Hey guys,

While at the local Hobby shop the other day, I picked up some supplies to start customizing. I'm taking baby steps, as I'm still trying to figure out who will be part of my team, and how exactly they will look. But I have some tools now to start experimenting. One foot, then the next.

One question I do have is about the Testor acrylic paints. I picked up a starter kit of nine different paints colors, seen below.



My question is, I want to get a few more colors, as I need to do some camouflage. I've got to locate some boonie hats, and if I go with custom made, those will be painted in camo colors. I have yellow and green, but I need some more Earth tones, and while I can mix what I have and achieve some of what I need, I'd rather not blow through a lot of paint when I could just buy a few other vials of the colors pre-made.

The individual tubes I see are the Model Master. Those ar Testor's top of the line. However, I don't know how well those will play with the paints I have. They're all acrylic, and the same company. But is one quality necessarily higher than the other. Do I need to apply an extra coat of the base Testor if using Model Master paints for the other colors? I haven't been able to find these other paints like the set I got. I've gone to Hobby Town, Hobby Lobby, Joanne's. I've also looked on Amazon. I will go to Michaels tomorrow or the next day.

Can you guys recommend where I might get more colors from this same line? Or are the Model Master paints going to be ok for what I'm trying to do?

By the way, a couple things I found at Hobby Lobby seemed to suit my needs nicely. I got that galvanized picture wire as recommended on the site tutorial for making straps, etc. Well, I found some 6 mm rings with little openings, already in a loop, that should work equally well. 80 of them are $2. They look sufficiently strong (they're only supporting the weight of a few plastic weapons, after all).

Also, I found this "Silly Winks", a kind of foam sheet, from Hobby Lobby. It looks and feels like suede. It's soft, pliable, and doesn't mark real easily. It's also acid free, so it shouldn't case any reaction if it comes in contact with paint. I'm thinking this stuff could come in handy with something, though I don't know what yet. It's like a buck for a sheet 12" x 18". It's in the picture I took above. I'm betting this stuff, which comes in different colors, would be great for dioramas. You might make some custom flak jackets from it, too.

Thanks as always for the input, guys. It's much appreciated. I feel like I'm needing my hands held a little at the start. I don't know what I'm doing just yet, but the ideas are flowing

Testor's makes great paints and I started with those same "model car" paints as you have there. I still use their flat grey, white, and tan for base coats as I never could get spray primers to coat evenly for me.

I switched to Apple Barrel paints which for me are more readily available and the color selection, especially at a store such as Michael's, is astounding. They are not as quality as Testor's or some of the other paints out there but each squeeze bottle is around a buck and you get about 5 times the amount of paint. And if for some reason you can't find the exact color you want, mixing is super easy considering the type bottle that they come in.

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I use Apple barrel as well for the same reason-lots of color choices for less money. If you keep them thinned properly they work fine.

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I'm not a custom painter, but my local Michael's has that same blue variety color pack in camo/military colors.
Good luck,

What are you guys using to thin the pain out? Just regular water, or do you use a drop or two of the rubbing alcohol that I've seen mentioned? I'm assuming that the how to thin out is in the customizing guide. I haven't read that specific part yet, but will now.

I'll check out Apple Barrel. Sounds like a really good alternative. Thanks for the input, Dusty79 and AlleyViperElite!

Squashfest-thank you for the heads up about Michaels. I almost went there the other day, but I'm limited in how much running around I can do in any particular day. Even if my Michaels doesn't have this particular one, I know I can order it. Sounds like a perfect solution for what I need. Thank you!

I would still like to know how well the base acrylic Testor and the Model Master lines play together. I'll order one of those camo sets if Michaels doesn't have one. But if I want to get started, would I be ok using a few of the MMs? Does one have a vastly different consistency?

I also use the Apple Barrel and Folk Art and Americana craft paints. I use some Testors Model Masters in some unique colors (their German Army colors are nice). Just a touch of water on the brush to help thin out some the thicker paints. Some Wal-Marts still carry Apple Barrel and Folk Art.

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I thin with water.

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I use Model Masters, regular Testors, and Tamiya paints.

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I used to use Apple Barrel as well. Now I'm using the Michaels' house brand. Cheaper than any of the others, but actually better in quality to me. The consistency is thinner than Apple Barrel or Folk Art, but not runny like Delta Ceramcoat and Americana.

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i use the cheap apple barrel and folk art paint. i thin with water unless i'm doing a solid color, then i use denatured alchahol. not rubbing alcahol but the paint thinner kind. it seems to cause a slight chemical reaction and the paint sticks real well.

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Don't forget to seal your work with Dull-Cote (or Gloss where rarely applicable) if you want to play with your dude. You'll eventually have to do some touch-ups to guys you play with a lot, but sealant coats are gonna extend the lifetime of your paintjob by a wide margin.

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That's a good point I hadn't thought about. Thank you!

Thanks to Squashfest, again, for the heads up on the Testors camo set. I ran over to Michaels today, and picked one up. List was $9.99. When I got to the checkout lane, the lady gave me 50% off, so I got this for $5.



Now, does the Dull-cote affect the appearance of the figure? Or does it just seal the acrylic paint to the surface?

Echo AV's advice completely.

I switched over from Krylon sealer sprays to Americana DuraClear polyurethane sealers with fabulous success, since I live in
a very humid Florida. Even as a brush on, it seals nicely usually in just one coat. I get it in all three types: Matte, Satin, and Gloss. Recently I picked up a small bottle of their new "Ultra Matte", which I am interested in trying.

Paint wise, I use three with some permanence. Model Masters for fleshtones and such (thanks to a member here who turned me on to them), that I thin with Daler and Rowney Acrylic Inks, usually found in the fine artist section of most art stores. I use an airbrush for block painting, so the arcylic ink gives the Model Masters an even better binder. For details and metallics, I can't beat the permanence of FolkArt paints. I noticed recently that they are making a new line of bottle paints, called "Multi-Surface" acrylics. I picked up a trio to try, mostly fleshtones and drybrushing highlights, which I will also have to test when the art table is cleared.

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What do sealers do to acrylic paint. Does it create an outer barrier of sorts to the acrylic paint?

Yup, exactly. They can affect the appearance of the paint color since it's affecting how the light bounces off of it, but the permanence is well worth it, imho.

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