New topic...

I'd like to dive into building models again. I put a few kits together back in high school (I think my mom threw them away after I went to college), mostly sci-fi related kits. I recently built an "Eagle" from the TV series, Space 1999. I haven't put any decals on it yet, nor have I tried painting it either. I'd like to try painting it with an air brush but I've never used one before.

Does anyone here have any experience with air brush painting? I'm totally open to any tips/advice/suggestions that you may have before I start spending any money.

Thanks,

James

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Re: Model Painting
By: Jamestyree to All on Sun Sep 22 2019 03:44 pm

New topic...

I'd like to dive into building models again. I put a few kits together back high school (I think my mom threw them away after I went to college), mostly sci-fi related kits. I recently built an "Eagle" from the TV series, Space 1999. I haven't put any decals on it yet, nor have I tried painting it eith I'd like to try painting it with an air brush but I've never used one before

Does anyone here have any experience with air brush painting? I'm totally o to any tips/advice/suggestions that you may have before I start spending any money.

Thanks,

James

I've gotten back into assembling models after several years of having some
kits placed in storage. I recently put together a 1:48 scale B-17e. When I was building models in the 80's and 90's the Testors enamel paints were
cmmonly found at most big box stores. Nowadays the hot items are acrylic paints. They can be thinned down to add highlights to seams and other
details, and also enhance weathering effects. while acrylics can be thinned with water, there are special airbrush thinners that stay "wet" longer and don't clog up air brushes.

Reagrding the B-17e, I didn't have any paints in my inventory other thatn automotive paints. I primed the larger parts withgray etching primer. Acrylics will not stick well to bare plastic. The primer also helped with my primary project: learning how to wire lighting in a plane. I added a switch and battery holder in the bomb bay and ran a couple of clear red lens LED's through the fuselage to simulate the low light red lamps used at night in the cockpit, radio room, and gunner's areas. I sprayed the exterior portions with
Krylon olive drab and later picked up a small acrylic set to paint the
seats, belts, metallic items, and other small features. I could not find any regular model glue nearby (seemd like every drug store had some) so I
perfomred most of the gluing with either wood glue or Gorilla Glue clear gel adhesive. Wood glue didn't work well and had to be re-glued in most spots. The gel would etch into some of the clear pieces. In retrospect I should've spent more time de-burring and fitting parts, and removed more flashing. The kit must've been stored near heat, and the wing portions warped a little. I had to use clamps to keep the edges bonded, as well as use a heat gun to straighten parts out. I also need one of those magnified lamps. My eyes aren't what they used to be.

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Does anyone here have any experience with air brush painting? I'm totally open
to any tips/advice/suggestions that you may have before I start spending any >money.

It depends on where you live. I bought an air brush in 1999 to paint HO
scale rail equipment. That year is important because it was the year we
had a horrible drought and the air was pretty dry. I loved it.

The next Summer, and everyone that followed, I quickly started to hate the
damn thing. A spray can, properly used, would do just as good a job in
the humid weather we usually have. Considering the extra setup the brush required, I quickly migrated to said cans.

That said, if you are really willing to put some money into it and can
paint in an environmentally controlled area with a booth, OR if you live somewhere that is very dry, I would say use the air brush. Otherwise, I
would be leery of recommending one.

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Re: Model Painting
By: Mike Powell to JAMESTYREE on Mon Sep 23 2019 08:10 pm

Does anyone here have any experience with air brush painting? I'm totally >to any tips/advice/suggestions that you may have before I start spending an >money.

It depends on where you live. I bought an air brush in 1999 to paint HO scale rail equipment. That year is important because it was the year we
had a horrible drought and the air was pretty dry. I loved it.

The next Summer, and everyone that followed, I quickly started to hate the damn thing. A spray can, properly used, would do just as good a job in
the humid weather we usually have. Considering the extra setup the brush required, I quickly migrated to said cans.

That said, if you are really willing to put some money into it and can
paint in an environmentally controlled area with a booth, OR if you live somewhere that is very dry, I would say use the air brush. Otherwise, I would be leery of recommending one.

I think I mentioned it briefly, but there's special additives for air guns to keep them from gumming up or drying out. It has little to do with thinning, b ut more like adding lubricant to the paint.

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I think I mentioned it briefly, but there's special additives for air guns to >keep them from gumming up or drying out. It has little to do with thinning, b >ut more like adding lubricant to the paint.

I used that. :) Also used an air line filter in an attempt to cut down on
any excess humidity in the air. I never had trouble with it gumming or
drying out. I think I had the opposite problem. Conditions here are
rarely dry enough to get a better spray with an air brush vs. using a spray can.

Only time it gets dry enough it is too cold! :o

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Re: Model Painting
By: Mike Powell to JAMESTYREE on Mon Sep 23 2019 08:10 pm

That said, if you are really willing to put some money into it and can
paint in an environmentally controlled area with a booth, OR if you live somewhere that is very dry, I would say use the air brush. Otherwise, I would be leery of recommending one.

Thanks Mike, this is exactly what I was looking for. I'm in North Carolina, USA and it's pretty humid here. I've never used spray cans for models before. It's definitely something I'll try before dumping a lot of money into air brush equipment. Though I'll pick up another simple model to learn on instead of the one that I want to display.

Thanks1

James

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Re: Model Painting
By: Moondog to Mike Powell on Tue Sep 24 2019 10:56 am

I think I mentioned it briefly, but there's special additives for air guns to keep them from gumming up or drying out. It has little to do with thinning, b ut more like adding lubricant to the paint.

I'll do some Googling to see what I can find if I'm not happy trying out the spray can alternative, first. Thanks!

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Re: Model Painting
By: Mike Powell to MOONDOG on Tue Sep 24 2019 06:46 pm

any excess humidity in the air. I never had trouble with it gumming or drying out. I think I had the opposite problem. Conditions here are
rarely dry enough to get a better spray with an air brush vs. using a spray can.

I know you're only as goood as the tools you use, but is it worth it to spend more for the better quality air brush equipment or can you expect good results with a modetly priced equipment as well?

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Re: Model Painting
By: Jamestyree to Mike Powell on Wed Sep 25 2019 05:38 pm

Re: Model Painting
By: Mike Powell to MOONDOG on Tue Sep 24 2019 06:46 pm

any excess humidity in the air. I never had trouble with it gumming or drying out. I think I had the opposite problem. Conditions here are rarely dry enough to get a better spray with an air brush vs. using a spr can.

I know you're only as goood as the tools you use, but is it worth it to spen more for the better quality air brush equipment or can you expect good resul with a modetly priced equipment as well?

I have an inexpensive Testors brand airbrush, and I cannot achieve the same detail as the Tamiya (I think that's the name) brushes. The settings on mine are way too coarse to do anything real fine. I can paint plane fuselages all day and paint camoflage details, however the real fine weathering and
detailing is too fine. I can't meter it reliably even when thinned down.

The techniques I've seen with acrylics that amaze me are when the modeller dilutes black paint, then uses a large brush to cover everything, then goes over it once again with a cloth before it dries. It reminds me of staining
of wood, where you want paint in every pore and seam, but not coating the piece. This also works on adding detail to uniforms and clothing, where you want the impression of shadow on recesses and folds and texturing. Without
the process, a cloth top on a military jeep or a tent would appear to be just another piece of plastic painted solid green or tan.

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I know you're only as goood as the tools you use, but is it worth it to spend >more for the better quality air brush equipment or can you expect good results >with a modetly priced equipment as well?

I went with a mid-range Badger and, like I said, it was great when the
weather was warm and very dry. User error is also possible in my case, although I did not feel like I was doing anything different when I had
success vs. when I did not.

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