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Although I prefer enamel primers, I will always favor acrylic finish-coats because of their faster dry-times and easy cleanup.
If you're into weathering:
Acrylics are best for weathering, because they can be rinsed off with plain water and reapplied.
Of all the acrylics I've used, the six listed here are favorites for various reasons.
Depending on whether I'm handbrushing, airbrushing, or drybrushing, certain brands and types will do better than others for me.
No doubt you've heard of, or might have used other brands. These are the ones I have the most experience with.
• Vallejo & MicroLux.
• ModelFlex.
• ModelMaster.
• Mission Models.
• Tamiya.
These evaluations are based solely on personal experience and observation, and are in no way meant to slight any other choices or favorites.
Vallejo
Airbrushing.
Handbrushing.
Drybrushing.
Right off the bat, I'll go out on a limb, and say that the best acrylics on the shelf are Vallejo... hands down.
They hand-brush the best, and Vallejo/Air & Premium airbrush better than any other.
They can easily be thinned, or they spray right out of the bottle without a hitch, and they dry smooth as silk.
There's also a huge selection of colors.
It's sold by most online outlets, and at most Hobby Lobby's and Amazon.
MicroLux
Airbrushing.
Handbrushing.
Drybrushing.
MicroMark's MicroLux acrylics are made by Vallejo, and are divided into handbrush and airbrush categories. A limited selection lists Engine Black, Grime, Roof Brown, Roof Red, Reefer White, RR Tie Brown, and Rust.
I've used the Roof Brown and Reefer White, and they're both top notch.
ModelFlex
Airbrushing.
Drybrushing.
Badger's ModelFlex is a close second. It sprays like a dream right out of the bottle, but doesn't hand-brush as well. Wide range of railroad colors.
ModelMaster
Handbrushing.
Drybrushing.
One of my favorites for hand-brushing is Testors ModelMaster.
Although it doesn't airbrush as well, it goes on nicely with a brush, and dries smooth. Wide range of railroad colors.
Mission Models
Airbrushing.
Handbrushing.
Drybrushing.
Extremely high pigment density, and excellent coverage. Thinner & "PolyMix" need to be added for dilution.
When thinned according to directions, (about 60/40) it's a superb airbrush paint. It also handbrushes well with less thinning. Very economical... goes a long way. Excellent adhesion.
Mostly military colors, but several basic colors, earth colors, and many shades of rust.
Tamiya
Airbrushing.
Drybrushing.
Tamiya is another one of my favorite acrylics. They're mostly meant for airbrushing, and they excel at it.
Not that they handbrush all that poorly, but they're specifically thinned for the airbrush right out of the bottle.
Their online down-loadable color charts are divided between gloss, semi-gloss and flat, by letter designations... somewhat overwhelming if not confusing.
They're available just about everywhere.
These acrylics all dry fairly quickly, adhere very well to alkyd, enamel and acrylic primers, and render superior coverage.
If you're into weathering:
Acrylics are best for weathering, because they can be rinsed off with plain water and reapplied.
Of all the acrylics I've used, the six listed here are favorites for various reasons.
Depending on whether I'm handbrushing, airbrushing, or drybrushing, certain brands and types will do better than others for me.
No doubt you've heard of, or might have used other brands. These are the ones I have the most experience with.
• Vallejo & MicroLux.
• ModelFlex.
• ModelMaster.
• Mission Models.
• Tamiya.
These evaluations are based solely on personal experience and observation, and are in no way meant to slight any other choices or favorites.
Vallejo
Airbrushing.
Handbrushing.
Drybrushing.
Right off the bat, I'll go out on a limb, and say that the best acrylics on the shelf are Vallejo... hands down.
They hand-brush the best, and Vallejo/Air & Premium airbrush better than any other.
They can easily be thinned, or they spray right out of the bottle without a hitch, and they dry smooth as silk.
There's also a huge selection of colors.
It's sold by most online outlets, and at most Hobby Lobby's and Amazon.
MicroLux
Airbrushing.
Handbrushing.
Drybrushing.
MicroMark's MicroLux acrylics are made by Vallejo, and are divided into handbrush and airbrush categories. A limited selection lists Engine Black, Grime, Roof Brown, Roof Red, Reefer White, RR Tie Brown, and Rust.
I've used the Roof Brown and Reefer White, and they're both top notch.
ModelFlex
Airbrushing.
Drybrushing.
Badger's ModelFlex is a close second. It sprays like a dream right out of the bottle, but doesn't hand-brush as well. Wide range of railroad colors.
ModelMaster
Handbrushing.
Drybrushing.
One of my favorites for hand-brushing is Testors ModelMaster.
Although it doesn't airbrush as well, it goes on nicely with a brush, and dries smooth. Wide range of railroad colors.
Mission Models
Airbrushing.
Handbrushing.
Drybrushing.
Extremely high pigment density, and excellent coverage. Thinner & "PolyMix" need to be added for dilution.
When thinned according to directions, (about 60/40) it's a superb airbrush paint. It also handbrushes well with less thinning. Very economical... goes a long way. Excellent adhesion.
Mostly military colors, but several basic colors, earth colors, and many shades of rust.
Tamiya
Airbrushing.
Drybrushing.
Tamiya is another one of my favorite acrylics. They're mostly meant for airbrushing, and they excel at it.
Not that they handbrush all that poorly, but they're specifically thinned for the airbrush right out of the bottle.
Their online down-loadable color charts are divided between gloss, semi-gloss and flat, by letter designations... somewhat overwhelming if not confusing.
They're available just about everywhere.
These acrylics all dry fairly quickly, adhere very well to alkyd, enamel and acrylic primers, and render superior coverage.