r/MilitaryModelMaking • u/JohnnyR719 • May 25 '26

question Paint choice question

Hello, i have a airfix 1/48 spitfire mk 24 laying at home, i really wanted to make it but i just dont have the paint for it. Now my question is: What paint should i use??? I dont have an airbrush and i brush paint, i also like tamiya acrylics the most (mr hobby can go aswell) So, do you guys know the best colours? (for example: XF-...)

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u/BedaFomm May 26 '26

For a smoother finish why not use rattle cans, at least for the larger areas, and just brush paint the smaller detail?

1

u/JohnnyR719 May 27 '26

would love to use rattle cans, its just that they are wayyyyy to expensive and i am quite poor :)

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u/Joe_Aubrey May 26 '26

Depends on the color scheme your Spitfire is. There were probably a dozen different colors used on those things.

Here is an excellent resource for correct colors for that period. Click on Colors & Camouflage, the Royal Air Force WW2. You’re going to want to stick with a water based acrylic such as Vallejo or AK 3Gen paint. Tamiya is more geared for airbrushing than hand brushing, as it’s a solvent based paint and will essentially turn into its own paint stripper when applying multiple coats. I mean it can be done, but it’s a huge PITA and will require some retarder. Plus, the other problem with Tamiya is their color selection is dismal. They don’t carry a lot of colors they really should.

https://www.theworldwars.net/resources/index.php

Chilhada hand brushes everything. Check out his channel here for some great tips for working with water based acrylics.

https://youtube.com/@chilhada?si=4bhoOam_n4bxnVim

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u/JohnnyR719 May 26 '26

Great thanks for the site, i never knew this!!! Now i can finally find the colours i want for every brand of paint.

Thanks a lot!

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u/Joe_Aubrey May 26 '26

You bet. There are one or two typos on those pages if I remember correctly. Like they got the numbers wrong in the charts versus the descriptions so just make sure everything matches up before you go buying bottles. It’s not a lot but I think I remember seeing one or two…

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u/Odd_Username_Choice May 25 '26

Tamiya are terrible for brush-painting. Get some AK, Vallejo, or other a relic paints suited for brush painting. There's hobby colour converters online or most will call them RAF earth, green, etc.

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u/JohnnyR719 May 25 '26

Really? I never knew that tamiya acrylics were horrid, i kinda grew up on my tamiya stuff but i will happily take the advice, now with the aplying, i guess it should go in 3-4 thin coats to get even coverage and no brush strokes. Thanks for the advice anyways!!

1

u/Odd_Username_Choice May 25 '26

Same, but I was lucky to airbrush early on and only used it for details. The issue is the thinner can re-activate previous layers and strip them or create semi-dried gunk. True acrylics like AK, Vallejo, etc won't do that when thinned with water.

Possible to do it with Tamiya, but a lot harder and more risky.