Railmatch acrylics - how good?

[chaz]

Can anyone who has used Railmatch acrylics please comment on their ease of use and general quality please? I am changing over to using acrylics for all my painting. Railmatch have some colours in their range that I used a lot (in enamels) and I will buy them if they are good. So far I have used Tamiya (which are excellent) and Humbrol (which are good but I can't spray without being thinned first).

 

Chaz

[chaz]

Oh, nobody has used this range then? I suppose before I go mad and buy all the colours I want a single pot will let me investigate for myself....

[YesTor]

Humbrol (which are good but I can't spray without being thinned first).

 

I can't imagine spraying any paint without thinning first?

[tractor_37260]

I can't imagine spraying any paint without thinning first?

 

Agree - apart from perhaps Vallejo Air which I believe is pre-thinned ?

[tractor_37260]

Oh, nobody has used this range then? I suppose before I go mad and buy all the colours I want a single pot will let me investigate for myself....

 

After always using enamels, I tried some and had no end of hassle with clogging the airbrush, gritty finishes, paint drying very quickly sometimes in the nozzle and that was using Railmatch Acrylic thinners, em  not for me, went back to good old Precision enamels - easy to use, adhere well/spray well with excellent results.  Others may well find/think differently............

Edited August 23, 2018 by tractor_37260

[chaz]

I can't imagine spraying any paint without thinning first?

 

 

Tamiya semi-gloss black sprayed just fine straight from the pot, shaken and stirred. I can't say whether other colours in the range will do the same as I haven't tried them through the airbrush.

Edited August 23, 2018 by chaz

[chaz]

After always using enamels, I tried some and had no end of hassle with clogging the airbrush, gritty finishes, paint drying very quickly sometimes in the nozzle and that was using Railmatch Acrylic thinners, em  not for me, went back to good old Precision enamels - easy to use, adhere well/spray well with excellent results.  Others may well find/think differently............

 

Thanks for that. So you found the Railmatch acrylics not good through an airbrush - what about brush painting, did you try that?

[Killybegs]

Thanks for that. So you found the Railmatch acrylics not good through an airbrush - what about brush painting, did you try that?

 

I don't use them in the airbrush because of clogging - they dry VERY quickly. I do use them for brushwork. The consistency can vary but usually need thinning a little (I use water). I find them excellent for weathering.

[ColinK]

I’m generally not a fan of acrylics, but I needed some paint in a hurry and could only get Tamyia acrylics. They suprised me by being excellent, that was using a brush.

[Izzy]

When I returned to modelling in 2010 after a decade long break I thought I would use only acrylics and dump all my old enamel paints. After spending a considerable sum on trying them, Humbrol, Tamiya, Railmatch. They all seem thick and go on like tar, yet appeared opaque and wouldn’t cover in one coat. This was via brush painting. I didn’t bother trying to use them in any of my airbrushes. A friend going through the same process at around the same time had similar results and eventually discovered Vallejo which he found the only ones worth using. I gave up and went back to enamels.

 

I then discovered that thanks to the latest paint formulation rules most enamels aren’t what they used to be. By a stroke of luck I had not dumped my decades old enamels, which still flow/thin/cover better than anything that I could get today. Precision seems to be the best of the bunch when I have to buy new today, while railmatch do seem to blend closely with much RTR but skin over/ dry out in the glass jars far too quickly, sometimes after just one use and with the jar still almost full.

 

Realise this isn’t probably what you want to hear, and you’ll understand I am not at all impressed with present day paints while others seem to get along with them quite okay, so maybe it’s just down to my personal taste.

 

Izzy

[chaz]

When I returned to modelling in 2010 after a decade long break I thought I would use only acrylics and dump all my old enamel paints. After spending a considerable sum on trying them, Humbrol, Tamiya, Railmatch. They all seem thick and go on like tar, yet appeared opaque and wouldn’t cover in one coat. This was via brush painting. I didn’t bother trying to use them in any of my airbrushes. A friend going through the same process at around the same time had similar results and eventually discovered Vallejo which he found the only ones worth using. I gave up and went back to enamels.

 

I then discovered that thanks to the latest paint formulation rules most enamels aren’t what they used to be. By a stroke of luck I had not dumped my decades old enamels, which still flow/thin/cover better than anything that I could get today. Precision seems to be the best of the bunch when I have to buy new today, while railmatch do seem to blend closely with much RTR but skin over/ dry out in the glass jars far too quickly, sometimes after just one use and with the jar still almost full.

 

Realise this isn’t probably what you want to hear, and you’ll understand I am not at all impressed with present day paints while others seem to get along with them quite okay, so maybe it’s just down to my personal taste.

 

Izzy

 

 

I am sure that personal taste has a lot to do with it. Since my recent conversion to acrylics I have only had one problem - short drying times means that some of the weathering techniques I used to use aren't really possible. 

I am surprised that you found Tamiya thick and "like tar" - I find them very smooth and liquid and their coverage excellent. I wonder if the ones you tried had been sitting on shelves for too long?

 

However it wouldn't be me who tried to persuade you to make the change - stick with what works well for you.

 

Chaz

[44690]

If airbrushing with acrylics I use a home brew of thinners, comprising IPA, water, flow retarder and flow inprover. I stop and clean the airbrush tip regularly. Enamels are more forgiving for airbrushing in my experience, in so far as they are less likely to clog the airbrush. The drying times between coats is one advantage of acrylics. I've been able to apply several coats in a day sometimes, whereas with enamels I leave days between coats.

[Irish_R_M]

To answer the OP, railmatch acrylics (IMHO) aren't that good, sadly. Slightly stodgy consistency I found having bought a few of them at a show, which I found surprising. As was the colour palette/rendition, so maybe it was a batch that was well passed it's use by date. It was across about 12 pots. I found the colours nothing like the enamel range in terms of shade and tone. 

 

Thinning acrylics is something one learns with time, but I use a simple drop test. Using a medium sized brush, dilute your paint with whatever you choose. I find Adam's Ale works just fine. 

 

If, when you lift the brush out of the pot, and the blob of paint hangs for about a second before falling, you've the right airbrush consistency. If it's much quicker than that, leave the lid off for a few hours until some water evaporates. 

 

Tamiya acrylics have a very high alcohol content, hence the sweet smell, and aren't the easiest to work with. The dry time is much longer than others as a result and can peel off a poorly prepped surface, even days later. 

 

Vallejo / Model Air are the finest about. Model Air is pre-thinned, Vallejo is not (same company). One of each to compare consistency might be a good barometer. 

 

Whilst you can certainly get more coats of acrylic on than enamel, be conscious of the plasticising time for acrylics, the time needed for it to go "off" proper. Usually 24 hours before you can start applying masking (safely) but high quality low tack tapes and hairdryers allow bodgers like myself to play fast and loose with those times. 

 

A final shot of floor polish or varnish should give you the sealant coat you require to somewhat emulate the enamel finish to be able to use the weathering finishes you're familiar with. Enamels aren't evil, just naughty! hth

 

Rich. 

[chaz]

To answer the OP, railmatch acrylics (IMHO) aren't that good, sadly. Slightly stodgy consistency I found having bought a few of them at a show, which I found surprising. As was the colour palette/rendition, so maybe it was a batch that was well passed it's use by date. It was across about 12 pots. I found the colours nothing like the enamel range in terms of shade and tone. 

 

Thinning acrylics is something one learns with time, but I use a simple drop test. Using a medium sized brush, dilute your paint with whatever you choose. I find Adam's Ale works just fine. 

 

If, when you lift the brush out of the pot, and the blob of paint hangs for about a second before falling, you've the right airbrush consistency. If it's much quicker than that, leave the lid off for a few hours until some water evaporates. 

 

Tamiya acrylics have a very high alcohol content, hence the sweet smell, and aren't the easiest to work with. The dry time is much longer than others as a result and can peel off a poorly prepped surface, even days later. 

 

Vallejo / Model Air are the finest about. Model Air is pre-thinned, Vallejo is not (same company). One of each to compare consistency might be a good barometer. 

 

Whilst you can certainly get more coats of acrylic on than enamel, be conscious of the plasticising time for acrylics, the time needed for it to go "off" proper. Usually 24 hours before you can start applying masking (safely) but high quality low tack tapes and hairdryers allow bodgers like myself to play fast and loose with those times. 

 

A final shot of floor polish or varnish should give you the sealant coat you require to somewhat emulate the enamel finish to be able to use the weathering finishes you're familiar with. Enamels aren't evil, just naughty! hth

 

Rich. 

 

 

Thanks for that very comprehensive reply, very useful.  I have just been told that the wargaming shop in Eastleigh (next door to the model shop) stocks Vallejo so I will be buying some of these soon.

 

Chaz

[tractor_37260]

Thanks for that. So you found the Railmatch acrylics not good through an airbrush - what about brush painting, did you try that?

Yep did try them using a normal brush but only for weathering washes etc, but they dried to quickly, and proved difficult to re-activate etc, thinned enamel washes are much easier to work with, and can be "adjusted" with a brush/cotton bud dipped in white spirit/thinners etc

Edited September 17, 2018 by tractor_37260

[Ben Alder]

Had a go at Railmatch acrylics but didn't like them. Lifecolor do a good range of colours which brush well and cover out of the pot. Worth a look at IMO.

Edited September 17, 2018 by Ben Alder

[chaz]

Thanks chaps for all the comments and accounts of experiences with paint. Having a local supplier of Tamiya, Humbrol and Vallejo acrylics will almost certainly swing it for me. The vast range of colours in the Vallejo range is likely to furnish any need I might have. 

As a postscript - although I have used Railmatch enamels I did find they have a very poor shelf life, the paint in the pots drying out to a solid lump long before I could make use of it.

 

Chaz

[tractor_37260]

Thanks chaps for all the comments and accounts of experiences with paint. Having a local supplier of Tamiya, Humbrol and Vallejo acrylics will almost certainly swing it for me. The vast range of colours in the Vallejo range is likely to furnish any need I might have. 

As a postscript - although I have used Railmatch enamels I did find they have a very poor shelf life, the paint in the pots drying out to a solid lump long before I could make use of it.

 

Chaz

 

As a postscript - although I have used Railmatch enamels I did find they have a very poor shelf life, the paint in the pots drying out to a solid lump long before I could make use of it.

 

Agree that's what I found with RM enamels, once a jar was opened and even a small quantity used,  it tended to form a skin/dry out very quickly, hence one of the reasons I switched to/prefer Precision Paints........

[Killybegs]

As a postscript - although I have used Railmatch enamels I did find they have a very poor shelf life, the paint in the pots drying out to a solid lump long before I could make use of it.

 

Agree that's what I found with RM enamels, once a jar was opened and even a small quantity used,  it tended to form a skin/dry out very quickly, hence one of the reasons I switched to/prefer Precision Paints........

 

Store the bottles upside down.

[Mick Bonwick]

I haven't used Railmatch paints (enamels and acrylics) very often, so my experience is a bit limited. What I have found, though, is that if you are meticulous with the cleanliness of the jars and lids, there is no more likelihood of the paint drying up than with properly cared for Humbrol and Revell tinlets and jars. As long as you ensure that the rim of the tinlet/jar is completely paint free and that the lid is also completely paint free, the airtight nature of the container is preserved and there is no drying out taking place.

 

The basis of this observation is experience! I get through lots of tinlets of Humbrol and Revell enamels and, despite dire warnings to the participants, I find that any containers that have been 'closed' after workshops and courses and still have paint on rims or lids are those which do dry out. Those containers that are looked after as requested do not dry out. I apply this principle to all the jars and containers that I use for my own purposes and have had no problems with any of the paints concerned, and these are:

 

Tamiya acrylics

Humbrol enamels and acrylics

Railmatch enamels and acrylics (limited in number)

AK Interactive enamels

MIG enamels and acrylics

Lifecolor acrylics

Vallejo acrylics

Revell enamels and acrylics

 

Following this keep-it-clean principle will also prevent damage to the lids of Railmatch jars that occurs when you have to use a vice to grip the lid when trying to open it because it's stuck to the jar with dried paint.