Acrylic paint types

No.

Enamel - oil based paints, which are rather old school. They are cheap to buy in the US, but are not favored these days because they require thinners, cannot be cleaned up with water, and stink. Examples include Testors enamel, Model Master Enamels, Humbrol enamels.

Acrylic - acrylic paints.

They are not compatible with each other.

Acrylics are not all the same, however, and several distinct varieties/fomulations sold for models exist:

MM Acrylic: Testors' version, which needs a primer to work properly, thins with water and proprietary thinner.

Vallejo Acrylic: uses water and their proprietary thinner. Alcohol will turn it to sludge.

Humbrol Acrylic: pretty poor acrylic paint, similarly, alcohol turns it to sludge and strips it as well.

Tamiya: they call it acrylic, but it's considered to be an alcohol based acrylic lacquer. It thins with alcohol, and strips with alcohol. Water generally isn't recommended.

/r/modelmakers Thread