What paint for 1:35 tank crews

BLT

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295
Hello there

I've been away from the hobby for like 20 years, I've recently got back into it... Started building some og the old ertl and amt sets I had laying around...

I used to paint with humbrol... Back then there really wasn't much in the way of washes, filters og chipping fluid or you name it... Anyway I settled on Tamiya paint, not as though as humbrol but somewhat less toxic, tho still taking my precautions!

Anyway I started my first ever tank, m41 bulldog... Never thought of doing the figure... But I wanna do more armor and I think the figures lend some life to the models I'm not used to, so that's rather nice...

I've tried hand painting with Tamiya... Not a succes, I'm sure it can be done tho. Anyway I looks like a lot of figure painters recommend vallejo for hand painting figures... In the end I'm sure it doesn't rellay matter if you use AK, MIG og Vallejo.

I wonder why there are so many sets tho... Are people unwilling til blend the paints, easy solutions what?

Thank you
I was going to go with some of the flesh tone sets out there... But then I figured I could get by with way less... Flesh tone, brown, dark red, green, khaki, and black and white... That should basically cover my needs or....?

Anyway, I'm babbling...

Can you guys recommend some paint for painting - in this case - US Vietnam M41 tank commander?
 
I use Tamiya for spraying and vallejo for brush painting, as well as using a wet palette. I just moved away from aircraft to doing armor and figures myself. Sounds like the colors you mention will work. I bought a couple of sets one face and one uniform. I only use half the paints in the sets. Big waste of money unless you want to do their painfully excruciating slow layering technique on a little 1/35th scale figure. Me, not so much. But Vallejo is a joy to brush paint with, and like I mentioned use a wet palette. Don't forget to watch a few youtube videos they are very helpful. I ordered some of Tamiya's older cheaper figures to practice painting on. I call the little practice guys my paint zombies for now but eventually I'll use them in some kind of off the wall diorama. Look forward to seeing your build.
 
Hello there

I've been away from the hobby for like 20 years, I've recently got back into it... Started building some og the old ertl and amt sets I had laying around...

I used to paint with humbrol... Back then there really wasn't much in the way of washes, filters og chipping fluid or you name it... Anyway I settled on Tamiya paint, not as though as humbrol but somewhat less toxic, tho still taking my precautions!

Anyway I started my first ever tank, m41 bulldog... Never thought of doing the figure... But I wanna do more armor and I think the figures lend some life to the models I'm not used to, so that's rather nice...

I've tried hand painting with Tamiya... Not a succes, I'm sure it can be done tho. Anyway I looks like a lot of figure painters recommend vallejo for hand painting figures... In the end I'm sure it doesn't rellay matter if you use AK, MIG og Vallejo.

I wonder why there are so many sets tho... Are people unwilling til blend the paints, easy solutions what?

Thank you
I was going to go with some of the flesh tone sets out there... But then I figured I could get by with way less... Flesh tone, brown, dark red, green, khaki, and black and white... That should basically cover my needs or....?

Anyway, I'm babbling...

Can you guys recommend some paint for painting - in this case - US Vietnam M41 tank commander?
I don't use any paint sets myself; I just have individual colors, and the typical prices of sets seem a little high to me. My basic flesh colors, for Caucasian flesh tones, are Light Flesh, Dark Flesh, and Pink Flesh, from Andrea; and Vallejo's similar trio of colors for white people. I will add some other colors as appropriate (like the faintest touch of Prussian Blue to flesh, for five o'clock shadow). For black skin, I use brown, chocolate brown, and some of the dark flesh to make highlights.
But as I describe what I do, in broad strokes (couldn't resist the pun!), I will add that I recognize the benefit of commercially available color sets, because they take a lot of the guesswork out of it for someone starting out. So I do not discourage you from trying them, I only say that I prefer not to.
As far as uniform colors go, I use Tamiya's acrylic olive drab, and then some Andrea and Vallejo acrylics, like a light olive drab, as my base colors. I highlight with buff or even mixing a tad of white to the colors, or even khaki, or flesh. These are high-level descriptions, though; I don't have any particular formulas to use, but I eyeball my colors till they look right to me.
Regarding painting with Tamiya's acrylics-if you are brushing them by hand, and I imagine you are, to paint figures, then I recommend strongly that you thin them for this use. And the best thinner for Tamiya's acrylics is Tamiya's own proprietary acrylic thinner. I learned this over time, through trial and error. Thinned properly, I can lay down layers of color as thin as if I had airbrushed them.
I have two methods for this. One is to use a small jar of the thinner as a well, and the lid of a color jar as a palette. I'll pick up color on the brush, then dip it in the thinner, then apply it to the piece. The other method is to use a well in a ceramic palette and mix a bit of the color and a drop or two of the thinner, and then dip the brush in it. It works for me, at least.
And with my water-based acrylics, I use a wet palette. I made my own, when I first wanted to get used to using a wet palette. I took a plastic takeout container, a kitchen sponge, and sheets of brown packaging paper as the membrane. It worked really well, except that the paper gradually degraded, and I'd get fibers in the paint; and the plastic eventually cracked around the edge of the lid. At that point, I bought myself a commercially-available palette (Redgrass Game's Painter Book edition) and I use it with all my water-based acrylics: Andrea, Vallejo, craft-store brans Apple Barrel, Americana, Folk Art; Lifecolor.
This is my experience, in any case. Hope it helps you!
 
For brush painting I like using Vallejo or Tamiya. I've recently taken to trying the AK acrylic paint retarder. A drop or two in a little puddle of paint on a palette does wonders if you're painting figures by hand.

I do use a lot of Testors acrylics also. I have still have a lot of older enamels but I don't use much anymore. Depends on the colors I have or want. I do like using enamel or oil washes however. I will also second using a wet palette sometimes for acrylics.
 
I use Tamiya for spraying and vallejo for brush painting, as well as using a wet palette. I just moved away from aircraft to doing armor and figures myself. Sounds like the colors you mention will work. I bought a couple of sets one face and one uniform. I only use half the paints in the sets. Big waste of money unless you want to do their painfully excruciating slow layering technique on a little 1/35th scale figure. Me, not so much. But Vallejo is a joy to brush paint with, and like I mentioned use a wet palette. Don't forget to watch a few youtube videos they are very helpful. I ordered some of Tamiya's older cheaper figures to practice painting on. I call the little practice guys my paint zombies for now but eventually I'll use them in some kind of off the wall diorama. Look forward to seeing your build.
Hello Jim

Thank very much for replying and sharing your thoughts and experience.
I've followed Maniac, 52 miniatures, Doctor Faust's Painting Clinic, Night Shift and lots more, for a long time... very educational.

I don't use any paint sets myself; I just have individual colors, and the typical prices of sets seem a little high to me. My basic flesh colors, for Caucasian flesh tones, are Light Flesh, Dark Flesh, and Pink Flesh, from Andrea; and Vallejo's similar trio of colors for white people. I will add some other colors as appropriate (like the faintest touch of Prussian Blue to flesh, for five o'clock shadow). For black skin, I use brown, chocolate brown, and some of the dark flesh to make highlights.
But as I describe what I do, in broad strokes (couldn't resist the pun!), I will add that I recognize the benefit of commercially available color sets, because they take a lot of the guesswork out of it for someone starting out. So I do not discourage you from trying them, I only say that I prefer not to.
As far as uniform colors go, I use Tamiya's acrylic olive drab, and then some Andrea and Vallejo acrylics, like a light olive drab, as my base colors. I highlight with buff or even mixing a tad of white to the colors, or even khaki, or flesh. These are high-level descriptions, though; I don't have any particular formulas to use, but I eyeball my colors till they look right to me.
Regarding painting with Tamiya's acrylics-if you are brushing them by hand, and I imagine you are, to paint figures, then I recommend strongly that you thin them for this use. And the best thinner for Tamiya's acrylics is Tamiya's own proprietary acrylic thinner. I learned this over time, through trial and error. Thinned properly, I can lay down layers of color as thin as if I had airbrushed them.
I have two methods for this. One is to use a small jar of the thinner as a well, and the lid of a color jar as a palette. I'll pick up color on the brush, then dip it in the thinner, then apply it to the piece. The other method is to use a well in a ceramic palette and mix a bit of the color and a drop or two of the thinner, and then dip the brush in it. It works for me, at least.
And with my water-based acrylics, I use a wet palette. I made my own, when I first wanted to get used to using a wet palette. I took a plastic takeout container, a kitchen sponge, and sheets of brown packaging paper as the membrane. It worked really well, except that the paper gradually degraded, and I'd get fibers in the paint; and the plastic eventually cracked around the edge of the lid. At that point, I bought myself a commercially-available palette (Redgrass Game's Painter Book edition) and I use it with all my water-based acrylics: Andrea, Vallejo, craft-store brans Apple Barrel, Americana, Folk Art; Lifecolor.
This is my experience, in any case. Hope it helps you!
Hello Baron

Thank very much for replying and sharing your thoughts and experience.
Thank you for listing the colors you're using, I'll defenatly ad them to my list.

I bought a wet palette back when I was getting back into the hobby, I haven't used it that much yet. But I'm certainly looking forward to trying my hand at hand painting... My 15 year old daughter has also expressed her interest!

For brush painting I like using Vallejo or Tamiya. I've recently taken to trying the AK acrylic paint retarder. A drop or two in a little puddle of paint on a palette does wonders if you're painting figures by hand.

I do use a lot of Testors acrylics also. I have still have a lot of older enamels but I don't use much anymore. Depends on the colors I have or want. I do like using enamel or oil washes however. I will also second using a wet palette sometimes for acrylics.
Hello Wolf star

Thank very much for replying and sharing your thoughts and experience. I was tempted to try out some of the sets offered by AK or MIG... Watching youtube I got the impression that in the end it didn't really matter that much wich one you used... tho a lot of people said you won't go wrong with Vallejo... So I fugured, drop the sets, pick some base colors, gowith what people tell you works!

Since plunging back into the hobby 5-6 month ago, I've basically build up my supplies from scratch... Not that the 20 years old Humbrols didn't still work, and I have used them... but the hobby has changed alot since I was last modeling. It seams to me that alot of the guess work has been taken out of it. You can buy anything, from extra parts, details and washes... which is fine... but even colorsets for specifik cockpit colors from this or that era and country?

I mean, take US cockpit interior Zinc Chromate Yellow, or Interior yellow green. The plain fact of the matter is, that every interior and colorvariation was uniqe, sure it faded the same way... but in the ned, your presentation of a weathered surface is just as plosible as the next man...

My point is... If it's in the ballpark, it'll be good enough.

Thank you agian for replying and sharing.
 

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