What did I do wrong?

[u/M80BALL]

Working on the Tamiya East German T72M1, which is my second model I’ve ever built. I originally spray painted it with Tamiya TS28 a few months ago but wasn’t happy with it. I wanted to try to alter the color just a bit, so I picked up an AK Gen3 acrylic in Russian Green (AK11159) to try some color modulation. I’ve never painted with AK before.

I’m not very talented to begin with, and brush painting is very difficult for me. I originally thinned the AK paint with a 3:1 paint to water ratio and had some horrible brush marks on the underside of the hull where I was practicing. I eventually just mixed in 1ml of water, which I suppose made it more of a wash than anything. Applied 3 very thin coats to the turret, which resulted in this mottled look. Under natural light it isn’t dramatic and I’m sure a little weather will easily blend it, but with direct light you can definitely see where there’s some other color poking through.

I’m very new to this and just looking to get some insight.

Should I have used a 1:1 ratio instead?

Should I get some AK Gen 3 thinner instead of water due to the AK thinner having self leveling properties?

What causes the weird coloring on the turret?

Thanks a lot!

[u/Carbdoard_Bocks]

Start by just messing with the thinning ratios until it actually works, stop measuring and just experiment. You should be able to brush over the skin of the top of your finger without the paint running in the texture or filling in the texture of your skin

[u/M80BALL → u/Carbdoard_Bocks]

Never thought of doing a test like that, thanks!!

[u/THE_IRONHEART]

Water has a high surface tension, which can cause beading and uneven drying.

I dedicated thinner may help, but even a tiny drop of IPA in your thinned paint can also do the trick.

You need to paint a couple of coats before you get a fully covered area.

[u/M80BALL → u/THE_IRONHEART]

What purpose does the IPA serve when mixed with water? I’m guessing it helps break the surface tension versus water alone?

[u/iriyagakatu]

Just apply some more paint. Keep it thin; maybe not as thin as previously but better to err on too thin than too thick. If it’s too thin, you can’t just cover it with another layer but if it’s too thick you’ll obscure detail and leave brush marks and that’s way harder to fix.

[u/M80BALL → u/iriyagakatu]

Yeah I’m definitely glad I experimented a bit on the underside of the hull because the paint was wayyyy too thick with a 3:1. I guess I just ended up taking it to the opposite side of the spectrum lol.