Been Out Too Long. What Happened To Model Building?

[Zeke1]

A couple of weeks ago (pre COVID-19) I was going through my basement and found a few old ERTL models. I have two young kids and decided to pass these down to them. They were super excited and I told them next weekend we'd go get paints. Next weekend came and we went out to get the things I used frequently as a kid - good ole Testors enamel paints and some paint thinner. But OMG there is nearly none of this stuff anymore! I only found one store, a Michaels, that had anything and they only had maybe 8 colors and only 2 of them were what we needed. And no one has paint thinner because, apparently, "it's bad for the environment".

I kind of feel like I let me kids down.

What happened to this hobby? Can I even get Testors enamel model paints anymore? Is there a different leader in this field now?

 

[DeLano80]

It all went online. Unfortunately.

 

[RatPack12]

But the good news is there are a ton of options. I was in your shoes about 3 years ago getting back into it. I have had lots of success with Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints. I also use their model air line. I have been buying them at MidwestModelRailroad.com best price I've found so far. You can get acrylic thinner but I just use a homemade version to save $. 50% rubbing alcohol (I know hard to find right now) 45% water and 5% windshield washer fluid. I also have had more luck with Hobby Lobby with model stuff over Michael's as far as big brick and mortar stores go. Once I get the model painted i seal it with either gloss or matte clear coat from the shelf at Home Depot. Keep the kids excited, it's a great hobby to pass down and will give them, and you, tons of enjoyment.

 

[tsenecal]

as to your original post... enamels are out. acrylics are in. everything else all the others have said is basically how it goes now. if you don't have a "real" hobby shop nearby, you will need to buy this stuff online. i now use the tamiya acrylics for any of the old ertl and amt truck models i build.

 

[3Dsf]

Agreed - that awful Testors paint is rarely used now. Tamiya acrylics are ubiquitous and easy to find.

Also, while model kits are more expensive and less accessible than they were back in the 70s and 80s, they're generally much more accurate and of higher quality.

 

[TazMan2000]

Yes, there are a few other choices out there. Tamiya, Vallejo etc. Its sad to see Testors go though, because they did have some nice colours.
Just a note that Vallejo has a extremely wide range of colours and it is expanding.

TazMan2000

 

[Zeke1]

Thanks to all who responded.

I don't think I'm ready to go the acrylic route just yet. A guy at a local hobby shop tried to talk me into but what he described - having to primer everything, then paint it, then seal it - sounds tedious. It's like having to paint every model 3 times.

If online is the way it works now where are the best places to find paints online? Can one even find enamel paints readily online anymore??

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Agreed - that awful Testors paint is rarely used now. Tamiya acrylics are ubiquitous and easy to find.

Also, while model kits are more expensive and less accessible than they were back in the 70s and 80s, they're generally much more accurate and of higher quality.

Testors paint isn't awful. I've got Model Master paint from when I was 14, which is 29 years old, that is still good. My under 10 year old Tamiya paint frequently dries up.

Look for a Hobby Lobby store. They have, at least in 2020, a decent model aisle.

 

[Duncanator]

Testors is still around. My local hobby stores have it. They make a few "lines" of paint: Testors, Model Master - which have different colors as part of their line. They bought Floquil years ago, but don't reproduce those colors.

There are some folks who have started selling Floquil reproduction paints called Archive X, which are especially great if you are wanting to paint Star Wars models accurately. They aint cheap, but they have tried really hard to match the old colors.

 

[jamstraz]

Testors paint isn't awful. I've got Model Master paint from when I was 14, which is 29 years old, that is still good. My under 10 year old Tamiya paint frequently dries up.

Look for a Hobby Lobby store. They have, at least in 2020, a decent model aisle.

"Decent" lol. Depends on the model though. Mine has nothing for my interests...all my models have been from Amazon and eBay. I have a smattering of paint I have barely touched. Plus my Hobby Lobby is down for the virus so...I'm stuck atm.

 

[modelcitizen]

testors modelmaster ended up being owned by the same entity that owns rustoleum. the modelmaster paintline is therefore not seen as making enough money. look on the testors website and you will see the list of available paints is getting quite short. many many paints in the trstor line are being discontinued and the whole line is dying bottle by bottle. i had to resort to ebay....
modelmaster enamels have been my mainstay for quite some time.

sadly, if your hobby shop seems well stocked with a seemingly full line of modelmaster, i'm afraid to say it's because you are most likely the only one buying them. most hobbyshops have dumped the whole line altogether. some holdouts have old stock

 

[JeffBond]

While it's advisable to prime and seal acrylic paints I have done many models without doing either. I find acrylics work great and I like being able to clean brushes and thin washes just with water.

 

[Shryyyk]

I'm another advocate for acrylics, after spending my younger years (teens) using Humbrol/Testors enamels. Honestly, as a kid, they're not great to work with. They stink, they get everywhere, they're impossible to correct when you do something wrong, and you have to understand thinner mixes properly in order to not make a complete hash of whatever you're doing. Those negatives outweigh the overhead of priming and sealing enamels IMO (and I would probably prime and seal an enamel in any case...)

Another significant positive for acrylics is that they are trivially easy to push through an airbrush. With enamels, I was just constantly worried about not cleaning the airbrush enough and ruining the thing because the enamel would seal the needle/nozzle head, whereas acrylics don't have that problem. They're also not picky about how much thinner you need to add, and you can literally thin with water if you want and it acts very similarly to "proper" thinners.

 

[tsenecal]

the modern Testors is not the Testors of your childhood... the modern Testors is a subsidiary of Rostoleum, and they don't care about modelers. I do have a nearby LHS that is very responsive to modelers needs, and they are finding it harder and harder to keep all the Testors paints in stock because Testors keeps discontinuing/dropping colors.

 

[ZOMBIEREPELLENT]

Tamiya acrylics are the way to go. I went YEARS without putting a top coat or even priming them. In fact, the reason I prime now, is solely for making sure my seams are filled, and my clear coat is just to blend my decals in.

To top it off, you can wash them out of your brush with water, and if you're airbrushing you can thin them with rubbing alcohol.

It all went online. Unfortunately.

Yeah, but the main reason it went online, is due to hobby shops having awful hours, and the amount of times you go for a specific common item and they offer to order it for you for next week. In this day and age, ordering something isn't a convenience for customers.

 

[Jedi Dade]

At micheals you can get the acrylic "painters" paints and thin them with water or alcohol and us those... you can even airbrush it if you want to go nuts... its CHEAP... and you can mix darn near any color you need.

Jedi Dade

 

[Lissavi]

well, almost all went online already.

 

[edge10]

My problem with Testors is they almost never improved their product. Krylon paint goes on smooth as butter and dries quickly. Testors same old toxic stuff that doesn't apply very well.

I now use Krylon primer with Tamiya acrylics.

 

[Belugawrx]

I never prime under acrylics, unless I am going for a high gloss finish (Future floor polish at the grocery store) and need to polish, or otherwise man handle the finish.
Then I will prime with Duplicolor sandable primer (Pep Boys,..Canadian Tire, Auto Zone,...etc.)
I use the tiny Testors (enamel) paints for brush painting metallics only, these can be thinned with hardware store paint thinner.
Michaels and most Walmarts have craft smart water based paints, such as ...

As said, the number of actual brick and mortar Hobby shops have dwindled, but the resourceful modeller will find useable materials in other locations, most times for less money too !
Don't give up Zeke, get your sons into this hobby
Cheers

 

[skahtul]

My problem with Testors is they almost never improved their product. Krylon paint goes on smooth as butter and dries quickly. Testors same old toxic stuff that doesn't apply very well.

I now use Krylon primer with Tamiya acrylics.

Agreed... Those Testor paints are pretty much exactly the same as when I was a kid, which is a few years ago...

I have some good luck with their Model Master Enamels and Lacquers. I still think nothing finishes with the durability of an enamel.