Tamiya NATO Green vs Citadel Castellan Green

[Thomoski]

Howdy all, I've been looking to pick up quite a few tanks for my new IG army, and while I can live with brush applying bases to individual models, tanks are a bit much. I don't really have the space or environment for a proper airbrush setup, so was looking for something suitable in a spray can. Some Google-fu has yielded Tamiya NATO Green, a very similar shade of green to Castellan (the colour of choice for my units). Some of my searches produced some results mentioning some potential issues with the paint however, particularly in regards to how well it takes citadel washes. Has anyone had any experience with these sprays? Are they any good/is there any quirks I should be wary of before applying to models? 

[Kierdale]

I often use Tamiya sprays and I personally have never had a problem with them. I often use the matt black, deck tan and there is a colour very similar to death world forest.

I’m out of the moment but let me check what series they are. Tamiya do make various types some of which you might not want to use.

 

Checked: I use TS6 matt black, and TS68 wooden deck tan, and haven’t had any issues.

 

As with any spray paint helps to warm it a little and shake it far more than you think you might need to.

[RWJP]

I've used Tamiya TS-61 NATO Green spray on one of my Chimeras as a test and it is an EXTREMELY close match to Castellan Green. Worth noting that the pot version XF-67 NATO Green does not match either TS-61 or Castellan Green. I've only done recess shading on my Chimera rather than an all over wash and that seemed to work fine. I had to put on a couple of coats of the shade to get the look I wanted.

In terms of things to be aware of:

Tamiya spray is expensive as hell and makes GW sprays look cheap. TS-61 comes in a 100ml Can for about £6.25 here in the UK, compared to GW sprays being in 400ml Cans for around £12.

I found the can needed an extremely vigorous shake, and even after that, I still had some paint separation issues. When spraying you need to apply very light coats as if the paint pools it seems to separate before it dries, meaning you get brown blotches, usually in recesses.

Tamiya Spray cans also have a habit of spitting/sputtering when they start getting low. So once you've used them for a while and think you're getting near the end, test them against a spare piece of card to see if they spit blobs of paint out as this can cause real issues on your model!

[Thomoski]

I've used Tamiya TS-61 NATO Green spray on one of my Chimeras as a test and it is an EXTREMELY close match to Castellan Green. Worth noting that the pot version XF-67 NATO Green does not match either TS-61 or Castellan Green. I've only done recess shading on my Chimera rather than an all over wash and that seemed to work fine. I had to put on a couple of coats of the shade to get the look I wanted.

 

In terms of things to be aware of:

 

Tamiya spray is expensive as hell and makes GW sprays look cheap. TS-61 comes in a 100ml Can for about £6.25 here in the UK, compared to GW sprays being in 400ml Cans for around £12.

 

I found the can needed an extremely vigorous shake, and even after that, I still had some paint separation issues. When spraying you need to apply very light coats as if the paint pools it seems to separate before it dries, meaning you get brown blotches, usually in recesses.

 

Tamiya Spray cans also have a habit of spitting/sputtering when they start getting low. So once you've used them for a while and think you're getting near the end, test them against a spare piece of card to see if they spit blobs of paint out as this can cause real issues on your model!

Yeah, it was the TS series that I was looking into, and the cost was mentioned as well. Personally, the price is worth it as its less time intensive than gradually applying ultra thin coats by brush and the price of airbrushing so it sounds good for me. They sound a lot more complicated, but something that just a bit of practice should help with. Good to know about the washes, I don't tend to dip models in nuln oil, but they often do get fairly decent washes. 

 

Thanks for the advice! 

[Imren]

I use Tamiya paints regularly with airbrush. They are the smoothest acrylic paint I know, they can be stretched much more than regular water based acrylics (GW, Vallejo, P3, Scale75 etc) when thinned for gradients/highlighting.

 

I strongly recommend you to get into airbrushing in general but much more so for painting vehicles.

[MithrilForge]

I have used tamiya sprays and can also say it will take a couple passes to get the right amount of wash to Cling to the paint.

when base coating with them i always find sitting the can in not too hot water for 5 mins before shaking and spraying and it goes on smooth as the proverbial... 

Tamya sprays seem to lay down a bit like the new undercoat  sprays for contrast... 

good luck with your spraying!! 

 

Cheers, Mithril

[Lovecraft0110]

I use Tamiya paints regularly with airbrush. They are the smoothest acrylic paint I know, they can be stretched much more than regular water based acrylics (GW, Vallejo, P3, Scale75 etc) when thinned for gradients/highlighting.

 

I strongly recommend you to get into airbrushing in general but much more so for painting vehicles.

Hear, hear! Not only that, but of you use their lacquer thinner, the benefits multiply!