Best coverage white paint

[takos]

First of all I would like to thank all the members of this forum for all the great tips and techniques they have shared with everyone. I am getting back into model building after 20 years and have been thrilled to find a forum with so many great tips and ideas. I build mostly Macross and gundam but want to build some ST and SW models as well. My question is this:

I currently use Tamiya grey primer and then paint over that a final color of flat white. I currently use Tamiya thinned with their own thinner but I need quite a few coats to cover the grey. I am using a Paashe VL with a size 3 setup at about 15 psi but my paint is coming out a little grainy, when I get a little closer and lower the air pressure I get some runs and I get a lot of paint drying on the tip. My AB is over 20 years old and I used to shoot alot of figure painting paint through it, so I took it apart and cleaned it well with lacquer thinner.

1. what am I doing wrong if anything, I try to follow alot of the advice found here with some good results but not great results.

2. Is there a flat white acrylic that covers better than Tamiya???

3. Will a retarder help and if yes do I need to get Tamiyas or is there another brand that gives equally good results

Thanks again for all your help

[kenlilly106]

Tamiya makes a very nice white primer in the spray can, i've used it becfore with excellent results, I'd use it in stead of the gray primer, no sense in making extra work for yourself trying to cover the gray with white paint.

If you need to prime something gray to hide a garish plastic color, paint over the gray primer with the white primer.

When shooting white acrylics, start with light dust coats first to give the subsequent coats something bite into, then start spraying heavier coats to build up the color.

I have thinned Tamiya Acrylics with lacquer thinner, sounds weird but it works.

Ken

[ajmadison]

Another trick is to not use primer, but a silver paint. Or apply a light coat of primer, then follow with silver paint. The translucence of white paint will work with silver paint, rather than have to cover up the grey in primer.

[Romulan Spy]

Is acrylic a "must-have" criteria? If not, I highly recommend Floquil Reefer White. Thinned with a bit of lacquer thinner it goes on butter smooth, covers in just a few coats, and is a nice bright white.

[Floyd Walker]

Is acrylic a "must-have" criteria? If not, I highly recommend Floquil Reefer White. Thinned with a bit of lacquer thinner it goes on butter smooth, covers in just a few coats, and is a nice bright white.

Amen to that!
That paint - in fact any of the railroad colors - are a major part of any good paint box. You get plenty in the bottles, they dry hard as nails, and several of the colors have multiple uses.
Ex: Depot Buff makes for a decent German armor yellow, Pullman Green for WWII Soviet armor, Grimy Black for any off-black needs (rubber, etc.), and so on. I probably have at least 12-14 different colors sitting in my paint box at this moment.
(Oh for the days that they were laquer... <sigh>)

[Romulan Spy]

^^My local hobby shop caters mainly to model railroaders, so they always have a good selection of Floquil. I too have several bottles on hand; Reefer White, Bright/Old Silver are must-haves in my book.