With the ever-increasing environmental regulations and concerns about toxicity, many of the lacquer and enamel paints we’ve known and loved are getting harder to find and more expensive. Acrylic paints have been around for almost as long, but until recently, most still used a solvent base, at least for scale modeling. Water-based acrylics are newest to the neighborhood and are gaining popularity for being odorless, non-toxic, easy to clean up, and, above all, good performance and ease of use.
Atom is a new line of 180 water-based acrylic paint colors from Ammo. Available individually or in 33 different sets, the paints come in convenient, 20ml flip-top bottles that make dispensing easy. A mixing ball in the bottle helps, well, mix the paint. Ammo claims the Atom acrylic paints perform similarly to lacquers, so let’s find out!
Brush Painting
For my first test, I took engine parts from a Fujimi F-14 kit and brush-painted them with Burnt Iron (No. ATOM-20169), Copper (No. ATOM-20170), and Silver (No. ATOM-20164). I chose metallics because they are typically the hardest colors to brush paint. These brushed on easily straight from the bottle, covered the unprimed parts evenly, and leveled out without leaving brush marks. The metallic particles aren’t quite as fine as Alclad II, but they are smaller than those in Tamiya acrylics. To my eye, the copper looks more gold than copper.
Pleased with those results, I moved on to a larger surface. I primed a spoon and did a first pass with Bright Green (No. ATOM-20084) straight from the bottle. The first coat dried smooth, but coverage was far from adequate. I brushed on a second coat perpendicular to the first, and while the coverage was nearly there, the finish was no longer smooth. I’ll have to experiment a bit more to see if I can get better results — thinning, technique, and a different brush may all affect the outcome. For now, I’ll just stick to airbrushing a larger surface.
Airbrushing
For my airbrushing tests, I used a Paasche VL with a medium tip and air pressure dialed to 15 psi. First up was Aluminium (No. ATOM-20165) straight from the bottle. It seemed a little thick and looked somewhat splotchy going on, but it dried evenly with just a slight texture. Next, I tried Brass (No. ATOM-20173) thinned about 2:1 paint to thinner with isopropyl alcohol. It sprayed easier, covered just as well, and dried with the same light texture as the aluminum. I also tried Gunmetal (No. ATOM-20167) thinned with water and Steel (No. ATOM-20166) thinned with Mr. Leveling Thinner at the same 2:1 ratio. All seemed to perform equally well with no discernable difference in finish.
For my next couple of tests, I used a thinner mix and varied the application methods. A mix of about 1:1 with water and a mist coat followed by a heavy wet coat with little to no dry time in between had the color running off and pooling at the edges. The same 1:1 mix with Mr. Leveling Thinner and a slower buildup of color gave a nice even finish. Isopropyl alcohol had similar results with a mist coat followed by a slightly wet coat.
It seems the paint benefits from a slightly thicker mix and at least a mist coat or two before laying the color on heavier. Of course, your results may vary, so practice off your model to get the mix that works best for you.
To clean the airbrush, I flushed a color cup with water and then followed with isopropyl alcohol or lacquer thinner for a final cleanse.
Durability
Under normal handling I had no issues with the paint scratching or pulling off with masking. However, a good primer coat does go a long way to increase its resistance. I had to go pretty hard with the old thumbnail test to leave a mark in the primed parts. You probably won’t be putting decals directly on the surface of this paint anyway, but decal solutions (basically mild paint strippers) will soften the paint. I left puddles of Micro Sol, Tamiya Mark Fit (Strong) and Solvaset on the surface and could fairly easily scratch the paint under the puddle. It regained its resilience once dry and didn’t stain.
Mixing colors
With the broad range of colors in the lineup, mixing shouldn’t be much of an issue. However, if you need to, Atom paint seems to play well with others, too. I mixed it with Tamiya, Mr. Hobby, and Scale Colors acrylics and was able to successfully blend all with the Atom paint.
Clear coat
If you need to add a clear coat over your model, Atom paints accept a wide variety of top coats. The best finish I found came from Ammo Cobra Motor 2K Clear. Tamiya Clear (No. X-22) and Future floor finish both worked well, too. Tamiya Pearl Clear (No. TS-65) didn’t produce as much gloss as I would have expected, but it didn’t attack the Atom paint even though the pearl is reportedly a pretty “hot” lacquer.
Final Assessment
Easy to use and clean up, non-toxic, and an extensive range of colors; what’s not to like? Yes, there is a learning curve if you’re not used to a water-based acrylic paint, but it’s an easy hill to climb. Ammo Atom acrylic paints cover well without hiding any detail, and if you do end up making a total mess, they’ll easily strip with isopropyl alcohol. Give them a try. I think you’ll be glad you did!