Tamiya panel line accent question

[atomicholiday]

I’m a big fan of this stuff. I also really like Vallejo Metal Color acrylic for detail painting. Here’s my problem.



Applying the panel line accent over the Vallejo works fine. But frequently, I need to go back over it with a thinner to tone down the effect. I was told to use enamel thinner for this.

The enamel thinner can easily remove the Vallejo too though, and that’s a problem.

Is there a better way to clean up excess Tamiya panel line accent, without removing the Vallejo acrylic? Or should I coat the acrylic with something before applying the Tamiya? 

By the way,  I'm not using it for car panel lines.   This is more in reference to use as a weathering tool to add grime to engines and chassis. 

[reserve]

Having had this same problem I switched to AK washes. Once the base layer is sealed with a clear acrylic the AK washes, which are enamel base, clean up very easily with a brush damp with a bit of thinner. I found the Tammy stuff to need much more aggresive cleanup which would lift my pain also

[eaglecash867]

Using Flory washes is the way I dealt with that dilemma. You remove the excess for those using just plain old water in a damp sponge.

[stikpusher]

Very odd that paint thinner removed an acrylic paint. How long did you let the Vallejo dry before you went at the wash removal?

[dupes]

I like Vallejo Metal Color (a lot), but it's pretty fragile. Decal setting solutions do a number on it. I always clearcoat before putting anything on top of it.

[atomicholiday]

reserve and eaglecash867 - hey guys, thanks for the tips.  I think I'll pick one of each of those and give them a shot.  I've heard good things about about the AK stuff.  Looking forward to trying it out.  I have not heard of Flory before, but I like the idea of being able to clean it up / tone it down with water.  


stikpusher - I think I painted the part in question at least three months ago.  Here's a little more info.  I didn't notice much of a problem on the transmission.  It was mainly on the intake manifold that I saw an issue.  The big difference between the two is that the I used the Metal Color over primer on the transmission whereas the intake was painted onto bare plastic.  That's one thing I think I'll change in the future.  Metal color looks great and covers better over primer.  I can usually get away with one coat and it works perfect.  Over bare plastic it usually takes a few coats to get coverage, and still doesn't look quite as nice.  As a side note, applied the Vallejo with a brush on both areas.  Works really well if you apply it almost like dry brushing.







dupes - that was something else I was considering trying.  Maybe a coating of future prior to weathering?

Thanks everyone for your input.  Much appreciate gentlemen!

[stikpusher]

Vallejo can have poor adhesion on bare plastic, so that is likely the cause of your bad interaction. If applied over a good primer, and allowed plenty of time to dry and cure, you shouldn’t have any issues with it coming off due to handling and dissimilar layer weathering.