Just wondering should I thin it for airbrush use? airbrush or use it straight?
I just did that three hours ago. I thinned mine a little.
the acrylic or lacquer version?
X-22, so the acrylic. I put it over AK Real Colors.
I used it with hand brushing, not diluted on the Bronco KV-85 kit turret side. There was no reason to use airbrush as the turret sides are really rough, imitating surface resulted by Soviet casting methods during WWII.
I will apply the decals later today and come back with the result.
Airbrush is a must for flat surfaces like a car or airplane, obviously.
I use it thinned 50/50 with leveling lacquer thinner or Tamiya yellow cap lacquer thinner.
I thin it like any other Tamiya paint, because that’s what it is. Three light coats of well thinned paint are usually better than a single heavy coat whether there is pigment with the vehicle or not.
KL
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agreed whats your dry time between coats?
I thought I heard a YouTube armor builder add the clear to his paint scheme paint resulting in a “2 birds - 1 stone” approach. Applied decals over that layer then sealed with another layer of clear… I use the spray version - paint - clear - decals - clear. After weathering with oils I seal everything with Tamiya flat spray…
Oh, not long, maybe 7-10 minutes. If the coat is “heavy” by any definition you have to wait until it dries, a few hours or overnight.
EDIT: And don’t forget, you don’t have to clear coat the whole model; only where the decals will be. For planes with extensive stenciling, this may be moot, but it’s significant for armor.
KL
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agreed but some do for wash and panel line washes, over all protection from the weathering process
As a protective layer against washes the clearcoat need only be complete; it doesn’t need to reach the full level of gloss that is needed under decals.
In other words, I use multiple thin coats to build up to a glossy layer for decal application but only a single “regular” layer as a wash barrier.
KL
I use Pledge/Future as a gloss agent. Dilutes easily with water, and is a cheap and effective substitute. It’s also a neutral barrier against both acrylic, and oil weathering techniques.
This Is The Way.
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I’ve noticed that, occasionally, isolated areas that are glossed just for the purpose of decaling, are darkened slightly, because of the gloss. After dull-coating (Tamiya Dull Coat mixed with Pledge/Future) the area under the decals remains darker than surrounding areas, although the entire surface now has a flat finish. I give a couple of light coats (airbrushing) of gloss before decaling, and again, after, especially if I’m going to give an oil wash.
This illustrates why you should gloss coat the entire model regardless of decal location .
Evenness of tone is what you want .