Painting Models, What Do I Need???

[Son of Damian]

So were going to have an Alternate Falklands Group Build and I would like to participate, but I have a problem, I have never painted a model before!!!

I would like to know every thing I'd need to know before I start buying a bunch of supplies so please tell me everything.

I was thinking of getting an airbrush, an recomendations?
What type of paint do you use with an airbrush, and is there anything in general I need to know about airburshs?

I've seen some use fine paint brushes for detailed work, what do I need to know about these?

I've also seen chalk pastels being used, can anyone tell me about that?

I figure I have enough time to get all the necessary supplies and become familiar with airbrush painting before I build my enteries for the GB.

I was planning to depict my enteries in flight with stand like seen here, does anybody know who to make one of these?

Any links to articles on weathering or painting would alos be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[Shasper]

Easy Sea Biscuit!

Ok, I aint gonna answer all of these, but I can tell you that Enamels are the best for Airbrushing (go with a Iwata or a Badger, or so I'm told.P) ), while if you're going to brush-paint I would advise the new Testors Acrylic paints as they are easy to clean up & thin (works great for a light over-coat)

Get FUTURE! it will save you decals & canopy's! I prefer to brush it on at a sealer coat over the paint prior to decaling and another to seal the decals in. For the canopy just submerge it in a container with Future, remove and let dry.

(Side note, I prefer to put a small dose of future in my decal water)

Now, I would suggest searching the tools N tips section on ARC, Look at MM & HS for painting FAQ as well, since they could most certaintly answer the rest better than me.


Shas B)

[Leigh]

Painting is basically like most things modelling, trial and error till you find what you like, but the try part is the important thing.
Me I'm slowly getting to hate my airbrushes, much more hassle than they be worth but that's probably the user and not the brushes. My Badger 150 and I have never had a good relationship, and my Badger 220 detail works magnificently when it feels like it. If I do spray I swear by MisterKit and Gunze Sangyo acrylics, so already you have two differing opinions, that's where you get into the trial and error part.
I find myself using rattle cans alot these days, especially if it's a simple scheme like '80s Royal or U.S. Navy.
Primer, primer, primer, I use either Krylon or Wal -Mart equipment grey, shows up the flaws and gives the paint something to bite to, also you can polish a primered model with an old T-shirt and get a smooth glossy finish.

As for the stands easy peasy, find a local plastics supply place and get some acrylic rod, dip it in a pan of boiling water and bend to shape around a soup can, apply future, drill a hole and insert in the base of your choice, the local craft store will have tons of cut wood plaques you can use for bases. You can sand the wood and stain with thinned paint, then just varnish over it. Shelaq looks great on the bare wood and minwax varnish will darken with each coat you put on.

If you have trouble finding clear rod let me know I've got tons of it if you need some.

[John Howling Mouse]

Gosh darn, if that link of yours wasn't another model made by that Gekko dEEcals feller!  

Depending on what kind of airbrushing you plan on doing, you might want to start out with an Aztec double-action.  Relatively cheap starter airbrush and has a revolutionary style nozzle system that makes for the easiest clean-up.  Great for simple stuff except even their fine nozzle doesn't go fine enough for some (unmasked) camo.  Traditional airbrushes (like the Iwata) are precision instruments requiring disassembly to properly clean which is akin to "dainty" field-stripping of a sidearm, if there ever was such a thing.

All the other advice up there is great, too.

[AeroplaneDriver]

As Shas said, you will find a wealth of tips on ARC and the other sites.  I switched from enamels to acrylics about a year ago, and I havent looked back.  Acrylic is so much easier to clean up and to me it goes on just about as well.

Depending on your budget and how deep you want to jump into airbrushing, you may want to look at one of the basic Testor's airbrush sets sold at Wal-Mart.  Even though it isn't the best in the world the basic single action Testors (Aztec) airbrush (A320 set I think) is a cheap way to learn some basic techniques, and the cleanup is super simple with their interchangable nozzle system.  I've had a couple of these airbrushes, and though I moved up to a Paasche VL last Christmas they were great brushes for learning.


My personal finishing routine goes something like this:

1.  Primer coat-occasionally Wal-Mart/Krylon gray primer as Leigh uses, but often a base of Testors silver from a rattle can.  

2.  Paint the color(s).  If I can do this with rattle cans, I do.  Tamiya's lacquer cans seem to go on particularly well in my experience, but make sure you're well ventilated!  If I airbrush the scheme I use a Paasche VL with acrylics.  I use Testors Acryl II, Polly S, and Tamiya, and dont really know enough to tell which are best, though the Testors are generally my least favorite to use.

If masking is required, I use a variety of maksing media.  As far as tape goes, Tamiya is best, though it's pricey.  It is very pliable so it masks curved surfaces well, and there is hardly ever any bleed under when spraying.  Usually I will mask the demarcation line with Tamiya tape, then use Scotch or 3M blue painter's tape to mask the rest.  Blu-tack putty for hanging posters is also great for complex shapes, and Silly Putty is good for acrylics, though I learned the hard way that it turns to much when sprayed with Tamiya lacquer (DOH!).  

I'll usually paint the gear wells first, then maks them with the gear doors if the fit is good, and if it is not good I use either blu-tack or damp tissue.  A drop of white glue in the water used to moisten the tissue is great for creating a sturdy plug of tissue that will hold tight until you're finished.

Macking canopies has always been my weak area.  I tried various tapes and liquid masking agents, but still had trouble getting a decent result.   I've now switched to parafilm and love the results.  You stretch a peice of the waxy film over the canopy and burnish it down then trip around the frame with a new #11 blade.

3.  Once the paint is cured I airbrush multiple light coats of Future floor wax.  It usually works well and gives a glass smooth surface for decaling.  Out of around 15 models sprayed with Future I've had problems with two (most recently last week with my Sea Jaguar).  Fortunately Future is easy to strip with an ammonia-based window cleaner like Windex (I always keep a super size bottle of 99 cent store brand stuff handy for cleanup after spraying Future).  When I told the tale fo my recent Future problems Martin mentioned that it is apprantly toxic in vapor form, and lots of other folks piped in that it works just as well when brushed on in thin coats, so I may be trying that method for my next attempt at the Sea Jag.

4.  Once the Future has dried to a rock-hard finish I decal.  I use the Microscale solvents to help decals go on and settle inot the details nicely.  The two I use are in the blue bottle and red bottle.  Each uses a different solvent (one is acetic acid, cant remember the other) and differnet brand decals react differently to each type, though I have gone at many decals with either or both solvents and have yet to make too much of a mess.  Generally they either work well, or dont have much effect, so just experiment a bit.

5.  After the decals dry I gently wash the model with just a dab of dish soap on my fingertips.  This gets the decal glue and microscale residue off.  I let the model airdry, though I'm impatient so the wife's hairdryer on low sometimes helps!

6.  Next I sometimes do another thin Future coat or just go directly to weathering.  I generally weather first with a "sludge wash".  This is a mix of acrylic artist's paint (black or dark brown), dish soap and water.  I mix to an inklike consistency, with just a drop of soap.  Some people seem to carefully apply a wash to the panel lines, but I just lay mine on.  After it dries for 10-15 mins I wipe the excess off with an old damp t-shirt.  If you get too much on a bit of soap and water gets it off (though if you have to do this it is best if a coat of Future went over the decals).  

The sludge wash also does a great job of bringing out detail on landing gear and gear wells.  To wipe the excess from gear wells use q-tips or a small scrap of damt t-shirt held in tweezers.

7.  Once I've got the desired level of panel line work done I spray the whole model with Testors Dullcote from the can.  

8.  Once the dullcote dries I weather with pastels.  I bought a cheap $1.99 set of chalk pastels at Wal-Mart.  For weathering I scrape a hobby knife along the chalk stick to shave off powdered pastel.  Sandpaper also works well to get the powder.  I use paintbrushes to apply pastel dust sparingly to areas that would be streaked or dirty like flap hinges, fuel caps, streaking back from vents and drains, and around cannon ports.  It is best to start lightly, just dragging the tip of the brush across the area you want to weather.  It is easier to add more than to remove the pastel.  

9.  Once the pastel stage is done to my satisfaction I shoot another coat of Testors dullcote.  Once it is dry I remove the masking from the canopy and attach the gear, weapons, and fiddly bits.  

10.  I step back and look at the finished model to see what I can do better next time.


The other guys will likely all have their own personal finishing regimen, some of which may be similar to mine, some of which may be very different.  the important thing is to find something that works for you, and which keeps the build fun.

As a newbie to painting/weathering I would suggest picking out a kit or built model that you dont mind using as a testbed and just experiment with different things.  There are very few hard and fast rules.  I'm sure most of the techniqes we use on a regular basis were discovered accidentally by someone experimenting.  



Cant wait to see your Falklands build!

[Hobbes]

1. Try to stick with a single type of paint (acrylic or enamel) for now. Mixing them can cause problems, and each type has its own learning curve.
Acrylics are less unhealthy, and often dry faster.

2. Before you start airbrushing, do some brush painting first. This'll help you get a feel for what the paint does. You can quickly experiment with thinning ratios, etc.

3. Use scrap plastic, or buy cheap, crappy models to experiment on. When I first got an airbrush, I bought a couple of 1:144 Revell models for this.
Airbrushing an airplane works rather differently than airbrushing a flat sheet of paper/plastic: getting the paint on properly e.g. on a wing root takes some doing.  

[B777LR]

YOU HAVENT WHAT!?!?!?

You need a brush, paint and tissue and a jar of water. Paint model with brush. When finnished whipe paint off brush with tissue. Then pput brush in water, so paint not make brush rock hard.  

[Runway ? ...]

Painting without solvents ? Next you'll be telling people not to ingest tube glue    Kids these days, Ah divvent knaa
Seriously though, practice is the only way to learn. Brush painting is a good place to start, it's cheaper than an airbrush (obviously) and you can really feck things up with an airbrush purchase (I did(once)). If (or when) you decide to get an airbrush test it or one like it (you might hate the (now second hand) thing). Another rule of thumb is don't try a new idea on your precious, try it on something you don't give a monkeys about, or at least something you gon't mind the outcome of (you your family and friends, priceless antiques, that car across the road (kidding)) .
Other more eloquent and or experienced guys have said stuff and probably still will but the best thing to do is to get something and try it and try to learn from whatever result you get.
Flippin try it ! and have fun  

[Dork the kit slayer]

Easy Sea Biscuit!

Ok, I aint gonna answer all of these, but I can tell you that Enamels are the best for Airbrushing (go with a Iwata or a Badger, or so I'm told.P) ), while if you're going to brush-paint I would advise the new Testors Acrylic paints as they are easy to clean up & thin (works great for a light over-coat)

Shas, bit of a sweping statement old chum.  I dont agree.
Also your talking top end airbrushes for a first timer??
If the guy has never painted a model before,lets stay away from $100 + equipment.
Unless he gets  some second hand stuff,which would usually be lower end of the market from people trading up.

My opinion ( mine only) acrylics are not as easy to hand paint (overall schemes not small parts ),although I think the "Lifecolor" range would be good for a novice.

Also where is the guy going to paint...kitchen....toolshed....bedroom...etc. I switched from enamels years ago  because of the smell of white spirit and spray away.


Where does he live?....whats easily available?

A couple of pots of basic colours and three "good" quality brushes I think could start him on his way.

He's obviously got the "net" so there are enough sites even with video help on this subject.

I seem to recognise his "call sign" are we sure he has never painted a model?? or just perhaps never succesfully painted one.

Getting at last to my point..we all do things very differently,so perhaps we should just  gently point him in the direction of his own "limits"
   

[Shasper]

That statement was coming from someone who doesnt know poo-poo about Airbrushing  

I'm not up on everything, except that I did hear from several sources that Acrylics could be tricky to airbrush with. Now about the whole airbrush brand thing, refer to the statement above

Besides, I'm not being overbearing, just speaking from my nugget-sized know-how on the subject, as everyone else has chipped in a hell of alot more than me.

Otherwords, dont be pissed because I happened to be the first to respond.


Shas B)

[Son of Damian]

Thank you all for your responses, there very informative.

Yes I have never ever ever painted a model before, I have mainly been practicing how to build them.

Now I have a few more questions for you

Whats the difference between a single and double action airbrush?

What does future do?

[Shasper]

Staying away from the first question ,

Future is a floor wax, and like any other wax it polishes-up the surface it's applied to. For Canopy's it enhances the clarity (the "clearness"), plus makes up for any imperfections that may have come about, like if you have to sand the transparent part of the canopy. Depending on the grade of sandpaper you use, after a dip in future you shouldnt be able to tell that anything was done at all.

Decal wise is acts like micro-Sol or any other decal solutions by helping the decal to fully adhere to the surface. On the microscopic level the painted surface of our beloved models is not even, but like *mountains & valleys*. If you were to put decals on an untreated surface, air would get trapped under the decal causing the *silvering* effect. By applying a good coat of Future to the surface these *mountains* are *made low* and the *Valleys raised up* (sorry for sounding biblical here), greatly decreasing the chance of Silvering.

Future also works as a paintsealer, much like any other clear coat, protecting the paint underneath. If you plan on doing a multiple-color camo & intend to use masking tape, I would recommend using a clearcoat over each color before you mask, otherwise when you pull the tape up it will pull some paint with it.


Anyone else want to comment?


Shas

[Leigh]

Single action airbrushes, push trigger down paint comes out, push harder more paint.
Double action push trigger down air comes out, push harder more air then pull trigger back paint comes out, pull trigger back further more paint. So the double action brush gives you all the ranges of air pressure and paint volume ie: you can have barely any air and tons of paint or barely no paint and tons of air and all the ranges inbetween. Double action are tricky to master, kinda like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time, then do it on one leg while reciting State capitals alphabetically and concentrating on where your paint is going.

The other airbrush options are going to be internal or external mix, the external mix is a jar that you screw to the brush and air is blown over a hole in the jar forcing it out. Much less precise but easy clean up as the paint never goes in the actual brush but just the jar assembly.
Internal will mix the air and paint in the barrel of the brush then spray it over a needle. Better quality but now you've reached  the point where you have to be meticulous about cleaning your airbrush.

I started on and still use a very cheap single action external mix this one in fact, great for putting on large areas of colour.

I always double dip my canopies in future, and it's saved my donkey on occasions where I've managed to get paint on the canopy, by loosening the future undercoat with some alcohol I can wipe the paint off.
Although it's been mentioned practice and trying things out is the only way to find out what's right for YOU, but also short of melting the plastic there are very few screw ups that can't be fixed, it's frustrating yes but provides a great learning curve, don't be afraid to have a go at anything!

[Dork the kit slayer]

Otherwords, dont be pissed because I happened to be the first to respond.


Shas B)

Not pissed off old chum.... ( and it doesnt read that way to me).....should have used more smiley thingies  maybe..........                  


The idea of a "first timer"going for top end equipment..........gives me nervous wallet.


Back to SoD's question. Getting an airbrush ( in my own opinion) is a big step.It involves a deal of expense and its use is an artform in itself. My first airbrush was a Pasche I bought in the States I thought I could do wonders......WRONG......and I went back to the brushes finally using it for matt varnish ( the only thing I dont think works well with brushes). Im on my sixth airbrush and still make complete balls up as can be seen in a few recent posts.
Its very much like putting a trainee pilot in f-15 and saying these guys can fly it so can you....live with it.

You have been on the site for awhile,you know the mags that are out there and most of them have basic articles on brush painting...care of brushes use of kleer mixing colours....the whole sheeebang. Infact the last mag I picked up had choice of airbrush and compressors.

As you have brought your building skills up to a level your happy with I take it you have had a little painting experience with interiors.

My only really usefull advice is choose a very simple scheme and do it by hand brushing..........jumping in at the deep end will do you and your confidence no good at all.

[Lord Darth Beavis]

S.O.D.--

If you do decide to go airbrush, and live near a Hobby Lobby, hit their website, print up one of those spiffy 40% coupons that they run oh-so-often, and head on over and save a ton of dosh!

I picked up a $150 Iwata Eclipse for $90 last weekend, and due to the apathy of the cashier, got the hose for nada!  He didn't feel like digging thru the book of merchandise...

Hey, you see me complainin'?