Best Model Building Paints for Metal of 2025
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For hobbyists and professionals alike, model building is a rewarding and creative pastime that requires attention to detail and a steady hand. One crucial aspect of model building is the application of paint, which can make or break the final product. That's where model building paints for metal come in. These specially designed paints are formulated to adhere to metal surfaces without flaking, chipping or fading over time. With a wide range of colours and finishes available, they offer endless possibilities for customising and enhancing your models. Whether you're building a scale replica of your favourite car or constructing a miniature version of a historical monument, model building paints for metal can bring your creations to life.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
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Top 10 Model Building Paints for Metal
Humbrol No 33 Black Matt Enamel Paint
The Humbrol Black Matt Paint is a versatile, solvent-based enamel ideal for model enthusiasts like you. It provides a durable finish that enhances the details of your Airfix models, whether you're crafting aircraft, ships, or vehicles. This trusted brand offers excellent coverage and is easy to use, ensuring your models look pristine. Additionally, the paint is suitable for various materials, including plastic, metal, wood, glass, and ceramics, giving you the flexibility to tackle any hobby project.
Vallejo Model Air Gun Metal Acrylic Paint
The Vallejo Gun Metal Paint is a water-based acrylic paint that offers excellent convenience for model builders. Housed in a 17 ml eyedropper bottle, it allows for easy dispensing, giving you precise control over your application. As a non-toxic and non-flammable product, it ensures a safe painting experience. Additionally, the paint is pre-thinned, allowing you to airbrush directly from the bottle without the need for additional thinning, making your painting process smoother and more efficient.
Humbrol No 85 Black Satin Acrylic Paint
The Humbrol Black Satin Paint is an ideal choice for model enthusiasts seeking versatility and quality. This solvent-based paint delivers a durable finish, perfect for enhancing models like aircraft, ships, and vehicles. You will appreciate its reliable coverage, ensuring your models look pristine. Additionally, the paint can be used on various surfaces including plastic, metal, wood, glass, and ceramics, making it a great addition to your crafting toolkit. With a quick drying time of 1-2 hours, it allows for efficient project completion.
Humbrol No 22 White Gloss Acrylic Paint
Humbrol No 22 Paint is a versatile, solvent-based acrylic paint designed for model enthusiasts. It provides a durable and high-quality finish, perfect for enhancing your Airfix models. With excellent coverage, this paint ensures your projects look pristine and professional. The gloss dropper bottle is easy to use and dries hard in just 1-2 hours, making it convenient for your crafting needs across various materials like plastic, metal, wood, glass, and ceramics.
Humbrol No 32 Dark Grey Matt Paint
The Humbrol Dark Grey Paint is an excellent choice for model enthusiasts seeking a high-quality finish. Its versatile, solvent-based formula ensures durability, making it perfect for plastic, metal, wood, glass, and ceramics. This paint is particularly useful for enhancing the details of Airfix models, providing a smooth and professional appearance for your aircraft, ships, or vehicles. With excellent coverage and ease of use, this hobby paint guarantees your models will look pristine and polished.
Humbrol No 201 Black Metallic Enamel Paint
Humbrol Black Metallic Paint is an excellent choice for model enthusiasts seeking a durable and high-quality finish. This versatile enamel paint is perfect for enhancing the details of your Airfix models, ensuring a smooth, professional look. Its reliable coverage makes it easy to use on various surfaces, including plastic, metal, wood, and glass. With a drying time of around 10 days, you can achieve a pristine finish that will elevate your model-building projects.
The Army Painter Warpaints Metallics Paint Set
The Warpaints Metallics Paint Set offers exceptional coverage and a stunning shine, perfect for creating realistic armour and weaponry. Its specialised blend enhances shimmer and coverage, ensuring that your miniatures stand out. With a range of metallic shades included, you can easily find the right colour for your project, or mix to create your desired metallic hue. This set is a must-have for hobbyists, providing the tools you need to elevate your miniature painting game.
Humbrol No 16 Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint
Humbrol No 16 Gold is a versatile, solvent-based paint ideal for model enthusiasts. It provides a durable and high-quality finish, enhancing the details of your Airfix models. You will appreciate how easily it applies, ensuring a smooth, professional look for your aircraft, ships, or vehicles. Plus, the paint offers excellent coverage on various surfaces like plastic, metal, and wood, catering to all your hobby crafting needs.
Humbrol No 10 Service Brown Enamel Paint
The Humbrol Service Brown Paint is an excellent choice for model enthusiasts seeking a high-quality finish. This versatile enamel paint is ideal for enhancing the details of your Airfix models, ensuring a smooth and professional look. It offers excellent coverage on various surfaces, including plastic, metal, wood, glass, and ceramics, making it perfect for all your hobby crafting needs. With a quick drying time and durable results, you can achieve pristine models that impress.
Humbrol Matt Spray Paint No 155 Olive Drab
The Humbrol Matt Spray Paint is a solvent-based, fast-drying solution that dries within 15-30 minutes, making it ideal for modelers of all skill levels. You can use it on various surfaces including plastic, wood, and metal, providing versatility for your creative projects. This professional-grade paint ensures a smooth and flawless finish, enhancing the quality of your model kits. Additionally, it comes in a variety of popular colours and finishes, allowing you to achieve the desired look for your crafting needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does model paint work on metal?
If the container identifies “for metal” somewhere on its label, you can use either water-based acrylic paint or oil-based paint. Paints that are oil-based take longer to dry, and they require a paintbrush that won't shed during application, so they need a high-quality paintbrush.
2. What kind of paint do you use on metal miniatures?
Once the figures are clean and dry, apply a thin base coating of an appropriate undercoat. This will adhere to metal and allow you to paint on top with acrylic paints. Allow the miniature to dry in a dust-free environment.
3. What kind of paint is used in metal?
Oil-based paints are the most durable. You'll achieve a more uniform finish if you first apply an oil-based primer (e.g., Rust-Oleum Clean Metal Primer, $8.98 per quart on Amazon). However, you can apply oil paint directly to metal because it contains no water, and therefore there's so no risk of rust.
During our model building paint for metal research, we found 115 model building paint for metal products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 79,770 customer reviews through our big data system to write the model building paints for metal list. We found that most customers choose model building paints for metal with an average price of £3.47.
The model building paints for metal are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of model building paints for metal, including Humbrol, Vallejo, The Army Painter.
Edward's family owns a retail store in Edinburgh for toys and games. He grew up taking a very active part in the family's business. Edward earned his first income from writing web content on a toy related gig for an online company. When he was 18, he took over from his father, and since then, he has been in charge and management of the store and several others around England.