What's the bestwhite paint to complete Tamiya 1/32 F-16 Thunderbir

[Jim Reagan]

What's the best white paint to finish the 1/32 scale Tamiya F-16 Thunderbird kit? Enamels can yellow so that kind of leaves acrylic or lacquer. Gunze has several whites I can spray and Tamiya also offers some options. I've searched several builds and did not see information on the paint used. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Is there a build review available with painting suggestions that I missed?

Jim Reagan

[dnl42]

I've been using MM enamels for a while now, but my favorite gloss paints are Mr Color. In this case, Mr. Color #1, gloss white. Build up coverage with very light coats; once you get coverage, apply a wet coat to get a beautiful gloss.

Be aware that Mr Color #156, super white, has a slight yellow tint to it.

[fulcrum1]

Go to the tools and tips section on here and type in gloss white in the search box.

Here's a good thread:

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=280916&st=0&p=2673594&hl=white%20gloss&fromsearch=1entry2673594

[TomcatFanatic123]

I prefer the Tamiya flat white primer and then hit it with a coat of Future (or whatever your preferred gloss coat may be).

Edited July 20, 2015 by TomcatFanatic123

[Kurt H.]

It is a total long shot, but if you happen across some Colors by Boyd Model master white, it was the whitest white, and laid down very well. It has been out of production for 4 years, but you never know what you might find.

[Joe Hegedus]

Model Master Enamel Classic White in the car color line. Thin it with lacquer thinner, spray at a relatively high pressure. Good coverage, and the nicest white finish I've seen.

Second choice would be a spray bomb of Krylon Gloss White.

[Janissary]

Hi, it is not the T-birds, but I tried something relevant to your question on an F-18C 30th anniversary:

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=258352&view=findpost&p=2495118

Looking back, I learned a lot from that experience. At the end, I got some cracks in the paint. If I were to redo it, I would do the following:

- 2 coats of Tamiya white liquid primer thinned with Mr. Color thinner.

- 2 coats of Tamiya or Hobby aqueous (H2) gloss white. I would not apply the white enamel I did in my build above.

- A coat of Future thinned with Windex (ammonia based).

To prevent cracking, you would need to wait thoroughly (say at least a day) between the paint coats and future. I did not do that (I applied future right after the white paint) and the different curing/shrinking rates I think caused the visible cracking.

Another possibility is this: I had used MM enamel white in between the primer and Gunze whites. Perhaps my Gunze white and future were not thick enough. I applied an oil wash at the very end, which might have penetrated to the enamel paint causing cracking. So, if using oil washes, I would try to avoid MM enamel altogether unless you are sure you have a robust acrylic (paint/future) coat between them.

Good luck.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Janissary

[galileo1]

Hi, it is not the T-birds, but I tried something relevant to your question on an F-18C 30th anniversary:

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=258352&view=findpost&p=2495118

Looking back, I learned a lot from that experience. At the end, I got some cracks in the paint. If I were to redo it, I would do the following:

- 2 coats of Tamiya white liquid primer thinned with Mr. Color thinner.

- 2 coats of Tamiya or Hobby aqueous (H2) gloss white. I would not apply the white enamel I did in my build above.

- A coat of Future thinned with Windex (ammonia based).

To prevent cracking, you would need to wait thoroughly (say at least a day) between the paint coats and future. I did not do that (I applied future right after the white paint) and the different curing/shrinking rates I think caused the visible cracking.

Another possibility is this: I had used MM enamel white in between the primer and Gunze whites. Perhaps my Gunze white and future were not thick enough. I applied an oil wash at the very end, which might have penetrated to the enamel paint causing cracking. So, if using oil washes, I would try to avoid MM enamel altogether unless you are sure you have a robust acrylic (paint/future) coat between them.

Good luck.

Actually, I think the cracking you experienced may have been to the Mr. Hobby Aqueous (H2) white. Those paints take longer to cure than Tamiya paints, for example. I now wait at least 48 hours to paint over them.

Rob

[markiii]

Tamiyas' instructions indicate to use TS-26 Pure White. I've used it on the 48th scale version.