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Mr Color Levelling Thinner is out across USA !


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Well, I purchased some kits from an eBay vendor in Japan.  They went through acceptance at Osaka on April 8, and have not progressed since then.  My guess is that transport between Japan and the US is being prioritized and/or limited, so that medical needs get priority.  Despite what many of us think, modeling supplies are not the highest priority items. 😃

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A lot of goods used to piggy back ride on flights, as those flights are no longer its all coming via surface mail or just sitting is distrubution hubs waiting for a flight to piggy back on.

Thats why air freight costs has gone through the roof, lack of supply.

I ordered a PE zimmerit set on 26th March, Ive not seen it yet. It was still in China 2 weeks ago, I cancelled the order as I bought it from Poland who had stocks. I bought some paint dishes from a seller on 25th April, they are showing as being at Heathrow Distribution center 34 days later so it took over a month to get it placed on a flight.

 

I know that might not seem like it links to your question but it does. The reason you cant find it in shops is the same and for the same reason.

 

Supplies of sundry items like this will get worse until the flights start again, which doesnt look like it will come any time soon

Edited by ElectroSoldier
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In the mean time I have to order Mr Color thinner and have to make do once the leveling thinner goes out. I assume the regular thinner just takes longer for the paint to dry? Dai 

Edited by dai phan
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There is also Mr. Mild Retarder, which might be easier to get.  I've never done this, but you might try adding the retarder to Mr. Color Thinner or to Tamiya Lacquer Thinner and using that to thin Mr. Color paints.  I have no idea what the ratio would be.  This is just a thought on my part, as I have not tried this.

Stacey

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11 minutes ago, zeus60 said:

There is also Mr. Mild Retarder, which might be easier to get.  I've never done this, but you might try adding the retarder to Mr. Color Thinner or to Tamiya Lacquer Thinner and using that to thin Mr. Color paints.  I have no idea what the ratio would be.  This is just a thought on my part, as I have not tried this.

Stacey

I also heard the new " Rapid Thinner" is quite sensational from a master, commissioned modeler. The issue is that it is not available in the US and shipping is VERY expensive outside the US. Dai 

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I’ve read that hardware store lacquer thinner mixed with paint retarder from a craft store is a cheap alternative to Mr Leveling Thinner. I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve seen people on other forums swear by it.
 

Ben

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8 minutes ago, Ben Brown said:

I’ve read that hardware store lacquer thinner mixed with paint retarder from a craft store is a cheap alternative to Mr Leveling Thinner. I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve seen people on other forums swear by it.
 

Ben

I know hardware store lacquer thinner will eat away the plastic into goo. I would not trust it. Dai 

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On 6/1/2020 at 6:26 AM, dai phan said:

Hi all

 

Can't find a single vendor having this to sell. What gives? dai 

 

What you're experiencing is only going to get worse.  Check out the announcement from Sprue Brothers that specifies up to 45 days beyond the normal delay for international shipping.  And that's being hopeful.  Then there's this: I ordered a kit off of Ebay that was coming from France.  Stated delivery time was April 28 - May 14 and a tracking number was provided.  Today is June 2 and the latest tracking info is that the shipment "just left France" on the 19th of May.  The shipment...which is one miserable 1/72 scale aircraft kit...is undoubtedly hung up somewhere waiting for a ride across the Atlantic.  Between covid-19, the riots and protests in various U.S. cities and governments of all varieties discovering how quiescent their various populations are, I may be lucky to see that kit by the end of the year!

 

There is a solution to the paint problem...patronize manufacturers who produce paint made entirely in the U.S.  But as far as I know, that limits you to True North and Tru-Color when it comes to shades that we commonly use.

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6 minutes ago, dai phan said:

I know hardware store lacquer thinner will eat away the plastic into goo. I would not trust it. Dai 

 

I don't know about mixing lacquer thinner with MC retarder, but you can mix lacquer thinner with enamel to accelerate drying time.  Just don't go overboard with it...meaning use only a few drops, depending on the amount of paint you're using.  I've done it for many years and have never had a problem.  Of course the lacquer/enamel mix will gel the left over paint after a few hours or days, so don't pour the left over mix back into the original bottle.  And unless you soak the plastic part in lacquer thinner, the stuff will not turn the plastic into goo.  Pure lacquer thinner will damage the surface of a part, that doesn't apply to the question of a lacquer/enamel mix.

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2 minutes ago, IPMSUSA2 said:

 

I don't know about mixing lacquer thinner with MC retarder, but you can mix lacquer thinner with enamel to accelerate drying time.  Just don't go overboard with it...meaning use only a few drops, depending on the amount of paint you're using.  I've done it for many years and have never had a problem.  Of course the lacquer/enamel mix will gel the left over paint after a few hours or days, so don't pour the left over mix back into the original bottle.  And unless you soak the plastic part in lacquer thinner, the stuff will not turn the plastic into goo.  Pure lacquer thinner will damage the surface of a part, that doesn't apply to the question of a lacquer/enamel mix.

I am very faint hearted so I just use the regular MC in th mean time :). Dai 

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I may be wrong, but aren't there some milder lacquer thinners available from auto shops that sell paint and thinners? I know there are thinners with varying degrees of "hotness".  Maybe someone knows more about this?

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27 minutes ago, Mstor said:

I may be wrong, but aren't there some milder lacquer thinners available from auto shops that sell paint and thinners? I know there are thinners with varying degrees of "hotness".  Maybe someone knows more about this?

 

You are correct.  I used to buy 3661S from auto paint shops.  Don't know if you can still get it from auto paint shops with the EPA on a VOC (volatile organic compound) rampage.  Note that you will want to check auto shops whose primary focus is body shop supplies.  That does NOT include AutoZone, O'Reilly's and Advance.  The ones focused on body shops will also mix paint and sell things like N95 masks...which you can't get at the moment.  You also might want to check independent body shops...not chain operations.  Talk nice and you might be able to buy small quantities of mild lacquer from them.

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46 minutes ago, IPMSUSA2 said:

 

You are correct.  I used to buy 3661S from auto paint shops.  Don't know if you can still get it from auto paint shops with the EPA on a VOC (volatile organic compound) rampage.  Note that you will want to check auto shops whose primary focus is body shop supplies.  That does NOT include AutoZone, O'Reilly's and Advance.  The ones focused on body shops will also mix paint and sell things like N95 masks...which you can't get at the moment.  You also might want to check independent body shops...not chain operations.  Talk nice and you might be able to buy small quantities of mild lacquer from them.

You can still get it (3661S) if you know where to look. It’s great stuff and was our go to thinner in the paint shop. 

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37 minutes ago, Charlie D. said:

You can still get it (3661S) if you know where to look. It’s great stuff and was our go to thinner in the paint shop. 

 

Thanks for the heads up.  I've used Model Master Airbrush Thinner for years, but with MM gone, I'll be needing a replacement soon.  There's only one place around here...Fort Worth...where it MAY be readily available.  I'll check it out.

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3 hours ago, IPMSUSA2 said:

 

Thanks for the heads up.  I've used Model Master Airbrush Thinner for years, but with MM gone, I'll be needing a replacement soon.  There's only one place around here...Fort Worth...where it MAY be readily available.  I'll check it out.

Pm sent 

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