Tamiya x35

[David o]

Hi All.

I haven't built a model in 35 years. I decided to build Trumpeter Kv2 and so far so good. I gave it an undercoat of black and white and sprayed Tamiya dark green on top of it. The colors really popped and I was Damn proud of myself.

Then

I decided to seal it all before weathering with x35. All it did was leave a dull sheen on everything and now the paint looks muted.

1.) Don't know if I mixed it in correctly. I did about 60-40 isp alcohol to paint. This seemed to work fine with everything else.

2.) How or can I even fix it.

Thank you for your input and advice

 

[urumomo]

Welcome to SMA !

I don't use Tamiya paints so others here will have better input .
But , any dull coat or even semi gloss will diminish color intensity .
You can restore it with a gloss coat but the weathering will dull it back down further anyway .

Seems like a lot of alcohol , which will affect the sheen , but again , I'm not familiar with Tamiya paints .

 

[Pantherman]

Hi All.

I haven't built a model in 35 years. I decided to build Trumpeter Kv2 and so far so good. I gave it an undercoat of black and white and sprayed Tamiya dark green on top of it. The colors really popped and I was Damn proud of myself.

Then

I decided to seal it all before weathering with x35. All it did was leave a dull sheen on everything and now the paint looks muted.

1.) Don't know if I mixed it in correctly. I did about 60-40 isp alcohol to paint. This seemed to work fine with everything else.

2.) How or can I even fix it.

Thank you for your input and advice

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm sure that someone will have an answer for you.

I mainly use vallejo so not much help but when I have used tamiya I generally use 50% paint, 45% thinner and 5% flow improver. Pantherman

 

[Jim62]

I use Tamiya paints and use their XF 86 flat clear at the end of every build which works great for me at a 50/50 mix with Tamiya's X20A thinner. I've never tried the Semi Gloss Clear or used IPA to thin. I know some folks do use IPA but perhaps that's the issue. If by muted you mean to flat, try to fix it by putting a glossy clear coat on it and see if it brings it back, then give it another go with your semi gloss coat with Tamiya's X20a thinner or you could try their Lacquer thinner as well. It never hurts to keep some spare plastic around to practice getting things worked out that you run into issues with.

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

Semi-gloss clear will diminish the color somewhat. Spraying gloss on top of it probably won't bring it back to your original colors you were proud of. Most weathering works best using flat clearcoat due to it ability to adhere better than on gloss.

 

[urumomo]

Flat adheres better than gloss ?
Please explain how that works .

 

[flyboy2610]

The weathing adhdres better to flat paint than gloss paint.

 

[urumomo]

sure about that ?

What " weathering " and why .
What is the difference between a gloss clear and a matte clear ?

 

[Pantherman]

The weathing adhdres better to flat paint than gloss paint.

I have always weathered after a gloss coat as the wash and panel liner just seems flow better. Never had a problem so far.
I suppose it's a case of each to their own. Pantherman

 

[the Baron]

I could see that perhaps the matte surface, which at a very high magnification shows a rough surface, with pits, etc, might hold powders and similar products better than a gloss surface, which is glossy because it much smoother. But I'm not sure there's any other mechanism at work to impact adhesion.

 

[the Baron]

As far as the original question goes, of using Tamiya's X35, I'll say that I would use Tamiya's own proprietary thinner with it. I use Tamiya's X/XF acrylics a lot, and I get my best results using Tamiya's acrylic thinner. I have also used lacquer thinner as a test. On another forum, someone mentioned getting an absolute dead-flat matte finish with the matte colors and lacquer thinner. I didn't notice enough of a difference to adopt using lacquer thinner as a regular practice. But those are the only two things I use to thin Tamiya's X/XF products.

 

[David o]

Thanks for all the replies.

Guess I'll try the tamiya thinner and the gloss coat next time.

For this build, I'll dry brush and wash, top it all off with a fine coat of buff.

Thanks again

 

[David o]

I'm wondering if I should start from scratch again. Black, white highlighrs, then the final coat of green. Or would that be too thick?

 

[flyboy2610]

Ok, now that I'm sitting at the computer at home, and not trying to make a response during a 10 minute break at work, allow me to clarify what I meant.
For decals and panel lining a gloss coat works much better than a flat coat. For decals it reduces silvering, the annoying habit air bubbles have of trying to hide between the decal and the paint.For panel lining because a gloss coat allows the ink or wash to flow more smoothly and evenly.
For weathering powders and chalks (my personal preference) a flat coat works best because it provides more tooth for the material to adhere to.
For weathering with paint, take your pick.
That's my story and I'm stuck with it.

 

[urumomo]

I'm wondering if I should start from scratch again. Black, white highlighrs, then the final coat of green. Or would that be too thick?

You want to repaint it ?
Aren't you going to weather it ?

A whole nuther round of paint is a lot of resin . You need to consider obliterating fine details , but that's about it .
You could strip it all off and start over .

 

[David o]

This is a pic of what the hull looks like after washing. I'm really leaning toward repainting the whole thing

 

[urumomo]

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

You used water, did you? NEVER use water when weathering. I weather using chalk scraped with an Xacto knife - depending on color be it black, grey, rust, or whatever. Then I'll use a Q-tip or makeup swabs or a brush. Other weathering products I use are Tamiya Weathering Powders. Those come with a swab/brush.

Repaint instead of stripping the paint. You won't lose a lot of details on armor subjects if you spray in light coats - but not too heavily or too much. One or two light coats should be suffice.

Ok, now that I'm sitting at the computer at home, and not trying to make a response during a 10 minute break at work, allow me to clarify what I meant.
For decals and panel lining a gloss coat works much better than a flat coat. For decals it reduces silvering, the annoying habit air bubbles have of trying to hide between the decal and the paint.

Correct.

For panel lining because a gloss coat allows the ink or wash to flow more smoothly and evenly.

Correct.

For weathering powders and chalks (my personal preference) a flat coat works best because it provides more tooth for the material to adhere to.

Correct. Chalk is a nice cheap alternative. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

sure about that ?

What " weathering " and why .
What is the difference between a gloss clear and a matte clear ?

Gloss clear is too smooth for any weathering powders to adhere to - chalk or weathering powders (ie: Tamiya)

Matte/flat clear works best.

I've used panel liner on gloss, semi-gloss, and flat clearcoats - depends on how much flow you want. You just need to experiment what works for you.

 

[David o]

Well..

I repainted everything and basically started from scratch. Finished pics attached. I think I went overboard on the chipping/need to refine my technique
...but okay for 1st model in 30+ years.

Let me know what you all think. Thanks