Tamiya Spray PS (Polycarbonate) - safe for minis?

[Alcyon]

I'm planning on painting up some Sons of Medusa, and I was going to use the same scheme as Grey_Death from a few years ago (I've done a lot of searching, haha.) He said back then he was using Tamiya PS-8 Light Green, which is a formulation intended for polycarbonate models. From the Tamiya site: "These paints are impervious to oil and fuels, so they can be safely used on gas-powered R/C bodies. Note: Never use these paints on plastic models."

 

He didn't seem to have a problem, but I'm nervous about this; seems like it could melt the top layer of detail. The closest alternative from the Tamiya line I can find is TS-52 Candy Lime Green, which is a "synthetic acrylic lacquer" and kind of the wrong colour - I worry this might be too thick.

 

Anyone used either of these types of paints and know whether they can damage the plastic in Citadel models?

[Ovidius Incertus]

Did the person in question prime the model first before applying the paint?  Try an enamel or lacquer primer to protect your plastic, perhaps?

[Father Mehman]

You should be fine but, in saying that, I must tell you to try it out on a test model before spraying your good marines. I cannot stress this enough. I'll say it again: spray it on a test model first!

 

Here's what I know about Tamiya: they have a thinner that I was using for a while that did the job perfectly. I painted several minis utilizing the thinner and had zero problems. Now, on the flip side, I've had their thinner take off Citadel shades like water washing away dirt. Beyond that is just speculation on my part.

 

Their spray is made to go over model planes, tanks, and soldiers. Those three things are usually made of plastic so I don't know why they'd have that kind of warning on the website. But, anyway, what's the mantra? Test model first.

[Alcyon]

Grey Death used a white primer before basecoating with the spray, IIRC. I actually went to the hobby store just now and talked to the guy - he said the kind Tamiya recommends goes on glossy, whereas the polycarb version goes on matte. I imagine it'd be weird painting Citadel Paints over a glossy spray.

He said he was pretty sure it didn't melt models since it was intended for use on plastic. I trust Grey Death (and his minis look dope) so I got the PS-8 and picked up some Tamiya Light Gray Fine Surface Primer as well since it seemed like it had solid reviews and should mix well.

[Subtle Discord]

Key thing here is the 'polycarbonate' in the name of the paint. As stated it's designed for painting things like RC models so it can stick to the unique plastic of the shell/body and resit the solvent action of some of the fuels used. I got a can of flat clear to try out as final varnish before I realized that it's not quite the same as most cans of spray. I haven't used it yet, but it's likely using a stronger solvent base to carry the paint so it bonds better with the intended plastic, and styrene is not the intended plastic, so it might be a bit aggressive to it.

 

That said, I suspect that if you use it carefully it'll work fine, but even I'm going to use a test miniature to check the effects before I commit something more valuable. Odds re it'll be fine, but it's no hassle to do a test to be safe.