an acrylic painter. Water based is a little healthier and there are lots of paints to choose from. But I do agree that the enamels have a better finish. Shoots out of my airbrush better too. Enamels also have a better bite on plastic than acrylics. Some of my friends even add a drop or two lacquer into the acrylic paint just to give it some teeth. But without a spray booth, I'm sticking with the acrylics.