While enamel paints continue to be the dominant form of paint used in this country, acrylics have made huge inroads in Japan... to the point where they dominate the market there amongst modelers.  Why?

I started experimenting with acrylics about 10 years ago — mostly trying Gunze Sangyo Aqueous Hobby Colors.  I liked them for their ease of use... especially the easy clean up.  But I was never totally happy with the glossy finish, and they did not seem to accept a clear coat very well.  When I did get a good glossy finish, the coat seemed uneven... not really smooth.

Perhaps I just didn't give it enough time, or experiment enough... but I stayed with using enamels for the most part.  The tried and true enamel finish was always good — smooth, glossy, even... everything I wanted.  Enamels are also more resistant to water, and cleaning.  I continued to use Acrylics for small detail work primarily because the clean up is so much easier, but enamels were what I primarily used.

A couple of years ago, I decided to try the Testors Acryl paints.  And I was pleasantly surprised.  I was able to get a good, smooth, glossy finish.  And the paint seemed pretty resistant to water and cleaning once it was fully dried.  Recently I have tried the Tamiya acrylic paints as well, and have had equally good results.

I now use acrylic paints almost exclusively.  Testors has all sorts of specialty colors for figures, airplanes, and military figures.  I mostly use Tamiya paints for the basic colors — black, green etc.  But I use Testors for body colors, specialty colors, and mixing.  The only real advantage to the Tamiya paints is the price, and the bottle is nicer.

So... WHY do I like the acrylic paints so much more now?  Basically it comes down to one thing... clean-up!  The acrylic paints are easier to clean up, and there are not the noxious chemicals to have to smell... and vent to the outside.  I can go to the sink in the bathroom, and clean up everything without the chemicals — mostly I use just water... with a little Acryl cleaning fluid.  I even dilute the cleaning fluid, and it seems to work just as well.

This is a big advantage to someone who does not really have a Hobby Room with good venting to the outside.  I do have a nice Painting Hood but cleaning up after air-brushing was always more of a problem than the actual painting.  So now I can do everything much more easily, right in my office and the bathroom.

And cleaning my air-brush is so much easier that I have found that now I air-brush almost everything.  Even if I have a very small place to paint, I usually air-brush it.  I use an Aztek air-brush that has two nozzles especially designed for acrylics.  I can use other nozzles, or my Badger air-brush with acrylics too, but then I have to be more careful to thin them a little — it is more important to get the mix just right.

With the acrylic nozzles I can use a wider range of thinning to get just the finish I want.  I use them straight out of the bottle to get the most glossy finish.  But thinning does not seem as crucial with acrylics when I use the right nozzle.

The finish on car bodies is still not quite as glossy, but it is actually more realistic this way (see article on the Distance Effect), and it is better than what I was getting a few years ago.  And on planes and such that is not an issue anyway.

I do still prefer enamels for metallic paints like aluminum, steel, and copper.  They just seem to stay mixed better, and go on more easily.

If Acryl Paints from Testors are not available in your area, you can order on-line, and their shipping charges are very reasonable.  They are pretty quick, and have some good deals too (see note below).  Tamiya and Gunze Sangyo are a little harder to find, but they are around too... there are several places in Portland to get them.

If you use Testors Acryl paints, Tamiya, or Gunze Sangyo, you can get the Acryl Cleaning solution directly from Testors for a huge savings!.  Instead of $5 for 4oz retail bottle, you can get 32oz for $10... and it is concentrated!  I mix 1 part of the concentrated cleaner to 2 or 3 parts water, yielding 3 or 4 quarts of cleaning solution.

Find it under Airbrushes/Accessories.  And they only charge $4 shipping.