Different paint

[Johnrichards07]

Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between paint bought in a craft shop to those supplied the model manufactuer. I am having trouble with patches in the paint work

 

[Smithy]

Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between paint bought in a craft shop to those supplied the model manufactuer. I am having trouble with patches in the paint work

Yes there is.

Good quality model paint has finely ground pigments, and a high ratio of pigment to binder to allow for the smaller painting surfaces.

Craft shop paint is meant for amateurs to use on a larger canvas. It's often not much better than the stuff we paint our walls with.

(Artists quality paint from an art shop is also finely ground and, like model paints, is rather expensive.)

 

[Corsair]

Exactly what Smithy said. In addition, you may get differences in color if you are painting on wood and there is a spot that has glue on it. The paint will somewhat penetrate the wood but will only lay on top of the glue. Or different kinds of wood if you have some parts that are balsa and others that are plywood or parts that are wood and parts that are plastic or metal.
An undercoat of primer will help with these situations.

 

[Jimsky]

Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between paint bought in a craft shop to those supplied the model manufactuer. I am having trouble with patches in the paint work

If you're experiencing patchiness, the craft paint may be the culprit. You might want to experiment with:

• Proper Priming: Ensure your model is primed with a primer specifically designed for plastics. This will significantly improve the adhesion of any paint, including craft paints.
• Careful Thinning: Craft paints usually need to be thinned with water or a suitable acrylic thinner to achieve a consistency that works well for models. Experiment to find the right ratio.
• Multiple Thin Coats: Apply several thin coats of the craft paint instead of one or two thick coats. This can help to achieve more even coverage and reduce the risk of patchiness.
• Trying Model Paints: If you want the best possible finish and are finding it difficult to work with craft paints, consider switching to a reputable brand of model paints (e.g., Tamiya, Vallejo, Citadel, AK).

I hope this helps!

 

[Bob Cleek]

There is also a wide range of types of paints (which now seem to be increasingly generically called "coatings.") Two main types encountered in modeling are oil-based paint and acrylic paint. Different types of "coatings" are sometimes incompatible with others. Then, there are wide variations in quality, as noted above. There is a learning curve involved in painting and much more to it that simply slapping it on. Consideration must be given to sealers, primers, and finish coats, all which must be compatible with its neighbor. Surely as much as anything else, if not more so, painting a ship model is critical to its final quality. For this reason, studying painting is a worthwhile endeavor for any modeler. In an effort to maximize sales, paint manufacturers tend to "dumb down" painting to attract the DIY market. Painting a model well takes much more knowledge and expertise than rolling a coat of latex on your kitchen wall.

 

[Johnrichards07]

Cheers lads looks like a trip to the model shop

 

[Jimsky]

Cheers lads looks like a trip to the model shop

You've got questions, we've got answers

 

[Smithy]

Exactly what Smithy said. In addition, you may get differences in color if you are painting on wood and there is a spot that has glue on it. The paint will somewhat penetrate the wood but will only lay on top of the glue. Or different kinds of wood if you have some parts that are balsa and others that are plywood or parts that are wood and parts that are plastic or metal.
An undercoat of primer will help with these situations.

Exactly that and some wood types of my (unfortunate) acquaintance are oily and will resist water based paint to the death.

 

[RussF]

Exactly that and some wood types of my (unfortunate) acquaintance are oily and will resist water based paint to the death.

That is where a seal coat of shellac helps. It will stick to most anything (sometimes pre-wiping with alcohol or acetone helps with oily wood), and you can cover shellac with most any type of primer/topcoat.

 

[Smithy]

That is where a seal coat of shellac helps. It will stick to most anything (sometimes pre-wiping with alcohol or acetone helps with oily wood), and you can cover shellac with most any type of primer/topcoat.

There's a saying "Shellac sticks to everything and everything sticks to shellac" which I think is spot on.

 

[Pat H]

Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between paint bought in a craft shop to those supplied the model manufactuer. I am having trouble with patches in the paint work

Patches in paintwork are more realistic than perfectly smooth unifom paint, unless a craft has just come out of yard period.
In aviation, it was called "PAR", which many thought meant "Paint And Return".)

 

[Bob Cleek]

Patches in paintwork are more realistic than perfectly smooth unifom paint, unless a craft has just come out of yard period.
In aviation, it was called "PAR", which many thought meant "Paint And Return".)

"Realistic" as used in ship modeling is a relative term. It only has meaning in the context of the applicable scale which determines the "scale viewing distance" of the model. There is a difference between what the brain may know is there and what the eyes actually see. In order to portray a scale miniature "realistically," which is to say to confirm what brain accepts of what the eye sees, the miniature must depict the color and detail the brain expects the eyes to see at the "scale viewing distance," rather than the actual viewing distance. Any difference between what the eye sees when examining a model and what the modeler expects the viewer to believe, i.e. the models "realism," defeats the "trick" the miniaturist must perform upon the viewer's brain and thus destroys the compelling effect of "realism" in miniature.

At 1:48 scale, a model viewed from three feet away must appear exactly as if the full-size subject were being viewed from 144 feet away. A 1:96 scale model viewed from three feet away must appear exactly as the full-size subject were being viewed from 288 feet away. Put another way, the 1/8" scale model viewed from three feet away has to look just like the real ship when viewed about the length of a football field (100 yards) away and anything, paint included... indeed, especially paint, which doesn't look like what your brain expects to see from the length of a football field away will not appear "realistic" because your brain is going to tell you what your eyes see isn't the real thing.

It is the task of the miniaturist to know what the full-size subject of his model really looks like at "scale viewing distance" and depict that exactly if the model is to succeed. Distance and the intervening atmosphere affect the colors and finishes we perceive. A polished gloss finish on a red automobile will appear flat at a football field away. While our brains know that the side of a ship is actually rough and the colors uneven with discoloration and patching, perhaps even with rust streaks, scrapes and scratches, when viewed from a football field away, the grey hull of a modern naval vessel will appear essentially smooth, flat, and uniform in color. If the model isn't smooth, flat, and uniform in color, it's not going to convince anybody that what they are looking at is any bigger than the two- or three-foot model viewed up close. The concept of "out of scale" applies not only to three dimensional details (like the "bowling pin-shaped belaying pins and "pockmarked" copper sheathing plates seen so frequently in ship model kits,) but also to paint and other colored coatings.