I have a few queries about the new Humbrol acrylic paints. Humbrol seem to have replaced their enamel aerosols with acrylic ones. Are the acrylic ones as good, or has it just been changed for safety reasons? Can I used Humbrol enamel varnish on top of Humbrol acrylic paint? Will Modelstrip remove the acrylic paint if I make a mistake, or does it only work on enamel?
"As good" is relative to applications. For most modelling purposes, acrylic paints (any brand) are as good as or better than enamel. As with any paint, undercoating is essential, both to improve (or enable) adhesion and to provide a uniform base colour. But you knew that, right? That being said, some people maintain that enamel is still better for metal models, especially brass and nickel silver. But it has to be th right kind of enamel.... ;-)
No. Use acrylic varnishes -- they come in several grades from dead matte to glossy. They don't need to be Humbrol.
I'm not familiar with Modelstrip, but if it's intended to remove enamels, it won't work well if at all on acrylics. Acrylic paint can be removed with soap and water if it has not yet hardened. It takes 15-45 minutes to harden to the point where it cannot be removed this way. Again, go to your local artists' shop, and consult with them about strippers for hardened acrylic paint.
Acrylic paints have been used by artists for upwards of 4 decades now. It is an extremely versatile paint, you handle like water colour or oil paint, or anything in between. Your best bet is to visit your local artist supply shop and pick their brains.
IMO, "model paints" are generally overpriced. They have only two advantages: a) they come premixed in prototypical colours; and b) the earth colours have more finely ground pigments so that details are less likely to be obscured.
There's a lot more could be said on the subject of colours, but that's another issue.
Too right!
But what is prototypical? If you listen to some of the stories about the way colours were mixed when re-painting (not neccessarily ex- works) then almost anything close will be correct for some example somewhere. Then add fading and discoloration due to sunlight, etc...
MBQ
It is an emotive subject but quite easy to resolve. As you say no one knows exactly what the colours were and ther was some variation. Consequently its down to opinion and everyones opinion is correct for them. Just choose a reference, be it from a photograph, a dulux chart, a defined colour wavelength, a specific model or a paint mix.
Of course if you decide on a hornby acrylic authentic railcolour paint then it makes it easier than buying several tins of different colours and recreating a mix each time. You are likely to still get some variation but thats fine, as stated its as it should be.
Cheers, Simon
As a colour blind modeller I don't have those problems
As I said, "There's a lot more to be said about colours." ;-)
That's what Stroudly, of LBSCR 'Improved Engine Green' fame, said...
There's even more to say about pigments, you might well be able to mix Dulux to the correct 'colour' but that doesn't mean that it will correct on the finished what ever.
My own experiences of painting might be useful: Some years ago my preservation group decided to paint our 0-4-0 Standard gauge loco in 'authentic' LMS crimson. We bought our paint (specially mixed) from Keeps & Co who were the original suppliers of paint to the LMS.
After several years exposure to heat,soot, grease etc not to mention the British weather, the crimson lake faded to a not unpleasing 'milk chocolate' colour.
So if you are looking for an 'authentic' LMS colour, any shade between the two listed above could be assumed to be correct.
[We've now re-painted our loco LNER apple green]
Probably shows it was the genuine stuff as many "lakes" are made from fugitive dyes.
MBQ
: : My own experiences of painting might be useful: Some years ago my : preservation group decided to paint our 0-4-0 Standard gauge loco in : 'authentic' LMS crimson. We bought our paint (specially mixed) from : Keeps & Co who were the original suppliers of paint to the LMS. : : After several years exposure to heat,soot, grease etc not to mention : the British weather, the crimson lake faded to a not unpleasing 'milk : chocolate' colour. :
Suggests to me that the paint was not suitable for the job, did they know that you were painting a boiler and not the side of a coach, if the wrong spec of paint is used then heat will alter the colour - an example of this occurring in a domestic environment are all those who have weird colour central heating radiators, that once matched the colour of the walls (or what ever) but as the paint wasn't heat-proof the pigment has changed colour!
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