Testing the New -ATOM- Paints | Water-based Acrylics Meet Lacquers?

Today we will be reviewing a brand new line of paints for 2024: Ammo by Mig's new ATOM line of water-based acrylics. These paints aim to bring the benefits of lacquers in a non-toxic water-based formula.
Pros:
They spray very well, have good coverage, great atomization.
Durable when applied over primer.
Fine lines were easy without much fine-tuning; not finicky like other water-based paints.
Compatible with alcohol and lacquer thinners for airbrushing or cleaning.
They have the same colour when applied by brush and airbrush, which is great for touch-up work.
No issues with "tip dry"/no paint building up on the nozzle during painting -- forgot to mention that in the video.
Cons:
They are only available in 12-packs for ~$36; I think they should be sold individually too.
Not as good as actual lacquers.
Not durable on an unprimed surface.
The ATOM paints are the best water-based acrylic I've ever airbrushed. I would highly recommend painting them only over primed models to help with adhesion. It was key to thin them around 50-60% with thinner (I used A.MIG-2000) and spray at 28 psi. For fine lines 80% thinner, 22 psi. Note the exact ratios and pressures may be different for you due to different air temperature, pressure, humidity, airbrush, etc.
I will personally stick with my lacquers, but if you only spray water-based paints due to health/ventilation issues, these are something I would consider.
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DISCLAIMER: I am not paid to promote any specific products or brands; I just use the products I find work best for me through my experiences. There is no reason for me to promote a bad product, as then I would not enjoy using it, not like the result on my model, and not be proud of publicizing it in a video. There's also no point in me doing this to keep up relations with a company if the only benefit would be getting more of the same products that I didn't like. I have not used every product out there, but from what I have used, I keep using the products I like, and that's why I use them in my videos. You can use whatever other products you would like to and you can feel that they are better - that is your opinion, and is perfectly fine by me, thus I hope that feeling is reciprocated.

[@Panzermeister36]

Apparently it is very controversial that I sprayed these paints at ~28 psi through a 0.3 airbrush. Well, currently where I live it is very very cold and very very dry. I need 22 psi to airbrush Tamiya lacquers thinned >60% with MLT. In the summer I can spray those below 15 psi. With a different airbrush and different conditions, you should be able to spray the ATOM below 20 psi. I literally showed spraying them at 22 psi in the video. This is why I often hesitate to give specific details on exactly what pressure and thinner ratios I use, because I get comments from someone saying they did exactly what I did and it didn't work. Your airbrush itself, the local air pressure, temperature, humidity etc. will all mean you have to fine-tune your paint slightly. I'm giving a baseline. This hobby always requires trial and error and learning for each modeler.

[@rs.p]

Apologies to you Evan for the unpleasantness I caused behind the scenes. That was a private comment, not meant for anything outside a locker room type of chat, and have no idea how it got grabbed and shared in such a manner. I am sorry to you personally if this caused undo concern and harm to you in any way. The entirety of the comments were deleted and I posted a private apology to my Discord, as well. It was unprofessional and said in poor taste, and regret saying it -- I wish you the best with your hobby endeavors. I spent time watching the entire video and you do a very thorough and complete review of AMMO's newest paint. I also agree 100% with the above post on airbrushing, as it is very reliant upon one's setup equipment and region/season.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you for the apology Mike. Let's leave it at that. And that goes for other peoples' future comments below this too... I try to keep it respectful on this channel.

[@Shart_Farley89]

@@rs.p O muh lord. If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all like real talk...

[@Kwebb922]

@@rs.p Really disappointed in you Mike. For someone that was a role model to me in the hobby you should know better..

[@dukemodels8922]

I think the issue might have been that you say "that's required for water-based pains" instead of "that's what I need to make water-based paints work where I live" or something similar. I was genuinely shocked when I heard you saying that, as a matter of fact 😅. I was going to point it out before I read your post. 😉

[@Panzermeister36]

In summary of my review: Pros: They spray very well, have good coverage, great atomization. Durable when applied over primer. Fine lines were easy without much fine-tuning; not finicky like other water-based paints. Compatible with alcohol and lacquer thinners for airbrushing or cleaning. They have the same colour when applied by brush and airbrush, which is great for touch-up work. No issues with "tip dry"/no paint building up on the nozzle during painting -- forgot to mention that in the video. Cons: They are only available in 12-packs for ~$36; I think they should be sold individually too. Not as good as actual lacquers. Not durable on an unprimed surface. The ATOM paints are the best water-based acrylic I've ever airbrushed. I would highly recommend painting them only over primed models to help with adhesion. It was key to thin them around 50-60% with thinner (I used A.MIG-2000) and spray at 28 psi. For fine lines 80% thinner, 22 psi. Note the exact ratios and pressures may be different for you due to different air temperature, pressure, humidity, airbrush, etc. I will personally stick with my lacquers, but if you only spray water-based paints due to health/ventilation issues, these are something I would consider.

[@TheSeanBampton]

Which airbrush were you using and what was your needle size?

[@Panzermeister36]

Badger Khrome with a 0.33mm nozzle as I understand. Maybe 0.30mm.

[@tomoconnell4235]

Thank you for the review. I am a model railroader who custom weathers equipment for clients. I use mainly Tamiya and Vallejo Arcylics along with Pan Pastels due to the smell of lacquers. I’ve been looking for something different and this review convinces me to order some. Thank you

[@georgewelch2366]

As usual for a review from you,Evan, a thoughtful and complete review, listing both the positive and less than positive attributes. Well done.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you George!

[@JeiBeeBee]

Thanks for this comprehensive review. 👍

[@jameswait5840]

I'm amature painter to say the least but I bought a set of basic color Atom paints at Adepticon 24 and I have to say I was amazed at how clean the paints were. I hope to get more from them in the future!

[@matheuscolombari3110]

Did you get the Big Child Creatives version of them or the regular AMMO Mig Atom paints? I was wondering what the difference of both ranges was.

[@3414mercury]

A very well thought out review, thank you for your time presenting it.

[@Panzermeister36]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joramamodellbau3987]

Interesting review of these new colors with a good presentation how they works, your first impressions and what result you can achieve with them. Thanks for testing them, Evan. Wish you a nice weekend. Joachim

[@SCALEBENCHplasticmodels]

Hi Evan ... many thanks for this detailed review!!! a big hug, cheers Markus

[@ArmourEmpire]

Been looking forward to this review Evan. Cheers mate

[@TheModellingNews]

This is a great and thorough review Evan. Well done!

[@Panzermeister36]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you.

[@SteveJonesScaleModellingSite]

Hi Evan. Great to see you today. Lovely review on the paints. As you say the popularity of buying so many pots at once may be limited. Take care my friend and speak soon

[@OzzysScaleModelerSecret]

Nice review buddy :) Thanks for the effort and sharing . Keep on the good work and model on :)

[@yattaran1484]

Thank you for the review. Very impressive paint !. Would like to use them once they release a set for German panzer.

[@Panzermeister36]

There is a German colour set but they didn't think so send it to "the panzermeister" 😅 instead I got wargaming and Soviet armour lol

[@SteveSmith-kf9on]

Great test mate

[@FinsburyPhil]

I've tried the Atom metallics and they too are excellent. I will use them for detailing with a brush.

[@donatiencarloz3195]

Thanks for this fair review I, too, like versatility of lacquer paints when thinning them. Moreover, a lot of acrylics (ak, mig) dried after some months, but my old tamiyas where still usable 20 year after I bought them. Acrylics are great for detailing, with paintbrush.

[@gasgassteve]

Thanks for doing this review . I am AK 3rd gen user and quite like them , that is when i use acrylics . I also use Laquers or Tamiya Acrylics mostly . If these come out in single bottles , i would give them a try , but not in 12 packs .

[@fjdexx]

Thx for sharing. Nice infos

[@felippejonsson6078]

thank you! got my airbrush almost a year ago and only used mig ammo paints. Im 90% happy with them and i guess the atom will bring the missing 10% 😁. But i mostly used single color cammos on tanks and have yet tried fine details like some German cammos.

[@joesanchez979]

Thanks for the great videos

[@Panzermeister36]

Glad you like them!

[@scaleffect]

Interesting results. Some of their new automotive colors have me intrigued, but not sure I'll make a change from lacquers. Thanks for taking the time (and expense if you paid out of pocket for these) to review them.

[@ChristianGurney]

Your test framework was very helpful.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thanks Christian!

[@jacobrichards8359]

Great job Evan! Since I found out that I'm allergic to lacquers, I've been on the lookout for a good water-based paint for airbrushing. Oh how I miss my Real Colors though....

[@jonmurphy9424]

Great review! I’ll pick up the Luftwaffe set once they’re back in stock

[@rougepilot5513]

This product looks interesting! I will (hopefully) sonn begin using an airbrush and need to restart my paint collection, so this would be an awesome paint to use. The "starter pack"/bundle style of selling that is seenf or now won't be much of a problem for me at this point.

[@guyk2260]

Thank you Evan .

[@Panzermeister36]

Cheers

[@K3ns4i]

Hey! Amazing review dude. I would love to see you reviewing the new Dual Exo line from AK.

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

As someone who only airbrushes acrylics because pets and no place to properly ventilate anything outside, I really appreciate this review. It looks like they'll be a great addition to a paint collection. I'm especially impressed with how well the white seems to airbrush, both you and Workbench Hobbies showed that off well. Sets of 12 20mL paints for $36 isn't a bad price at all, either, even considering the limitations of sets only so far.

[@Panzermeister36]

I am glad you found the video helpful!

[@timothyoffenbacher6190]

Thanks for the Review Evan - not sure if you've ever used Acrylic Gouache - but at first glance they seen very similar. They spray on dead flat, are thinned with water and when dry are very difficult to remove (with water). When brushed leave no brush marks (when thinned with water) - and can be painted over when dry but won't blend or reactivate with water - (see Turner's Acrylic Paints for reference).

[@Souloni]

Was introduced to your channel through Reddit. This was an amazing review of the paint, and it's an extremely detailed take on it. A gunpla/resin model painter myself, so I'm not entirely familiar with all of the armour painting techniques and terms, but I think anyone could benefit from videos like these. Amazing job -- thank you!

[@Panzermeister36]

Very cool...I am not on Reddit often but I hope you enjoy my content! I do build Gunpla on the side and will feature it on the channel eventually.

[@Souloni]

@@Panzermeister36 Will be browsing your other uploads for sure, thanks again!

[@joesanchez979]

I haven't bought atom acrylic paint yet but the product looks great 😊

[@SCM223]

Whoa they changed their logo? I've always liked Ammo, didn't even know they released this. Thank you!

[@Panzermeister36]

This paint was just released this month. January 2024.

[@patricklebeau6539]

Thank you for this very exhaustive review. Looks like a convincing product. I use different acrylic paint brands: Tamiya, Mr Hobby, Vallejo for airbrushing and Revell Aqua with the hairy stick. My choice primer is Badger Stynylrez/Ammo one shot. I already have around 120 paints so I really wish they would sell these paints individually to test it before committing to extending my "collection".

[@Panzermeister36]

They're sold individually now I believe.

[@patricklebeau6539]

@@Panzermeister36 That's right! Thanks. Gonna order some azure blue for a RAF desert scheme on a P-40.

[@johnathan133]

These paints look promising. If it wasn't for my large collection of Tamiya and other lacquer paints I would probably use these.

[@Panzermeister36]

My thoughts too honestly. I will stick with Tamiya and AK RC.

[@foreverplastickits138]

*Thanks for the test, acrylic paints good as airbrushed or hand brushed are rare, so it's interesting to buy them but - as you wrote in comment - one by one as necessary.*

[@Panzermeister36]

Thank you! Yes, I would prefer them to be available individually. That makes sense to me....I buy paint for a given project, not a whole line all at once.

[@workbenchhobbies4316]

Great review Evan! You beat me by 4 days 😉

[@Panzermeister36]

I am excited to see your review as well!

[@panzer-meister]

An excellent presentation. I like that this one has a stronger paint surface than anything else, and it seems to have better hiding power. NOB

[@HamilkarBarkasScaleModelling]

Great to see you took the time for a good amount of testing, that should be really helpful to many fellow modellers out there. Will this make me change out my paint range? No, Revell Aqua paints are just working too well for me, it's nearly impossible to convince me that other stuff would deliver the same reliable results in my hands.

[@Panzermeister36]

Cheers Michael. I agree; we all have our preferences and a brand we find best for our style.

[@AdamMann3D]

Nice review sir. I watched the whole thing even though I will never use these paints. I was just impressed at how thorough your review was. Bruce would be proud.

[@Panzermeister36]

Thanks Adam. I asked around online to get some ideas on what to test. I wanted to be thorough.

[@lesliestephenson1298]

the stand with individual colours are now available.+

[@Diregecko]

Why, oh, why did I have to see your review of new paints? :D Kidding, great review, thanks for the thorough look. Being a sucker for new paints, always on the hunt for the holy grail, I had to order a set. Or two... ;) Am curious how they hold up to mottling German WW2 planes and tanks with ambush camo. The fact that you can brush paint over sprayed parts is truly enticing. I am wondering how they sand. Did you try that with them? Cheers

[@keithTCU]

Just received my Russian colors today. Looking forward to using them.

[@scaleartsg]

need a longer term review. still prefer using my tamiya/my hobby color because they are more readily available from where im from.

[@southpaw5483]

Thank you for sharing. Are the Ammo "Rail Center" paints and Ammo "ATOM" paints the same product except for colors?

[@Panzermeister36]

I don't believe so. Those rail center paints have been out for a little while; these ATOM paints are a brand new product.

[@jerryvolpini7987]

Generally, not impressed with the Mig/Ammo/Ak line of paints. Overpriced, overhyped and under-performing. This new line though, very interesting! Despite the quick drying time, they self-level very well and spray nicely with almost no tip-dry. Will I give them a try? I'm mostly adverse to supporting anything from Mig, the guy is the snake oil salesman of the modellimg world so, always reluctant to throw my money his way. I'll wait to hear more then maybe I'll give the Atom line a try. Thanks for the video, much appreciated!👍

[@Panzermeister36]

Cheers Jerry. I'm of a similar opinion. The issue here is that you have to buy a 12-pack to test them out as they're not sold individually. It's a strange choice. I think many more people would be willing to give them a try if they could just buy one or two.

[@John_Sharrock]

A good review Evan. I use MRP which are water based lacquer,but they stink to high heaven,and don't brush very well. I'll be interested in seeing what the hard edged camo comes out like,and i'd definitely give them a try. 👍

[@paulosborne6517]

A very thorough review... Thank you. As a side note, working time is - of course - very important. As long as acrylic paints are fully cured [a day or more], there is very little risk of removing them unless you a/ really attack them chemically / mechanically or b/ unless you have painted on a poorly prepared surface - such as metal tracks that are greasy, rather than washed and primed. Recently, I have been experimenting with AV acrylics for heavy chipping effects without hairspray - apply primer and base colour in the usual way [let that cure for a day or more], then heavily dry-brush either a winter white or a contrasting colour for faded-out / chipped base paint [such as is seen on many modern era Soviet vehicles - where greens often chip and fade to bright mint green] and - after a few minutes - gently scrub that back with a stiff brush moistened in AV airbrush thinner. It works very well, and doesn't affect the sprayed on primer / base colour. It is also a lot more forgiving and controllable than hairspray which is often all or nothing.

[@andorka555]

Do these paints mix up with other water based acrylics? Did you try mix with Vallejo / AK / Ammo droppers?

[@mrcarlo1966]

Thanks for the review Panzer. Have you heard that AK is discontinuing the Real Colors line?

[@Panzermeister36]

My understanding is that they are discontinuing a few of the colours that aren't selling (20% of the line or so). The rest are being put into new dropper bottles. They're not discontinuing the whole line.

[@mrcarlo1966]

@@Panzermeister36 Thanks for the update!

[@Octopootie1]

Interesting, and thank you for the review, it was very well done. It left me with only one question. Did you experience any tip dry on your airbrush, especially when trying to do that fine detail camo work? Just curious as that's one of the biggest reasons I hate water based acrylics in airbrushes. I most likely won't be getting any of these, as I am like you and prefer lacquers, and have quite a huge stockpile of them. Couple with that, I don't think Ammo, or AK Interactive get their color interpretations close to anywhere accurate most of the time.

[@josephlo9579]

What is difference between drying and curing? Thanks!

[@Panzermeister36]

Drying is when it's dry to the touch. Cured it when it's chemically solidified to its most durable state.

[@joesanchez979]

Do those atom kits bring all the paint that you need for each build

[@Panzermeister36]

It looks like they do: for example the Russian WWII set I have is pretty comprehensive for that subject. I don't have the German set.

[@joesanchez979]

Thanks

[@KGmodels]

Looks amazing!I can’t wait to try them out myself,and I feel Like they are worth the money,however it sucks that they only come in 12 packs!

[@Panzermeister36]

Yes I hope they will be available individually

[@nathanram809]

what was your experience with dry tip?

[@Panzermeister36]

I forgot to mention this in the video but I did not experience any tip dry after 45 minutes of painting. Now I did change colour and clean the airbrush by running pure thinner through it between each, but still no issues at all during 15 to 20 minutes of each colour without stopping.

[@MichalKaczorowski]

Nice ATOMization ;)

[@Panzermeister36]

Yes at the time I noticed this accidental pun 😁

[@MuskyJaeger19]

It’s almost overwhelming at how many paint options out there. I wasn’t impressed with the older Ammo paints. Actually contemplated throwing them in the garbage 🗑️

[@liquidbeefbag]

What was bad about them? Ive not tried. Thx

[@Panzermeister36]

They're very finicky to spray. Hard to get everything dialed in perfectly to spray well, which is frustrating.

[@happy_trigger]

​​​@@liquidbeefbag, in addition to pazermeister36 comment, they become glossy if painted with brush.

[@SteveSmith-kf9on]

Same as mate 👍🇬🇧👌

[@KurtKn1sp3l]

Clicked on it because I saw StuG.

[@Panzermeister36]

StuG is best!

[@ismaelmetero4121]

And here we go again...one more water based acrylic paint. Ammo's marketing department must be working overtime.

[@regularbear]

As opposed to the plethora of lacquer and enamel products?

[@Panzermeister36]

I'm a lacquer fan personally, yeah

[@atexc5604]

I tried few acrylic paints/primers from mig/ammo, and they all sucked big time. Primers didnt stick to plastic/metal - they all peeled off easily under fingernail even tho i cleaned parts properly. Paints have great color range, but are IMO overpriced. For me nothing will beat automotive primer from can + custom mixed Tamiya paints. :)

[@rcrawford42]

I've had good luck with Vallejo primers. But I've also had good luck with gesso for priming miniatures, so...

[@Panzermeister36]

I have not had good experiences with previous ammo paints, but their One Shot primer is simply re-labeled Badger Stynylrez which is a great primer. These new paints are very nice too. I am glad they are improving their quality.

[@reconmodelsvaughn469]

I like them not I got a couple sets to review. So far I like them for acrylics

[@reconmodelsvaughn469]

Did you ever find a armor set for your t34 your working on if not let me know please

[@Panzermeister36]

Yes I did, I think it's in the mail. Will update!

[@noelmorris5807]

i Panit with a brush all the time

[@regularbear]

30psi? Are you trying to put the paint IN the plastic? Thin it more and drop your pressure ffs

[@Panzermeister36]

Welcome to water-based paints buddy. I'm spraying it through a fine nozzle of the Badger Khrome; the surface tension of the water-based paint requires a higher pressure. Like I said, flow improver should help but it works fine. Hataka water-based paints are recommended to spray at 44 psi (3 bar).

[@Panzermeister36]

Further detail: I'm spraying with the finest AB I have, at 28 psi. Of course, you'll need less pressure through a standard nozzle. In the pinned comment I've also described how the local pressure and temperature can affect spraying qualities. It's currently very very cold and dry where I live. Warmer and more humid conditions will make it easier to spray.

[@regularbear]

@@Panzermeister36 fair enough. Just don't ever see the need to go above 15-17 PSI for any application

[@Panzermeister36]

I usually spray at 22 psi for general base coats with this Airbrush. The air is cold and dry here.

[@grzegorz2688]

​@@Panzermeister36well...imho hataka water based paints are the worst acrilic paints on the market. They are rubbish and lost money. I regret I have bought and tried it.