Model Railroad Paint

[nachoman]

Floquil changed from being a lacquer thinned paint to one that can be thinned with regular mineral spirits. That happened in the early 1990s. The primary advantage (to me) is that it will no longer attack plastic, and that it stinks less. I usually paint outdoors, so the odor is not a problem to me. Acrylic paints are becoming the standard. Some like them, others don't like them. I used to hate them for airbrushing, but the last time I airbrushed with polly scale acrylic, it came out great. Obviously, the acrylic paints have improved since the 1990s. For brush painting I get decent results with polly scale and testors model master acrylic. For airbrushing, I still prefer floquil. My experience is that the newer formulation of floquil is just as good as, if not better than the old formulation. I can't say anything about the color availability, though. For hobby acrylics, I would say they are at least twice as good as they were when they first started becoming available in the late 1980s. Perhaps my painting techniques have improved, but I can definitely say the quality of paint has not diminished. Again, I can't comment on color availability.

As for the change in formulation - I can tell you as someone who has worked in the groundwater testing industry the reduction in VOCs and heavy metals from paints is a VERY good thing. That is one issue where what your neighbor does can and will affect your health. The government is not just protecting you from yourself, but from your neighbors carelessness, from the dry cleaners down the street, or the semiconductor plant a few miles away. I have pumped water out of wells that smelled worse than oven cleaner, when only a few parts per billion is enough to greatly increase cancer risks or birth defects. You may think you are harming nobody but yourself, but if your neighbor decides to paint their car themselves and dump the solvent on the ground, and you have a private well - there is a likelihood you will be drinking it in a few months.