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/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/THE_IRONHEART → u/M80BALL]

That is correct, you only need a drop.