Been “lurking” a bit so I wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I am getting back into model railroading after a “leave of absence” from the hobby. I was working on a layout in ‘95 then moved and never resumed working on it. Fast forward till a few months ago, my wife gave me the ok for my new layout build. Small (7’x9’) but I want to learn on a smaller layout. I subscribed to MR as I did in the past and got to it! I live just south of Nashville but own property in east Tennessee not too far from Etowah,Tn where the L&N had service/depot so I decided to model a local town from that area from the 40’s - 50’s. I am a fan of the Southern and L&N.
Question: Any brand of paint highly recommended for buildings/structures? I am using Model Master on all my Walther Cornerstone buildings now as it is available locally but just wanted to get opinions and input on the different brands. I am hand painting and possibly someday get to learn air brushing but that is down the road! Also acrylic vs enamel? I am using acrylic but is there any pro’s/con’s besides the water clean up?
Thanks in advance for any info. Looking to learn more on this great hobby from everyone on here as well.
I use various paints, but tend to reserve the special model brands for rolling stock and locos that need matched paint. Even so, I tend to paint most things these days with spray paint straight from the can. Due to the amount needed to cover structures, this really saves some bucks.
The quality of spray paint has gone up in recent years. I use Rustoleum in some cases, great coverage, but somewhat more care is needed not to get it on too heavy.
My favorite is Krylon. Really excellent stuff, a great spray nozzle, and dries in about 10 minutes. That makes it much easier to quickly build, instead of watching paint dry.
For detail work with a brush, mainly structures and figures, the craft acrylics found at art and hobby big box stores are cheap and also provide generally good quality outcomes. Some people do shoot them, with the airbrush, so that is possible although I have no experience.
Some of the craft acrylics are pretty good but they aren’t really made for spraying. I find they need to be strained or thoroughly stirred to break down clumps of pigment. Golden and a couple of other companies sell clear acrylic base that can thin craft acrylics without making the finished coat brittle and flaky.
Mike is dead-on about Krylon. Nice spray tip, excellent coverage, and some interesting colors for our needs. Look at the dead-flat camouflage colors for scenery. The only clean-up the spray cans require is turning the can upside down and spraying long enough to get the color out of the spray nozzle and pickup tube.
I also prefer Model Master and similar paints for rolling stock.
I like to use spray cans for buildings too since you don’t always need the fineness of an airbrush. The only thing is, if you buy Rustoleum or Krylon at a place like Walmart, you don’t always get the full selection of colors. I’ve noticed that places like Lowe’s or Home Depot will sometimes carry special designer colors that give more choices. Naturally, you pay more there.
I also use Testors spray paint, since their Model Master line has a lot of subtle colors that are good for modeling. But their prices are considerably higher for what you get compared to the other brands mentioned. I’ve also had a can or two where the spray heads didn’t seem to work too well.
Gidday Gary, [#welcome] to the forums. I also use spray cans, though as we have different brands here down under, I won’t comment on which is a preferred brand.
A tip that seems to work well for me is to heat the can, either by sitting in the sun or sitting in hot water before shaking, it seems to flow finer and better.
The only model spray cans I would mention, that I presume are available to both of us, is Tamiya.
Have Fun
Cheers, the Bear.[:)]
Personally, I like Vallejo acrylics. They are some of the best available. I started using them years ago when Testors started phasing out some PollyScale colors. They have special lines for airbrushing, but do not make spray cans.
One of my boys has respiratory issues, so no solvents for us, but I gotta believe its better for both you and the environment to use acrylics. There really isn 't a difference in performance anymore.
I was at the TC (Tennessee Central) museum last week in downtown Nashville. They have a well stocked hobby shop there as well, strictly train stuff, and was speaking to the gentleman staffing the shop about how far the technology has changed over the years regarding MR. It’s great as it is ever getting more realistic and life like but I have been playing catch up on this awesome hobby over the past few months and still have much to learn.