Tamiya paints for HMS Victory

[Admiral Beez]

My local hobby shop carries Tamiya paints.  I've just bought Heller's 1/150 Le Superbe plastic kit and plan to paint her as HMS Spartiate.  I would use the colour recommendations for any HMS Victory plastic kit.   However I do not know what colours to purchase.  I do not have an air brush, though I could consider a rattle can for priming, if this is thought necessary?

 

It's my first kit after a 18 year paternity leave so I want to do my research and start off on the right foot.   All advice is welcome, cheers.

Edited September 29, 2021 by Admiral Beez

[Mercator]

Tamiya and Vallejo have good primers. Tamiya use spray cans, Vallejo primers (white, grey and black) can be applied with a paint brush. Tamiya cannot be applied very easily with a paint brush and will frustrate you. So my advise use Vallejo for the paint they hand brush very well,they ship very easily being acrylic.

Heller plastic need to be primed if yours acrylic paints, you will have a much better adhesion and a smoother finish, specially if you hand paint.

[Landlubber Mike]

If you're looking for yellow ochre, you might be able to get away with Tamiya's Camel Yellow (TS34) which [only] comes in a spray can:

 

 

 

There's also Pearl Yellow which possibly could work:

 

 

 

For best results, I wouldn't try to paint or prime large areas by brush - i'd either use an airbrush or a rattle can.  Tamiya, Mr. Surfacer, and others make good primers that come in rattle cans.  You can use Tamiya paints over Mr. Surfacer primer - I do so all the time.

 

If you do go with Tamiya rattle cans, make sure you buy the TS line of paints which are designed for plastics, and not the PS line which is for polycarbonate.  I made that mistake and it was not fun!  The PS line runs very hot.  It's too bad because the PS line offers Mustard Yellow which could be a good option:

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by Landlubber Mike

[Admiral Beez]

3 hours ago, Mercator said:

Tamiya and Vallejo have good primers. Tamiya use spray cans, Vallejo primers (white, grey and black) can be applied with a paint brush. Tamiya cannot be applied very easily with a paint brush and will frustrate you. So my advise use Vallejo for the paint they hand brush very well,they ship very easily being acrylic.

Heller plastic need to be primed if yours acrylic paints, you will have a much better adhesion and a smoother finish, specially if you hand paint.

Thanks.  I didn’t know Heller kits have to be primed first if using acrylic.   Can you prime before you glue?   I’m a little worried of the primer covering up too much detail.  Perhaps I’m best to get the Tamiya spray primer to ensure a smooth, light coat.  Do you recommend Tamiya paints for brush application after priming?    Is it necessary to wear a respirator mask or have a paint booth when spraying acrylics?

 

I need to find a colour guide for HMS Victory with colour codes from the paint brands.  Ideally Tamiya so I can support my local shop.

Edited September 29, 2021 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

3 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

If you're looking for yellow ochre, you might be able to get away with Tamiya's Camel Yellow (TS34) which [only] comes in a spray can:

 

 

 

There's also Pearl Yellow which possibly could work:

 

 

 

For best results, I wouldn't try to paint or prime large areas by brush - i'd either use an airbrush or a rattle can.  Tamiya, Mr. Surfacer, and others make good primers that come in rattle cans.  You can use Tamiya paints over Mr. Surfacer primer - I do so all the time.

 

If you do go with Tamiya rattle cans, make sure you buy the TS line of paints which are designed for plastics, and not the PS line which is for polycarbonate.  I made that mistake and it was not fun!  The PS line runs very hot.  It's too bad because the PS line offers Mustard Yellow which could be a good option:

 

I wonder if I can get spray cans for the whole thing, and skip the brushing entirely, beyond the fine details.

 

So far we have yellow ochre, https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/spray-ts-plastics/ts-34-camel-yellow/

And wood deck tan,  https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/spray-ts-plastics/ts-68-wooden-deck-tan/

 

Would you recommend this primer?  https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/finishing/surface-primerplastic-metal/   My thinking is gray is probably better than white. But I don’t know.

Edited September 29, 2021 by Admiral Beez

[Landlubber Mike]

Some colors are affected by the underlying color (primer in this case).  Reds for example can look completely different if you use white, pink, or other color.  Metallics usually have a gloss black undercoat to get the full effect.  I think yellow might be one of those colors that could be affected.  I'd probably go gray and not white or the yellow might be too bright.

 

A lot of people use Tamiya primer, but I think I tried the white once and wasn't too happy.  Probably user error on my part.  This is what I use - it is really amazing stuff, and self-levels perfectly.  You can sand it after spraying if there are any imperfections, and it will fill tiny gaps for a very smooth finish.  You can also get Mr Surfacer in 1000 and I think 500 which progressively will fill bigger imperfections.  1500 should work well though.

 

 

 

One thing about spraying Tamiya from rattle cans - make sure you shake the can plenty, and watch out for dried paint on the nozzle which will set onto your painting surface and cause you a lot of grief.  I haven't experienced that with Mr. Surfacer, but the Tamiya rattle cans I've used seem to be more prone to this.  Good idea to clean out the nozzle after spraying.

 

Here's another option I just thought of - you can use Tamiya's Dark Yellow in the rattle can, which comes out a beige-ish color, and then add Vallejo Yellow Wash on top  (the Vallejo wash comes in a plastic bottle and you can hand brush it on).  It subtly changes the color as you can see on the hood in this picture, and might give you more of the ochre you are looking for.

 

 

 

Tamiya's Camel Yellow in the rattle can will give you this color.  I guess it will depend on what kind of yellow ochre you want for your model.

 

 

 

I guess it will depend on what kind of yellow ochre you want for your model.

Edited September 29, 2021 by Landlubber Mike

[mtaylor]

Tamaya also makes a "fine" surface primer.  It's for plastic and metal and the pigment is finer than their others.  It comes is white, gray, and black.  I'm using in brass and my tests show it looks good for the items I'll need to paint.

[Admiral Beez]

Do you prime on the sprue with touch up at separation points later?  This seems easier for painting the tiny parts.

[wefalck]

This depends on the circumstances. I would assemble a model (from scratch or kit) as much as possible before painting with two provisa:

 

- when two colours abut to each other, it is better to paint first and then assemble - gives a cleaner colour separation line

 

- that all surfaces that need to be painted must be accessible afterwards

 

If two painted surfaces are glued together, the joint will only be as strong as the paint adhering to the surfaces, this is one reason for assembling first.

 

Small parts are easier to paint when in place. Leaving it on the sprue would solve that problem, but handling during separation and subsequent clean-up may damage the paint again.

 

I rarely prime, as any  additional layer of paint tends to obscure surface detail. On the other hand, a primer makes imperfections very visible. Also, when brush-painting plastics and metals without priming it may be difficult to achieve an even first coat. I am mostly spray-painting and here the first thin coat effectively acts as kind of primer.

[Admiral Beez]

On 10/1/2021 at 11:44 AM, wefalck said:

- when two colours abut to each other, it is better to paint first and then assemble - gives a cleaner colour separation line

 

- that all surfaces that need to be painted must be accessible afterwards

 

If two painted surfaces are glued together, the joint will only be as strong as the paint adhering to the surfaces, this is one reason for assembling first.

 

Small parts are easier to paint when in place. Leaving it on the sprue would solve that problem, but handling during separation and subsequent clean-up may damage the paint again.

Thanks.  How would you paint and assemble cannons?  You have the carriage, wheels and gun tube, all needing different colours.   As shown with someone else’s build here.  If you glue all three together before painting one needs to be careful not to have paint colours to go over.

Edited October 7, 2021 by Admiral Beez

[mtaylor]

There's only two places to worry about.. where the trunnions are.  Don't paint the bottom of the caps or the mating surface on the carriage.   The other place will just be a small spot (depending on the carriage and gun type) where the breech rests.

[Admiral Beez]

On 9/29/2021 at 1:47 PM, Mercator said:

Tamiya and Vallejo have good primers. Tamiya use spray cans, Vallejo primers (white, grey and black) can be applied with a paint brush. Tamiya cannot be applied very easily with a paint brush and will frustrate you. So my advise use Vallejo for the paint they hand brush very well,they ship very easily being acrylic.

Heller plastic need to be primed if yours acrylic paints, you will have a much better adhesion and a smoother finish, specially if you hand paint.

Thanks.  I’ve decided to hand brush the entire model, after. Tamiya spray prime.  Can anyone steer me to a branded paint code guide for RN ships, like HMS Victory or Surprise?

[Kevin]

i would still use a primer and go with Admiralty paints, just as they are as true to the real thing as possible (subject to the Pink HMS Victory)

admiralty paints - Bing images

[Kevin]

Admiralty Paints HMS Victory Paint Set APS9014W | Cornwall Model Boats