Paints
Humbrol, founded in Hull in 1919, makes hobby paint for modellers. The range here splits by chemistry: water-based Acrylic and solvent-based Enamel, with Aerosol Spray ranged separately. All of it is made for plastic kits first and applies best in two thin coats.
Model paints: water-based or solvent-based?
Acrylic thins with water, most colours are hard-dry within 1 to 2 hours, and clean-up is water while the paint is wet. Enamel is slower to cure, resilient for outdoor use, and thinned and cleaned with Enamel Thinners. If the model will be handled often or kept outside, enamel earns its longer wait.
Hobby paint: spray, brush or airbrush
Aerosol Spray lays down colour without a brush: 150ml aerosols sprayed from at least 25cm, two thin coats, first coat hard-dry before the second. Brush painting works across the whole range with standard paint brushes. For an airbrush, thin either paint at a 2:1 ratio with its matching thinner.
Choosing paint for plastic models
Every Humbrol paint line is made for plastic kits, and covers resin, metal, wood, glass, cardboard and ceramics besides. Start with a primer coat for adhesion and a smoother finish, and seal the finished work with a varnish matched to the paint underneath. The wider Humbrol shop carries the weathering and tools that follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paint do I need for a plastic model kit?
Any of the Humbrol paint lines: the choice is workflow, not compatibility. Pick Acrylic for water clean-up and a re-coat within hours, Enamel for outdoor resilience, or Aerosol Spray to cover without a brush. Whichever you choose, prime first and build the colour in two thin coats, letting the first hard-dry.
Do Humbrol paints work on materials other than plastic?
Yes. Alongside kit plastics and resin, the paints cover metal, glass, wood, cardboard and ceramics, and take to plaster and hardboard once those are sealed. The substrate list is the same across Acrylic, Enamel and Aerosol Spray, so you can keep one finish across mixed materials on the same build.
Can you airbrush Humbrol modelling paints?
Yes, with a thinner matched to the paint's chemistry: water for Acrylic, Enamel Thinners for Enamel, mixed at a 2:1 ratio of paint to thinner. Flush the airbrush with the same thinner straight after the session, before the paint dries inside it.