Quality: While some people in the model car community prefer to use enamel, you can enjoy fantastic results when you paint your model car with acrylic. Painting scale models with acrylic usually requires starting with a coat of primer. After that, you may need to use several coats of acrylic paint to get the coverage you desire. With the right care, you can get an impressive outcome with acrylic paint.
Skill level needed: Many model car enthusiasts consider acrylic paint to be a better option for beginners. It's easy to apply, inexpensive and emits fewer harmful fumes than enamel paint. And since it's a breeze to clean up acrylic paint — you'll only need warm water or alcohol — beginners can paint with confidence. As you start painting model cars, there's bound to be some spillage or drips here and there. A little spilled acrylic paint is much more manageable than an enamel paint spill.
Soluble: Acrylic paint is water-soluble. That means you can use water to thin acrylic paint, which is useful for spraying. You'll have to mix your acrylic paint with water to get it to spray, making it safer and more environmentally friendly than chemical-soluble options. Being water-soluble also helps with cleanup, since you can use water or alcohol to clean your brushes and other tools when you finish painting for the day. Using water makes acrylic paint an easier option to manage.
Drying speed: If you want your work to dry as soon as possible after your painting session, choose acrylic paint. Acrylic paint could be dry to the touch within 10 to 15 minutes of application and finish curing within a day or so. If drying speed is essential to you, acrylic paint is your ideal option. You can worry less about accidental smudges in the hours and days after painting when you use acrylic paint.
Color selection: Since acrylic paint is water-soluble, manufacturers can create more colors, thanks to pigments' ability to dissolve more readily in water than in other substances like oil. If you plan on doing detailed work with a rainbow of colors for different designs and textures, choose acrylic paint. You'll have plenty of colors to select from for your model car painting project.
Color hold: When using acrylic for models, you should expect the color to fade a little bit over time. Acrylic paint provides excellent, long-lasting results, but the colors can lose their vibrancy as the years go by. This fading effect is more evident if you leave your model car exposed to direct sunlight. You'll have to take some extra precautions to preserve your acrylic paint's good looks, but the many benefits could make this slight shortcoming worth it.
Durability: Many people believe acrylic paint lacks durability because it is water-soluble. When it dries, acrylic paint hardens into a durable finish that offers decent protection for your model car's plastic components. Though you can wash acrylic paint off your brushes and tools with warm water, it becomes waterproof after drying. Despite this, acrylic paint may not be the best option if you plan on handling your model car after the paint dries. Human touch can remove the finish over time.
Toxicity: Since acrylic paint cures through water evaporation, it's much less toxic than enamel paint. This quality means you can use acrylic paint indoors with minimal ventilation, and you won't have to worry about any dangerous side effects from inhaling the fumes. It's always healthy to have adequate airflow in the room where you're painting your model car. But with acrylic paint, you don't have to worry about headaches or the health of your pets or other family members who might pass through as you work.
Finishes and brushstrokes: Acrylic paint will look the same way when it's dry as it does when you finish painting. You'll need to be careful to apply an even coat since acrylic paint doesn't self-level. When you use acrylic paint, you'll also have to be cautious about brushstrokes. It's easy to leave behind visible signs of the brush you used when painting with acrylic. When the paint dries, you might see the brushstrokes in the paint's finish.