Time to switch to water based acrylics?

When I started back at this hobby two years ago and tried Vallejo Model and Model Air water-based acrylics initially, I hated the tip drying and air brush clogging, so went all-in on Tamiya alcohol based X-XF lines. I occasionally use AK Real Color "lacquers", but not very often.

If I were to start migrating to water based acrylics (and I prefer to exclude Vallejo Model and Model Air lines) would you recommend MIG Atom or AK 3rd Gen?
ranking best model paints, and most seem to think they are pretty comparable. They say that both brush paint better than Tamiya X/XF, while Tamiya X/XF air brushes better. They also say that Atom and 3rd Gen both airbrush better than Vallejo and better than the older MIG and AK water based acrylic paint lines. But the main reason they are preferred is the lack of odor or dangerous solvents, and their extensive color lines that are based on actual military colors, without needing mixing like the Tamiya's do, and that they have modern dropper bottles not the stubby glass jars that waste a ton of paint.

The only LHS in my area carries mainly Vallejo acrylics, Real Colors "lacquers", and Tamiya X/XF lines. No Atom or 3rd Gen. But you can get those online easily. Half the time the LHS does not have the Tamiya or Real Colors I need anyways.
Please share your opinion.
Thanks

Drop bottles waste a ton of paint, too. Any time the atmospheric air pressure is lower than when you screwed the cap on the bottle when you last used it, chances are just opening the bottle will push paint up out of the nozzle that will probably leave you little choice but to wipe it off on a rag. It's also much more difficult to get the last paint out of the bottles compared to larger pots with screw-on lids.

Also, I'm not overly impressed with AK's supposed matches to real colours. Some are pretty good, others in my experience are not. I wouldn't trust them to be accurate any more than other brands, is what I'm trying to say.

I use water-based acrylics, along with enamels, lacquers, and oils. I use my water-based acrylics primarily on figures. Their advantages are ease of use and fast drying times. I also use a wet palette, which lets me use colors across multiple sessions, and helps when mixing colors.

I'm not sure why you don't want to use Valleo's Model Color line, which is one of the brands I use, but I also use Andrea, Lifecolor, and craft store brands Americana, Folk Art, and Apple Barrel. I have some Reaper paints, too, but I only have them because they were giving them away at the 2017 World Expo. They're no different from Andrea or Vallejo, in my experience.

I don't use AK, or Citadel or any of the other brands marketed to fantasy wargame painters. Not because I don't like them; I just already have a good supply of paints and don't feel the need to add more brands. At least, not until I use up what I have.

And as far as Tamiya is concerned, that they are difficult to brush-paint is a myth. The trick to painting Tamiya acrylics by hand is to thin them properly, just as you would to airbrush them. When I first started using them (30 years ago), I painted them right out of the jars. And I found that most of their colors would clump, and that laying down a second coat would often lift off a previous coat. This was especially true of Black and White, both matte and gloss. It took time and gathering info to realize that they are intended to be thinned for airbrushing. So I carried that over to hand-brushing. Then it took some experimenting with thinners-first, water, then isopropyl. It wasn't till I decided to bite the bullet and pay the higher price for Tamiya's proprietary acrylic thinner, that I got my best results. Using their thinner, I can lay down coats as thin as if I airbrushed them. And once they are dry, I can lay down a second coat, without any problem. Others have also adopted this technique, but use other products to thin the paint. I stick with Tamiya's thinner, myself.

I will add that you can use lacquer thinner to thin Tamiya's acrylics, but I find it too hot to use for hand-brushing. I have used it to thin the paint for airbrushing, though, but the results are basically the same as when I use Tamiya's proprietary thinner.

And I still use enamels for hand-brushing. I have a stash of Model Master paints, including their enamels. Those, I thin with mineral spirits. The idea is the same-when hand-brushing, thin the paint for best results.

Hope that helps!

Best regards,
Brad

49thStateRT said:

They say that both brush paint better than Tamiya X/XF, while Tamiya X/XF air brushes better.

Click to expand...

I may be oversimplifying, but that sounds like the criteria to use. Which will you do more often?

I've found a tiny amount of glycerin helps the brushability of Tamiya paint. But about the only time I use a brush is on figures.

49thStateRT said:

When I started back at this hobby two years ago and tried Vallejo Model and Model Air water-based acrylics initially, I hated the tip drying and air brush clogging, so went all-in on Tamiya alcohol based X-XF lines. I occasionally use AK Real Color "lacquers", but not very often.

If I were to start migrating to water based acrylics (and I prefer to exclude Vallejo Model and Model Air lines) would you recommend MIG Atom or AK 3rd Gen?
ranking best model paints, and most seem to think they are pretty comparable. They say that both brush paint better than Tamiya X/XF, while Tamiya X/XF air brushes better. They also say that Atom and 3rd Gen both airbrush better than Vallejo and better than the older MIG and AK water based acrylic paint lines. But the main reason they are preferred is the lack of odor or dangerous solvents, and their extensive color lines that are based on actual military colors, without needing mixing like the Tamiya's do, and that they have modern dropper bottles not the stubby glass jars that waste a ton of paint.

The only LHS in my area carries mainly Vallejo acrylics, Real Colors "lacquers", and Tamiya X/XF lines. No Atom or 3rd Gen. But you can get those online easily. Half the time the LHS does not have the Tamiya or Real Colors I need anyways.
Please share your opinion.
Thanks

Click to expand...

I use Ak Laq 98% of the time. Have some Vallejo I bought when I started the hobby, added some MiG and a bottle or two of Ak 3gen. I don't really like the water based paints but will use them for figures and some spot weathering. Mostly they just take up space. Why not try a bottle of each and see what you like best? As far as Tamiya and brushability I find it's brushable when thinned and using a retarder.