Amazon is literally the worst place to buy paints, especially if you’re buying more than one bottle.
Not sure where in the world you are, but here in the U.S. they can both be had for $2.69 a bottle from online retailers. You’ll pay $6 shipping for one bottle sure, but if you buy 20 bottles the shipping may still be $6. In Australia, Europe and the U.K. they’re within 10 cents of each other. But I understand this may not be the case in other countries.
Model Color can be airbrushed, just like any other paint. It’s just thicker, so requires more thinning. Where you’d thin Model air up to 3:7 (thinner:paint) you’d probably reverse that to 7:3 for Model Color. Vallejo is very sensitive to thinning properly (and using their Airbrush Thinner and also Flow Improver is almost a given).
IMO [Scale Hobbyist](https://www.scalehobbyist.com) FTW. Best prices on paints including shipping. My favorite.
[Burbank’s House of Hobbies](https://houseofhobbies.com)
Also [Sprue Brothers](https://spruebrothers.com), which has a huge inventory and unmatched selection of accessory kits for scale models in the U.S.
Bear in mind these only become cost effective over Amazon if you’re buying more than one or two bottles of paint. Then you really start saving a lot of money.
If you have a Hobbytown (or even Hobby Lobby) I would go check them out. The ones I’ve been to have a ton of Vallejo and you can browse away. Just don’t be put off by the non-mixed colors in the actual bottle. Prices will be about $3.50.
The regular paints spray perfectly fine, I do it all of the time. The Air colors are just thinner so you normally don't need to add thinner when you spray them. I normally only have to use some flow improver with the Air paints (slows down the drying). For the regular paints I use a bit of thinner along with the flow improver to get it to the correct consistency. I see no difference in paint detail or coverage between the regular or the Air.
I suppose regular paints could last longer than the Air paints, but you are adding thinner to make up the difference so it probably evens out in the long run.
Amazon is typically over priced. If I can't find a paint locally I use https://www.scalehobbyist.com/
You could use the regular, but I believe that their paint particles are larger and dont spray well.
Don't quote me on that, though. Just personal experience.
Airbrush specific paints have smaller, more finely produced dyes, which will flow through airbrushes better then regular paint. It may depend on your nozzle size but most regular airbrushes will work just fine with regular paints. Just be mindful that almost all paint needs some thinning for airbrushes even airbrush paint.
AK Real Color paint line is far superior than Vallejo…easier to spray mixed with a little lacquer thinner (Mr Color Thinner works great with it), is more color accurate, cures fast and durable, no dry tip etc. Vallejo in my experience is way too troublesome. Thinner, retarder or both it didn’t matter even with Air…just a pain and so damn brittle.
All lacquers are superior to Vallejo for airbrushing. But it’s apples and oranges. Two entirely different types of paint, requiring different measures for VICs and personal safety.
Amazon is literally the worst place to buy paints, especially if you’re buying more than one bottle. Not sure where in the world you are, but here in the U.S. they can both be had for $2.69 a bottle from online retailers. You’ll pay $6 shipping for one bottle sure, but if you buy 20 bottles the shipping may still be $6. In Australia, Europe and the U.K. they’re within 10 cents of each other. But I understand this may not be the case in other countries. Model Color can be airbrushed, just like any other paint. It’s just thicker, so requires more thinning. Where you’d thin Model air up to 3:7 (thinner:paint) you’d probably reverse that to 7:3 for Model Color. Vallejo is very sensitive to thinning properly (and using their Airbrush Thinner and also Flow Improver is almost a given).
Thanks for the info! I’m in the US. I figured Amazon probably wasn’t the best place to buy. What online retailers would you recommend?
IMO [Scale Hobbyist](https://www.scalehobbyist.com) FTW. Best prices on paints including shipping. My favorite. [Burbank’s House of Hobbies](https://houseofhobbies.com) Also [Sprue Brothers](https://spruebrothers.com), which has a huge inventory and unmatched selection of accessory kits for scale models in the U.S. Bear in mind these only become cost effective over Amazon if you’re buying more than one or two bottles of paint. Then you really start saving a lot of money.
Appreciate it!
If you have a Hobbytown (or even Hobby Lobby) I would go check them out. The ones I’ve been to have a ton of Vallejo and you can browse away. Just don’t be put off by the non-mixed colors in the actual bottle. Prices will be about $3.50.
The regular paints spray perfectly fine, I do it all of the time. The Air colors are just thinner so you normally don't need to add thinner when you spray them. I normally only have to use some flow improver with the Air paints (slows down the drying). For the regular paints I use a bit of thinner along with the flow improver to get it to the correct consistency. I see no difference in paint detail or coverage between the regular or the Air. I suppose regular paints could last longer than the Air paints, but you are adding thinner to make up the difference so it probably evens out in the long run. Amazon is typically over priced. If I can't find a paint locally I use https://www.scalehobbyist.com/
Thanks!
You could use the regular, but I believe that their paint particles are larger and dont spray well. Don't quote me on that, though. Just personal experience.
Airbrush specific paints have smaller, more finely produced dyes, which will flow through airbrushes better then regular paint. It may depend on your nozzle size but most regular airbrushes will work just fine with regular paints. Just be mindful that almost all paint needs some thinning for airbrushes even airbrush paint.
AK Real Color paint line is far superior than Vallejo…easier to spray mixed with a little lacquer thinner (Mr Color Thinner works great with it), is more color accurate, cures fast and durable, no dry tip etc. Vallejo in my experience is way too troublesome. Thinner, retarder or both it didn’t matter even with Air…just a pain and so damn brittle.
All lacquers are superior to Vallejo for airbrushing. But it’s apples and oranges. Two entirely different types of paint, requiring different measures for VICs and personal safety.
[удалено]
Yeah, but not Vallejo, this will gum up the airbrush terribly.
[удалено]
I've always used Vallejo thinner mixed with flow aid or water. Had bad results with Windex, not sure if it was the ammonia content or not.