Model paint

Well I have finished my Spit. It’s ok not fantastic but I learnt a lot. 1:72 Anson next then my Old Warden Lysander

Chris

One further thought…

I’m a big fan of enamels still as I personally feel that they have a greater depth of colour. I also snap up old tins of Humbrols and Gloy authentic colour off of Ebay as these older paints seem to have a better formula.

One golden rule I observe if using the old hairy stick, is to never use an unthinned coat of paint straight from the tin. I always thin the paint thoroughly and apply several coats of paint to build up a nice solid colour. This always seems to give me a great finish and consistently good results. A coat of Klear afterwards finishes off the process.

Hope this helps.

Regards;
Steve

Model Master have a pretty good paint range in enamels. They tend to be the more accurate colours. There’s no reason however why mixed media wouldn’t work. Enamel for some areas, acrylic with others.

The aspect of acrylic that I like most though is the fact it can be thinned with water, rather than investing in special thinners (it is advisable to use thinners from the same manufacturer as it is usually formulated specifically for use with their own ranges).

I must confess (as I’m also an artist) to using a lot of Winsor &Newton acrylics, particularly for weathering etc. I find that this is often a lot cheaper than using the smaller model-making acrylics.

I’m am reading this thread with interest as I build my spit, the paints looked awful as I painted straight onto the plastics. But now as I put on the second layer, the finish is better, so a undercoat would have certainly helped. Not to the quality of you guys but ok for me.
I think the main reason I am battling on with enamals is due to the cost of changing.
I will post a picture when I have finished, I think I depends how good it looks!

I am a huge Vallejo fan. I used to work in a model shop so I got to try their acrylics out and was instantly converted. Surprisingly, I’ve not even layed eyes on enamels since. Some modellers also find oil paint handy for basecoats, with acrylic being used for highlights etc. Lifecolor do a nice range of weathering agents in some of their multipacks.

I’m not sure about use with enamels but certainly if using acrylics it’s worthwhile purchasing some Fairy Power Spray. This is normally used to clean burnt on grease and stubborn stains but makes a fantastic paint stripper – I apply with a brush and leave for 30 minutes before rinsing with a slight scrubbing motion using the brush. It will strip the model to the bare plastic without affecting the plastic whatsoever (it’s worthwhile testing on a a scrap piece of the models plastic first to make sure. I’ve even used it on clear plastics many times – including those covered in emulsion paint.

I think I spent 50p on my spray and it’s still going strong.

It also works wonders for cleaning my brushes 😉

I don’t think you should throw away your enamels just yet.
With enamels you need to thin your paint and apply several light coats.

These models are all painted with enamel.

I suppose it differs kit to kit really. I build predominately armour, or, as the airceaft modelling forums would put it, targets. Generally, unless an armoured vehicle has an interior which is easily visible, I do the bulk of the construction first, then prime, then paint. At that point I separately paint the onboard tools and odd fixtures and fittings, and any stowage I have to attach before I attach them. Then the model is sprayed with a coat of Klear (sometimes more than one) before I decal and then add any weathering, chipping etc with acrylics and then I move to oil washes and filters (only just beginning to use these methods). When complete the whole thing is given a coat of Humbrol matt varnish to tie everything together. If I need a satin finish then I use Klear with a couple of drops of Tamiya flat base but not too much or your model turns a lovely chalky white.

Paint doesn’t appear to affect adherence of parts as I tend to use stupid glue (cyanoacrylate) or Tamiya extra thin but I don’t think that’s available in the UK anymore.

Generally speaking I don’t wash plastic parts but I do wash any resin parts if included in a kit. I remove dust particles by just spraying air through the airbrush.

Hope this is useful but I think you’ll find we all have our different foibles. There’s no rights or wrongs, just experiment and find what works for you.

Regards,

kev35 (An average, yet contented, modeller.)

Just spent a while on the modellers web site, thanks for the link. Very interesting site. Primer would appear to be the way to go (a bit late for my spit though) so in simple terms, fo you prime everything on the spurs or removed then construct the kit, or does it differ kit to kit?
I suppose it would be a good idea to mask or remove paint from glue points.

I have rebuilt a mk1 golf gti over the last few years, I’m sure it’s was easyer than this!!!

I dumped 200 plus enamels as I was won over by acrilics. The only ones I kept were some odd colours that I only need a dab or two of.

Thank you for the replies
I have a compresser already so a spray gun may be an option.
It would be nice to keep using the enamal tins as I have so many of them.
I must admit I did not wash the plastics first, is this to remove general dirt or is there a release compound on the plastics?

I’m still enjoying building the spit but it’s a learning curve all over again! Got a Lysander to do next with the shuttleworth collection codes, time to dig out the matt black!

Go acrylic with rattle can Halfords grey primer as Kev says If you are using a brush use a couple of thinned coats of colour. Get hold of a bottle of Kleer(old style if you can)then paint the model with that. It helps the decals to stick and get rid of “silvering”. Next buy a spray can of airfix matt varnish and spray the entire model with that and your brush marks will be gone(dont spray the canopy though) Test the technique on something else first so you don’t ruin your model. Airbrushs are a good investment if you are going to do a lot of model making. I would also read or join this forum.

http://www.britmodeller.com/

HTH

Tamiya acrylics work well for me and I have used vallejo as well. I much prefer acrylics to enamels now but the best investment I ever made regarding paint finishes was an airbrush and compressor.

Regards,

kev35

Hi Chris,

Are you applying directly to the bare plastic?

After washing the model in a warm water/ mild soap solution, I allow it to air-dry. I then remove any dust particles with a tack-cloth.

I then apply primer; I use Halfords grey primer (usual disclaimer applies).

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

Don