Jeff, KV,
This is actually Ivory, as I find straight white sooooo harsh and clinical
.
It was a choice of white, ivory or buff. White was too clean, buff was too yellow, and since I couldn't be bothered to mix some up, and then try and match it later, I plummeted for the midle ground, Ivory (or dirty white).
Still doesn't solve the need for multiple coats, but hey....
KV? Dad? Dad, the dentist wants my fangs, make him stop dad
My favorite paints for toy soldiers are still the old Pactra line, which, I think, was bought by Testors. They came in jars of maybe an ounce-the jars were about 1.5 inches tall. Those colors went on smooth, cleaned up with water, and had great intensity. I still have a couple jars, a royal blue that is good for Prussians, 2 different greens for toy soldier bases, and a nice yellow that is good for the base color of flags.
They had a green that was perfect for German Jaeger uniforms, it matched the color of Loden cloth, and also a Grenzschuetz tunic that I have. When I finally ran out, I couldn't find a match. The closest that I've been able to get has been Tamiya flat green, which I must then cover with Future to get the gloss finish.
Haven't tried Humbrol or Polly Scale, but then, I don't think the hobby shop that I used to go to (Penn Valley Hobbies, Lansdale PA, still in business and on the Web) stocked them.
I use:
Model Master, flats and gloss, they've always gone on well, and I can use them both for metal figures, and plastic and resin scale models
Testor's enamels in the square glass bottles, but with the problems noted previously, some colors tend to dry out quickly, others last forever
Tamiya, flats and gloss, with the problem with the gloss white as noted previously.
Gunze-Sangyo, from Japan. I have their gloss gold, which separates in the jar like the Testor's copper, but comes back with stirring. Also use some shades of brown, and a pink for SYW uniform details. These are also strong and vibrant in their colors, I've found.
I also have a palette of Schminke Mussini oils, which I bought to use and learn how to work with oils. I've wound up using them more to make washes for scale models.
For primer, I use generic automotive primer. The best that I've had has been the off-brand sold at WalMart. For me, it's always worked very well, very finely grained, but with good "tooth", both in how it holds to the surface, and in the surface it gives the top coats. I've used Rustoleum's primer, too, but found that it was a little thick, for my taste. I keep that now for larger projects, like sprucing up my patio furniture for the summer.
Prosit!
Brad
