Humbrol substitute

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PTB11
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Humbrol substitute

Post by PTB11 »

Some advice needed guys.
I've been using acrylics almost exclusively, for about 6 or 7 years now. But for figure painting I could never get the hang of them, so I bought some Humbrol enamels, just like the olden days :grin:
Now, I've read on different forums about people having problems with them, due to new formulas etc.
And now I completely understand what they mean!!! They are terrible (in my opinion). Nothing like what I remember. Even after stirring, they remain very gel like.
So, can anyone recommend another enamel paint for brush painting. I've only ever used Humbrol and Airfix enamels (Yes, I've been building models that long :shock: )
So I've no experience in using other brands.
Any advice gratefully received :grin:
Regards, Paddy.

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rob_van_riel
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by rob_van_riel »

PTB11 wrote:Even after stirring, they remain very gel like.
They do, but in and of itself, that is not a problem. It takes some adapting, as they are indeed completely different from the old days, but it's possible. A bit of thinning on a palette also goes a long way.
So, can anyone recommend another enamel paint for brush painting. I've only ever used Humbrol and Airfix enamels (Yes, I've been building models that long :shock: )
So I've no experience in using other brands.
Revell is even worse (says my allergy to the brand). I don't think Xtracolor at particularly suited to figure work (mostly gloss, slow drying, and not exactly the right range of colours. I've heard rumours about White Ensign, but I've never used the brand.
I think your options are limited to a small learning curve for new Humbrol, or a larger learning curve to artist's oils or acrylics. The days of easy to use enamels are, sadly, over, and we're stuck with what little the ecomaniacs and H&S mobs have left us.
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fredk
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by fredk »

I find H enamels need some thinners added. Stirred well, then left for a few hours and then stirred again before use. Then they are useable. The newer formulated H are the ones with the paper label on the lids
I find that Revell paints work better with a lot of thinners added as well.
Unless you know different; only Shaun's shop in Ards carries a few Revell paints, I know of no other shop in or near Belfast which carries Revell enamels or acrylics
Jim's 'My Old Toy Box' currently has a few odd enamel paints; Colorcoats and Model Master afair [as well as the full range of H paints]
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PTB11
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by PTB11 »

rob_van_riel wrote: The days of easy to use enamels are, sadly, over, and we're stuck with what little the ecomaniacs and H&S mobs have left us.
Thats not good news! To be honest, I think I'd rather put the effort into learning oils than work with what is essentailly coloured goo.

ps Thanks for the reply Rob.
Regards, Paddy.

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PTB11
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by PTB11 »

Fred, thanks for the info. TBH that sounds like a lot of effort, just to use some paints. As I mentioned in the last post, I think its time to learn the dark art of oils...
Regards, Paddy.

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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by rob_van_riel »

PTB11 wrote:I think I'd rather put the effort into learning oils than work with what is essentailly coloured goo.
I should warn you: oils tend to be rather thick as well, more gel than liquid. It is, however, an extremely finely structured gel, and a very small amount can be spread out over an enormous area (at the expence of opaqueness). I've found that quit a few colours don't really work as is due to being translucent, but need to be mixed with a bit of white to show their true colour. Also, beware of the drying times; acrylics dry in minutes, enamels in hours, oils in days (or even weeks with the wrong colour and too thick a coat) :shock:
The procedures Fred outlined for new Humbrol are peanuts compared to the effort involved with oils.

On the bright side, oils are relatively easy to come by, the potential for very subtle effects is immense, and they enjoy a degree of protection due to their use in socially and politically acknowledged cultural activity, as opposed to stupid old farts making toy soldiers.
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59North
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by 59North »

Being an old-style gasser, I prefer and still use enamels. I'm still using up the last of my extensive ModelMaster supply. However, that is quickly being depleted.
I'm excited about a company known as 'True North Precision Paints', which is coming out with an extensive line of bottled enamels, supposedly similar to the MM line.
I can,t put a link as I'm using a cheap notebook, however, you can easily google the name. So far, they have many colours available in the range.
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Softscience
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by Softscience »

do yourself a huge favor and get yours some of the beautifully brushable acrylics for base colors (Citadel, Vallejo, MiG, etc.). For shading, thin them to translucence and apply over the bases. You'll never bother with enamels again.
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by MarkyM607 »

Hi, just mentioning these as I've discovered them lately. Hopefully you can get them where you are. They are Crafter's Acrylic by DecoArt. They are nice in consistency and thin easily with water. You can wash the brushes out with water too. They are also on £1-99 here, 10pence more than the Humbrol enamels but about four times the size!!. They also don't seem to do many metal colours but having used them on the Centaur I did in the Figures GB I would recommend them for figure painting. Also used them on Warhammer 40K figures.
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Ratch
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by Ratch »

I paint all my figures with acrylics. I use Vallejo Acrylic Polyurethane Surface Primers with Vallejo Model Color and Andrea Color paints ;-)
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fredk
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by fredk »

'My Old Toy Box' keeps a large range of the Vallejo Model paint, but not Vallejo Model Air
The Crafter's Acrylic, or a make just like it, can be bought in Craft World in Queen Street
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PTB11
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by PTB11 »

Thank you for the replies and recommendations, guys. Plenty of food for thought.
It does seem the good old days of decent enamels are over - Ah well, must adapt :grin:
Regards, Paddy.

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Dazzled
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by Dazzled »

I find Revell enamels quite good if stirred well but I have to agree with the advice of others on here that acrylics are definitely the way to go.
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PTB11
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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by PTB11 »

Thanks again guys. Its not that I don't have acrylics - I have more than you could shake a stick at.
Its just that I prefer enamels for figure painting, especially flesh, as they can be blended, as opposed to the layering technique used with acrylics.
For some reason I was hoping xtracolor would be a saving grace, but apparently not :frown:
Regards, Paddy.

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Re: Humbrol substitute

Post by rob_van_riel »

PTB11 wrote:Its just that I prefer enamels for figure painting, especially flesh, as they can be blended, as opposed to the layering technique used with acrylics.
I've recently done a few figures where I used oils for the flesh tones (limited, not to precisely defined number of colours needed, and nothing blends as beautifully as oils), while the rest of the figure was done in either enamels or acrylics. Just make sure you let the oils dry very well, and shoot some Purity Seal over it before continuing with the other media. Maybe such a hybrid approach could work for you as well? Just four different tubes of oils will let you do most of what you'd want for this, so an experiment should be easy and cheap to set up.
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