I've used Model Masters and Citadel for years now, as well as Apple Barrel and others, but I bought my first bottles of Tamiya yesterday. I'm used to Model Masters' and Citadel's thin consistencies , so I'm trying to get used to the more viscous Tamiya. For you regular users: do you have any tips for me that I should be aware of?

I have noticed that's it feels really durable; similar to factory paint. How well does it hold up to wear?

I LOVE Tamiya paint. When I was doing model planes its all I would use. it is VERY durable and if I could find it anywhere other than hobby town which there is only one in a 100 mile radius of me, it is all I would use on my customs.

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My advice is stir the hell out of it with a stick before using -- shaking the bottle just doesn't cut it. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the bottle to get all the gooey goodness stirred in. Once it's mixed, it's the best stuff there is - the perfect consistency and everything. I love the stuff myself, and I'm a Model Master fan - but Tamiya is the best I've found (wish it were cheaper.)

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It is my preferred brand for most colors. Since they cater more towards modelers they have a lot of military shades perfect for Joe customizing.

For tips, mix very well like Cheif said. I shake mine but I do shake the hell out of it for like two minutes. Clean the brush every five minutes. When it dries on the brush it is almost impossible to get off. I think it is less scratch and skuff resistant than most other paints, but it still scrapes off where ever there is a lot of friction like around arms and knees.

If you like their regular paint you have to try their spray paint. Since it is for models I swear it has a lighter density that works way better with Joes. I haven't had nearly as many problems with chipping or scraping using the Tamiya spray paint then I have with any other brand. I highly reccommend giving it a try.

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Thanks, guys. I'll have to stir up the bottles when I use them. When I was trying out a couple of colors, I noticed a nice gravy skin forming on the surface, so mixing may cut down on that.

Do they have flesh tones also?

And P-luv, I'll go back to see if they have some of the spray paint. I'd like to try customizing some Transformers, and spray paint would be ideal for large areas.

I've only seen one and it is called Flesh. I tried it out on some customs and I like it better than Citadel Elf Flesh now.

Edit: Yeah, Flat Flesh like Chief says below.

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I've found one called "Flat Flesh" -- I use it as a base coat, since it covers really well, then I'll add a few different shades (other brands, sadly) on top to darken it up a bit. I'm still looking for a medium or dwarf-style flesh from Tamiya.

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Tamiya is just about all I use. Like has been said before, stir it throughly before using. I found a box of 800 "Hobby Sticks" (popcicle sticks) at a Hobby lobby for around $2 that work great to stir the paint, plus they work good to scrape the bottom which is also recommended. As for different fleshtones, I've mixed in other color to a jar flat flesh that had a little bit left in it, and got a nice, darker shade. All of the figures I'm taking to the con were painted with Tamiya.

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I absolutely LOVE tamiya...it's all I'll use anymore. Be sure to try out a few of the transparent colors....they're absolutely great once you get the hang of using them.

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I haven't used any of their bottle paints, but I love the sprays. I used their white pearl and gunmetal on Airwolf, and the only negative thing I can say is the white pearl did a pretty poor job covering grey primer. After I put a white base coat over the primer the pearl was positively luminescent. I highly recommend their stuff, if you can afford it.

Do you have to go to a model shop to buy this stuff? I have to buy more paint since my move so I am in the market for this stuff.

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So far I've only found it at HobbyTown USA.

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Hub hobby centers also carry it. Not sure where they all are, but there's two in the Mpls area. I may have to try Tamiya again. I picked up one of their yellows (in my neverending quest for a yellow paint that is both goes on smooth and coats well) and wasn't terribly impressed. But I just shook it up, and then the top fused on so I chucked it. Think I'll pick some up next time I go to the hobby store.

If you go to the Tamiya website, it has the dealer locations by state. I should have looked there and not been lazy. Two around Oklahoma City.

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My wife actually showed me a trick for that. Use a lighter or match and run it under the top while you rotate the bottle in your hand. It'll loosen right up.