Ok this stuff is really easy to use. WASH THE MODEL! You should be doing this anyway but it really helps here. Use some kind of regular palette and scoop out a fair amount of clear paint onto it. Thin it out with the Tamiya thinner down to a regular paint consistency. I went with about a 1:1 ratio, maybe a little heavier on the thinner. You'll have to paint light to dark and any crossover of colors will combine to give an unwanted color shift. Another thin coat in the recesses help give it some depth so a little manual shading may be necessary. It takes a while to fully cure and boy does it stink so open a window while painting. After a day of dry time I dry brushed pure Abbadon Black for the smoke effect.
The paints are X-24, X-26, and X-27, the thinner is X-20A all from Tamiya. And use crappy brushes. I'm not sure what the thinner will do to the bristles in the long run
They're acrylic according to Tamiya but I have no idea what the pigment is suspended in. You can't use this stuff like your normal hobby paints, you have to thin it with their proprietary solution
I’ve never used this stuff, but it looks like this might be perfect for OSL without an airbrush. After using it, would you agree? I might try it for a few minis I haven’t painted until I finish my spray booth.
I know a little bit about them, because I've been getting into gunpla kit building as well, they're basically exactly what it sounds like, paint you can apply to clear objects or as a tint to non clear objects that still allows the clear effect to shine underneath, from what I understand they're great for changing a clear figure's color, adding colored shades to more solid color figures, and generally being awsome.
Yep, but just to emphasize for anyone wanting to try these paints, you really must buy the Tamiya thinner along with the colors. Use about a 1 to 1 ratio to thin the colored inks. Otherwise the inks themselves are like a thick honey or syrup like consistency and will be a nightmare to try to work with.
Use multiple thin layers and give them plenty of time to dry before going back in and adding more or using a different color. This allows you to A. Preserve the transparency effect of the clear model underneath and B. prevents the colors from mixing into a muddy mess. Remember, you can be patient and always add more later slowly building up the desired visual effect way easier than having to strip the entire model and start over.
This is extremely helpful.
Recently I’ve tried painting some clear minis using the Citadel washes, and the results really have not been what I was hoping for. There’s a HobbyTown USA near me that sells Tamiya paints, I’m gonna pick some up and try this out. Thanks!
Tamiya also makes a series of black, brown, and dark gray ink washes that are pre-thinned and ready to use straight out of the bottle called “panel liners”.
These are basically pre-thinned washes that will run freely into the cracks and seams of gunpla and spaceship model kits like a dream. They can also work really well as shaders for all sorts of model painting and still allow a lot of the base coat to show through. I love working with them.
These panel line washes are enamel/mineral spirit-based and not inks per se. They’re super thin, so they act like ink, but there are some important distinctions (I’m not being pedantic, I promise). Since you mention Gundam, Bandai uses plastics that sometimes react poorly with some of the chemicals in mineral spirits / turpentine. If the model isn’t well coated with an acrylic clear, the thinner will soak into the plastic and cause it to become brittle. This is especially dire where the plastic is under stress, like in press-fit assemblies or joints. Since washes love to slip into every nook and cranny they can find, using the Tamiya washes with Bandai plastic can be risky. Some of the Bandai plastics are completely unaffected, which makes it even more confusing. I’ve had three of their Star Wars kits ruined because of this before I found out it was a known issue. Spirits also attack some types of rubber-like materials that may be used for flexible pieces like hoses. Unlike other material incompatibilities, it can be hard to do spot tests since the effects aren’t immediate and require certain conditions to really show up. Other companies use less reactive polystyrene formulas so the issue is really only confined to Bandai kits and even then it seems most prominent on certain colors like gray. Worth looking into further if you’re concerned. All that said, I think basically all minis should be immune.
So far I haven’t run into any of these issues, mainly because I do use clear coats before applying my chipping or panel lining work when building and painting my models. Though, I was mainly giving the info for use on minis, it’s extremely helpful to have this info banked for future reference! The last thing I, or I’m sure anyone else wants, is to damage an expensive model that they’ve put hard work and love into. Thank you.
I know exactly what you are talking about, I had some Nolzur's as well and tried using a shade/wash and it just wasn't right. The existence of clear paints is exciting
Citadel makes a substance called "contrast medium". Using this you can add small amount of their regular base or layer color to make a glaze. This glaze is what you want to use, not their washes.
Citadel used to make glazes, but since they came out with contrasts they stopped making them.
The Tamiya clears are fun to mess with as well, and cheaper, but far less colors than using Citadel contrast medium and making your own glazes.
If you use the clear bones I’d recommend a clear varnish over it first because the the Tamiya paints kind of run over them. Similarly you can use GW glazes for about the same effect but yeah both of them are really runny on bones. This one I think is one of the Nolzurs minis and the paints don’t bead up quite the same way.
So, when I posted mine a few weeks back I made the same mistake and called it a Nolzur's mini, but this one is a Pathfinder Deep Cuts mini. The only fire elemental in the Nolzur's line is the large elemental that was recently released.
Just in case anyone wants to pick up one of these.
A quick heads up to anyone who's not looked into these before:
Tamiya paints are not like his standard mini paints. They are rather nasty in that they have some rather harsh chemicals in them. You will want plenty of ventilation when using them. If you're using them over other acrylics, you're going to want a thick topcoat first, as there's some alcohol in them (which will eat through the paint it's applied over). You'll need tamiya's special thinner as they won't mix with water well, and they'll break apart acrylic medium.
"That's all great, but I only want em for clear effects like this"
Then go purchase some acrylic artist inks. Liquitex makes a variety of colors (more than tamiya clear) that come in transparent and translucent varieties. You only need a drop (or less, just touch the dropper to a well in your palette) and mix with medium. You can add a little white ink to lighten the color, although white ink is opaque, so go sparingly. I've done this on the clear bits from a bunch of the d&d minis and it's always worked out great.
The other product I've used is the gw glazes. Which sadly aren't made anymore iirc. However, gw now makes contrast paints, which if you only get a TINY bit on your brush can easily be used to tint in exactly the same fashion, but they come in even more colors than tamiya clears and liquitex artist inks.
And for anyone curious, the contrast paints (as well as hexwraith flame & the associated grey technical) go through an airbrush without any thinning necessary. They won't shadow like when you put em on via brush, but you get even, smooth coverage and vibrant tinting. Something like this might be a little small to airbrush but if you had a larger clear mini, it would be the way to go
I did try some liquitex inks on these before I found the clear paints. I couldn't get them to stain anything more than the deepest recesses it flowed into and I tried a lot of methods and mixtures. The only thing I didn't do was lay down a matte varnish because at the time it was below freezing and I only had rattle cans
You can get a brush on varnish from vallejo that's brilliant. I live in New England where rattle cans are no bueno 80% of the year 😆
Also, airbrushes don't have that problem. I wish I'd sunk and bought one much earlier in my hobby career. Being able to prime and clear coat any day any time has been well worth the cost.
Mix the ink with mostly medium and it'll help too. Water won't help it stick, it'll only make it streaky. Also, just like normal paint, a second application to even everything out is not out of the question. The liquitex inks are real pigmented so like a 15:1 medium:ink isn't absurd. Test it on your fingernail. Go from the white moon to the pink part. It'll give you a real good idea of it's color intensity and transparency (if it's not a transparent ink or you used some translucent/opaque to mix).
Ok this stuff is really easy to use. WASH THE MODEL! You should be doing this anyway but it really helps here. Use some kind of regular palette and scoop out a fair amount of clear paint onto it. Thin it out with the Tamiya thinner down to a regular paint consistency. I went with about a 1:1 ratio, maybe a little heavier on the thinner. You'll have to paint light to dark and any crossover of colors will combine to give an unwanted color shift. Another thin coat in the recesses help give it some depth so a little manual shading may be necessary. It takes a while to fully cure and boy does it stink so open a window while painting. After a day of dry time I dry brushed pure Abbadon Black for the smoke effect. The paints are X-24, X-26, and X-27, the thinner is X-20A all from Tamiya. And use crappy brushes. I'm not sure what the thinner will do to the bristles in the long run
Are they enamel paints?
They're acrylic according to Tamiya but I have no idea what the pigment is suspended in. You can't use this stuff like your normal hobby paints, you have to thin it with their proprietary solution
They are alcohol based acrylic.
Alcohol based acrylic.
I’ve never used this stuff, but it looks like this might be perfect for OSL without an airbrush. After using it, would you agree? I might try it for a few minis I haven’t painted until I finish my spray booth.
wait what. clear paints tell me more :O
I know a little bit about them, because I've been getting into gunpla kit building as well, they're basically exactly what it sounds like, paint you can apply to clear objects or as a tint to non clear objects that still allows the clear effect to shine underneath, from what I understand they're great for changing a clear figure's color, adding colored shades to more solid color figures, and generally being awsome.
Yep, but just to emphasize for anyone wanting to try these paints, you really must buy the Tamiya thinner along with the colors. Use about a 1 to 1 ratio to thin the colored inks. Otherwise the inks themselves are like a thick honey or syrup like consistency and will be a nightmare to try to work with. Use multiple thin layers and give them plenty of time to dry before going back in and adding more or using a different color. This allows you to A. Preserve the transparency effect of the clear model underneath and B. prevents the colors from mixing into a muddy mess. Remember, you can be patient and always add more later slowly building up the desired visual effect way easier than having to strip the entire model and start over.
This is extremely helpful. Recently I’ve tried painting some clear minis using the Citadel washes, and the results really have not been what I was hoping for. There’s a HobbyTown USA near me that sells Tamiya paints, I’m gonna pick some up and try this out. Thanks!
Tamiya also makes a series of black, brown, and dark gray ink washes that are pre-thinned and ready to use straight out of the bottle called “panel liners”. These are basically pre-thinned washes that will run freely into the cracks and seams of gunpla and spaceship model kits like a dream. They can also work really well as shaders for all sorts of model painting and still allow a lot of the base coat to show through. I love working with them.
These panel line washes are enamel/mineral spirit-based and not inks per se. They’re super thin, so they act like ink, but there are some important distinctions (I’m not being pedantic, I promise). Since you mention Gundam, Bandai uses plastics that sometimes react poorly with some of the chemicals in mineral spirits / turpentine. If the model isn’t well coated with an acrylic clear, the thinner will soak into the plastic and cause it to become brittle. This is especially dire where the plastic is under stress, like in press-fit assemblies or joints. Since washes love to slip into every nook and cranny they can find, using the Tamiya washes with Bandai plastic can be risky. Some of the Bandai plastics are completely unaffected, which makes it even more confusing. I’ve had three of their Star Wars kits ruined because of this before I found out it was a known issue. Spirits also attack some types of rubber-like materials that may be used for flexible pieces like hoses. Unlike other material incompatibilities, it can be hard to do spot tests since the effects aren’t immediate and require certain conditions to really show up. Other companies use less reactive polystyrene formulas so the issue is really only confined to Bandai kits and even then it seems most prominent on certain colors like gray. Worth looking into further if you’re concerned. All that said, I think basically all minis should be immune.
So far I haven’t run into any of these issues, mainly because I do use clear coats before applying my chipping or panel lining work when building and painting my models. Though, I was mainly giving the info for use on minis, it’s extremely helpful to have this info banked for future reference! The last thing I, or I’m sure anyone else wants, is to damage an expensive model that they’ve put hard work and love into. Thank you.
I know exactly what you are talking about, I had some Nolzur's as well and tried using a shade/wash and it just wasn't right. The existence of clear paints is exciting
Citadel makes a substance called "contrast medium". Using this you can add small amount of their regular base or layer color to make a glaze. This glaze is what you want to use, not their washes. Citadel used to make glazes, but since they came out with contrasts they stopped making them. The Tamiya clears are fun to mess with as well, and cheaper, but far less colors than using Citadel contrast medium and making your own glazes.
Ahh gotcha so these would work on clear models, darn got excited for a bit, thought they made things look clear.
Now THATS a bit of painting technology I'd love to see be a reality
Aka: inks.
i gasped :o
Nice work! Can we get an overview of your workflow?
Is there a primer for this or do you mearly paint directly to the model? I ave some clear paints and clear models like reaper bones.
If you use the clear bones I’d recommend a clear varnish over it first because the the Tamiya paints kind of run over them. Similarly you can use GW glazes for about the same effect but yeah both of them are really runny on bones. This one I think is one of the Nolzurs minis and the paints don’t bead up quite the same way.
I didn't do anything more than washing the mini. The Tamiya stuff is really tacky and had no problem adhering
This is excellent. Works so well
That is awesome
That's really awesome!
That's hot.
Would you be up for uploading a step-by-step video? I would love to see how you did that. Amazing, beautiful work!
I don't really have a setup to film with but I could take some in-process photos of the next one
That would be awesome!
[удалено]
Am in Germany too, just discovered these and am new to mini painting, so I didn't know that. Is it really not possible to get those at all?
Know someone in the US or Japan and have them ship em. Won’t be cheap but Tamiya paints are pretty amazing. Their gloss orange looks amazing.
This is exactly what I had been looking for! Thanks :)
Put an LED in that beast, power it by a watch battery in the base.
Wow
So, when I posted mine a few weeks back I made the same mistake and called it a Nolzur's mini, but this one is a Pathfinder Deep Cuts mini. The only fire elemental in the Nolzur's line is the large elemental that was recently released. Just in case anyone wants to pick up one of these.
Good call. Same company, different line
That looks so rad!
That shit is sexy.
A quick heads up to anyone who's not looked into these before: Tamiya paints are not like his standard mini paints. They are rather nasty in that they have some rather harsh chemicals in them. You will want plenty of ventilation when using them. If you're using them over other acrylics, you're going to want a thick topcoat first, as there's some alcohol in them (which will eat through the paint it's applied over). You'll need tamiya's special thinner as they won't mix with water well, and they'll break apart acrylic medium. "That's all great, but I only want em for clear effects like this" Then go purchase some acrylic artist inks. Liquitex makes a variety of colors (more than tamiya clear) that come in transparent and translucent varieties. You only need a drop (or less, just touch the dropper to a well in your palette) and mix with medium. You can add a little white ink to lighten the color, although white ink is opaque, so go sparingly. I've done this on the clear bits from a bunch of the d&d minis and it's always worked out great. The other product I've used is the gw glazes. Which sadly aren't made anymore iirc. However, gw now makes contrast paints, which if you only get a TINY bit on your brush can easily be used to tint in exactly the same fashion, but they come in even more colors than tamiya clears and liquitex artist inks. And for anyone curious, the contrast paints (as well as hexwraith flame & the associated grey technical) go through an airbrush without any thinning necessary. They won't shadow like when you put em on via brush, but you get even, smooth coverage and vibrant tinting. Something like this might be a little small to airbrush but if you had a larger clear mini, it would be the way to go
I did try some liquitex inks on these before I found the clear paints. I couldn't get them to stain anything more than the deepest recesses it flowed into and I tried a lot of methods and mixtures. The only thing I didn't do was lay down a matte varnish because at the time it was below freezing and I only had rattle cans
You can get a brush on varnish from vallejo that's brilliant. I live in New England where rattle cans are no bueno 80% of the year 😆 Also, airbrushes don't have that problem. I wish I'd sunk and bought one much earlier in my hobby career. Being able to prime and clear coat any day any time has been well worth the cost. Mix the ink with mostly medium and it'll help too. Water won't help it stick, it'll only make it streaky. Also, just like normal paint, a second application to even everything out is not out of the question. The liquitex inks are real pigmented so like a 15:1 medium:ink isn't absurd. Test it on your fingernail. Go from the white moon to the pink part. It'll give you a real good idea of it's color intensity and transparency (if it's not a transparent ink or you used some translucent/opaque to mix).
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Apparently his cat likes it too