Has anyone used enamel (Humbrol) for repainting?, the reason I ask is I have over 150 Humbrol model paints that are about 30+ years old and 90% have never been opened.

Dose the enamel paint in general react with the plastic models.

Should be fine but I would advise testing them. Paint a small bit of of the enamel on the bottom of a ship and wait for it to dry completely then check to make sure there was no reaction.

Also, if those pots of Humbrol are 30+ years old...they are going to need a massive shaking or stirring (hopefully they are still good).

Personally I wouldn't touch enamels with a barge pole. Acrylics just go on smoother, are easier to work with and get better results. But that just my opinion.

Years ago I had a similar issue; loads of Humbrols from my childhood and Warhammer models to paint.

My short reply; don't bother. Buy new acrylics. Enamels are far too much hard work, water based is soo much easier to work with, and in my opinion give a far better result. I switched right over after borrowing a few paints off a mate and seeing the difference.

RoV

Years ago I had a similar issue; loads of Humbrols from my childhood and Warhammer models to paint.

My short reply; don't bother. Buy new acrylics. Enamels are far too much hard work, water based is soo much easier to work with, and in my opinion give a far better result. I switched right over after borrowing a few paints off a mate and seeing the difference.

RoV

Yep, Rat my thoughts exactly after trialling the enamels. A lot of prep work with awesome petrochemical smells and acrylic can give better results.

I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your enamel.

The thinners is strong in this one.

Actually I've been using Humbrol enamels for nearly forty years, and I've only recently started having issues with them. It seems they've changed their formula and now once you've opened a tin, you've got about half a dozen uses before it starts going off. It goes thick and goopy and becomes unusable.

My only problem is the amount of stuff I've got that's been already done with certain colours that I can't match with other brands. Other than that, there's nothing wrong with using enamels on X-wing models. It's specifically designed for plastic.