Everyone may know this already, but I just found out the hard way. Tru Color “brushable” paints are not really brushable. After ran into trouble I got this from the maker. “Our brushable paint was never intended to be applied to an entire model in layers - only touch-up or as a single application. Since our product is a solvent based paint that does NOT cure, applying new coats by brush over previous coats will dissolve the underlying paint and cause variations. Models should always be air brushed to get a smooth, consistent appearance, Even thin layers can be applied this way as you are not “pushing” against the paint with an air brush”
There is indeed a “Brushable” option on the site. Solvent-based paints evaporate quickly, making them difficult to apply with a brush. One way to deal with this is to first spray a similar color in a rattle can, then brush on the desired paint diluted with a solvent.
Another method is to mix in retarder thinner. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not sell it. If I were you, I would try some of the types available in Japan.
The so called “brushable” option isn’t. In fact as I quoted the manufacturer the 800 series of paints was never intended to be brush painted over more than a small region.
“Brushability” refers to the ability of the paint to ‘self-level’ and not show brush marks or other imperfections when applied manually.
Your problem, in the other hand, involves the solvent in a new brushed-on layer softening previously-applied layers, so the drag of a brush distorts the surface. That is not a problem when making a ‘single application’ (as in one coat) and the concern I’d have is whether there is a problem brushing over a suitable primer for the surface(s) involved.
We had one of our ‘timeless topic’ paint threads a few months ago, after the last posts above, in which we discovered “brushable” doesn’t mean quite what I had thought or expected. That paint is thicker than ‘airbrushing’ paint, but it is intended for fine work on figurines and the like… not flowing out flat on larger surfaces to be free of brush marks.
