Paints?

[shoes]

I just purchased my first HMM zoid.  I see that there are colors in the back of the instructions to paint the model.  What paints do you guys use to make the right colors?  Thanks,

[vishus]

I know quite a few Zoiders swear by Tamiya paints.

[Leon35]

I think it would be more useful to know actually where we could buy Koto paints. I still can't find it.

[Falcarius]

I'm not sure Kotobukiya even sells paints. The colour guides Kotobukiya (and Dengeki Hobby, and even History of Zoids) provide are mostly based on the Mr. Color brand by GSI Creos, but you might have trouble finding those outside Japan.

[greengai]

Hobbytown USA sells Mr. Color.
And Testors, Gaia, Tamiya, Model Masters, SpazStix, Alclad and so on. Mind you, the selection will be best for airbrushes, followed by aerosol/rattle cans. The acrylic/tube selection is small compared to other craft & paint stores but I wouldn't recommend acrylic for much other than drybrushed effects on models anyway.

[LoveGame]

Heard mixed opinions on acrylics, but I ended up buying DecoArt Americana acrylic paint and it worked surprisingly well! Although I'd only recommend it if you want a "matte" look; if you want a metallic style, go for something else.

[panzerparrot]

Apr 19, 2016 4:16:58 GMT -5 LoveGame said:

Heard mixed opinions on acrylics, but I ended up buying DecoArt Americana acrylic paint and it worked surprisingly well! Although I'd only recommend it if you want a "matte" look; if you want a metallic style, go for something else.

DecoArt Americana paints are, to be bluntly honest, cheap craft paint and not suitable for models. It will peel/chip off easily and not adhere to the plastic like model paints will. Craft paint just isn't formulated for this sort of thing. And I don't think it's designed to last for years either.

[LoveGame]

Apr 19, 2016 5:40:04 GMT -5 panzerparrot said:

Apr 19, 2016 4:16:58 GMT -5 LoveGame said:

Heard mixed opinions on acrylics, but I ended up buying DecoArt Americana acrylic paint and it worked surprisingly well! Although I'd only recommend it if you want a "matte" look; if you want a metallic style, go for something else.

DecoArt Americana paints are, to be bluntly honest, cheap craft paint and not suitable for models. It will peel/chip off easily and not adhere to the plastic like model paints will. Craft paint just isn't formulated for this sort of thing. And I don't think it's designed to last for years either.

Admittedly I only chose it because the color I was looking for was hard to find on its own, and living where I do my options are fairly limited outside of online ordering. I wasn't expecting it to be great either, but like I said, it turned out more or less how I wanted it to. I'll give it time and see if it starts to come off or something, but my next repaint likely won't demand such a specific color, so I could easily get something of higher quality online.

[panzerparrot]

Apr 19, 2016 18:13:38 GMT -5 LoveGame said:

Admittedly I only chose it because the color I was looking for was hard to find on its own, and living where I do my options are fairly limited outside of online ordering. I wasn't expecting it to be great either, but like I said, it turned out more or less how I wanted it to. I'll give it time and see if it starts to come off or something, but my next repaint likely won't demand such a specific color, so I could easily get something of higher quality online.

A coat or two of sealant will help protect it but on a chemical level it's not going last. Craft paint use low quality pigments that are prone to fading.
Megahobby.com has a lot of model paints if you want to look online that's where I get my paint. Purple isn't a popular model paint color, the only dark purples I've come across were gloss but a matte clear coat would dull it down.
And in case anyone is looking for Mr Color paint, GundamPlanet.com is a US-based store that sells it.

[LoveGame]

Apr 20, 2016 5:34:00 GMT -5 panzerparrot said:

Apr 19, 2016 18:13:38 GMT -5 LoveGame said:

Admittedly I only chose it because the color I was looking for was hard to find on its own, and living where I do my options are fairly limited outside of online ordering. I wasn't expecting it to be great either, but like I said, it turned out more or less how I wanted it to. I'll give it time and see if it starts to come off or something, but my next repaint likely won't demand such a specific color, so I could easily get something of higher quality online.

A coat or two of sealant will help protect it but on a chemical level it's not going last. Craft paint use low quality pigments that are prone to fading.
Megahobby.com has a lot of model paints if you want to look online that's where I get my paint. Purple isn't a popular model paint color, the only dark purples I've come across were gloss but a matte clear coat would dull it down.
And in case anyone is looking for Mr Color paint, GundamPlanet.com is a US-based store that sells it.

I gotchu fam I gotchu. If I ever get my hands on another Mk. II (maybe I'll track down the HMM?) I'll search far and wide for a good dark purple. My next one is looking like it's gonna be either pink or crimson/maroon and I found some of that in the Tamiya brand online. I think that might be up my alley.