Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color Lacquer line

[Porsnatic]

I wonder, why it's so difficult to get this fine line of paints here in the states, since the Tamiya lacquers(I wonder also why they not sell them in small jars)can be obtained almost in any hobby store and even by air mail. I consider the Tamiyas a good one because for its covering, fast drying time, easy to polishing quality, and availability, but, Gunzes at least to me, its superior not just only for having almost the same features or maybe better in some of them, but, for the triple or almost cuadruple amount of colors, different lines(even a special car color line), price, the greatness of get them in small 10ml jars, and that most of the plastic models we buy from Japan, comes with the Gunze color numbers as a standard to follow.

I got two days ago one of those emails that I almost always just do a fast reading from greatmodels.com telling that tey will look for other distributors to get some of the most asked products from Gunze like the Mr. Surfacer 1000, 500, 1200, white surfacer, etc, but, also the great news of all, that they even could get the '"enamel" line aswell. I know that in the past this guys sold them, I even got some of the last jars at 75 cents in their retail shop in Salt Lake City when I attended my first GSL back in 2005.

As far as I know, in Japan they are really cheap at around 120Y. That's in our dollar change around $1 and with just one 10ml jar(the same size of Tamiya acrylics) I can paint all the coats I need in a car in 1/24 without any problem. I know I can get them through some stores like Rainbow 10 and 1999 in Japan just to name a few, but, today shipping charges make it's final price to go up to high, maybe, through a LHS would be better.

Guys, I would like read another thoughs from you to see if there is another way to get them.

[ariel]

I was speaking to a local distributer which is Stevens International.
They informed me that the problem with Gunze is the same problem
that Tamiya had a fue years ago with the labeling on the bottles.
For the amount of business that they do in the US it may not be
in there interest to relabel the product. This is what I was told I when looking for the liquid putty in the Gunze /Mr. Hobby line. How true this is i don't know.
But Stevens is a pretty large distributor and they have been correct in the past. So ordering over seas maybe your only option for now

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by ariel

I was speaking to a local distributer which is Stevens International.
They informed me that the problem with Gunze is the same problem
that Tamiya had a fue years ago with the labeling on the bottles.
For the amount of business that they do in the US it may not be
in there interest to relabel the product. This is what I was told I when looking for the liquid putty in the Gunze /Mr. Hobby line. How true this is i don't know.
But Stevens is a pretty large distributor and they have been correct in the past. So ordering over seas maybe your only option for now

Stevens sent out notice to their dealers that they were discontinuing Gunze in the US because of an issue making them illegal to sell. Whether it's a labeling issue or something in the paint, Gunze won't be easy to find here, no matter what. Including acrylics.

[Didymus]

Porsnatic, you put "enamel" in quotes. Are the Gunze paints actually enamels? Or synthetic lacquers, like the Tamiya TS (spray can) series?

I have been told by LHS and automotive paint people that it's illegal in California to sell lacquers, even synthetic lacquers, in jars or cans. But it's okay to sell syn lacquers in spray cans for hobby purposes.

Go figure.

Ddms

[cyberkid]

Originally Posted by Didymus

Porsnatic, you put "enamel" in quotes. Are the Gunze paints actually enamels? Or synthetic lacquers, like the Tamiya TS (spray can) series?

I have been told by LHS and automotive paint people that it's illegal in California to sell lacquers, even synthetic lacquers, in jars or cans. But it's okay to sell syn lacquers in spray cans for hobby purposes.

Go figure.

Ddms

From what I know and what I've heard from fellow asian models and store owners:
Gunze only has lacquer and acrylic paints.
Mr. Color and Super Metalic lines are Lacquer.
Mr. Aqua line is Acrylic.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Porsnatic]

I guess you're completly right, but, as it has been said on the Tamiya sprays, I had read in other sites they are sort of altered enamels, since they are not completly equal to other lacquers like House of Kolors, Cobra Colors, and since I hadn't see it in person, the Hiroboy paints.

I don't think I'm a specialist on this subject matter and/or don't have the complete information, but, as far as I know this kind of paints like Gunze Mr. color, Finishers, Tamiya sprays, and Modeler's are treated like some specially formulated enamels.

I would like to hear more toughts on this. Thanks to all you guys are sharing this information that obviouslly has to see a lot with our hobby.

Originally Posted by cyberkid

From what I know and what I've heard from fellow asian models and store owners:
Gunze only has lacquer and acrylic paints.
Mr. Color and Super Metalic lines are Lacquer.
Mr. Aqua line is Acrylic.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Didymus]

I was told by my automotive paint supplier that HOK paints are urethanes. I believe the same is true of the Hiroboy paints.

My LHS says that Tamiya sprays are synthetic lacquers. They handle some of the "Mr." products, BTW, but not the Gunze paints.

Ddms

[ariel]

was told by my automotive paint supplier that HOK paints are urethanes

If HOK paints was urethane it wouldn't damage the plastic and all the HOK paints I have tested damage the plastic or craze it. I know that HOK clear is a urethane but not the paint themselves. Unless they have changed the formula in the past six months. i know they have the Kosmic colors which is a urethane and they also have the same in an enamel. But the acrylic laquer and the solvents used are a hot laquer which will craze plastic.

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by ariel

was told by my automotive paint supplier that HOK paints are urethanes

If HOK paints was urethane it wouldn't damage the plastic and all the HOK paints I have tested damage the plastic or craze it. I know that HOK clear is a urethane but not the paint themselves. Unless they have changed the formula in the past six months. i know they have the Kosmic colors which is a urethane and they also have the same in an enamel. But the acrylic laquer and the solvents used are a hot laquer which will craze plastic.

It's possible that my supplier was referring only to the Kosmic Kolors, since he couldn't sell lacquers.

He did show me a big HOK catalog with a huge variety of spectacular paints, but I don't remember if it had both the Shimrin and Kosmic colors.

Ddms

[JimboCO]

I think there may be hope yet.

My local hobby shop put a sign up a few months ago basically saying they would no longer be able to get Gunze products.

Today I went in and they had a huge re-stock of stuff. Mr. Surfacer bottle and sprays, Super Clear, Mr tool wash, Mr This, Mr That, the works. Tools too!

All of them had English warnings/directions printed on them.

[Porsnatic]

Hey JimboCO, I think I should move to your neigborhood. Oh I just said: when will be that long waited day when we will see finnally in the shelves of our hobby stores the lcomplete acquered Mr.color line. Something like this:


opcorn:

Originally Posted by JimboCO

I think there may be hope yet.

My local hobby shop put a sign up a few months ago basically saying they would no longer be able to get Gunze products.

Today I went in and they had a huge re-stock of stuff. Mr. Surfacer bottle and sprays, Super Clear, Mr tool wash, Mr This, Mr That, the works. Tools too!

All of them had English warnings/directions printed on them.

[JimboCO]

Needless to say, I was quite surprised to see all the stuff. The re-labelling may have been the determining factor.

The shop is Colpar Hobbies in Aurora, CO in case you are in the area!